Shop till you drop: SC shoppers snap up the tax-free deals

Many stores throughout Columbia felt the full force of sales-tax-free-weekend as customers churned out en masse to grab up discounted items and seasonal closeouts – with the added value, in some cases, of no sales tax.

Now in its 15th year, tax-free weekend is an unofficial end of summer, with back-to-school shopping a main driverfor customers looking for clothes and school supplies.

Leigh Martin walked out of the Target department store off Garners Ferry Road Sunday afternoon with her son Levi and a handful of clothes he will need when he starts Brennan Elementary School next week.

“I got the essentials that he needs like jeans and t-shirts,” Martin said, as Levi held on to several pairs of new pants. Although she said the deals were only OK this year, she likes to shop at Target during tax-free weekend because of the quality of the store’s clothes.

Many other shoppers bypassed the big-box stores in favor of deals from local retailers.

Jason Humphries browsed a sandals rack set up outside of Salty’s Board Shop on Devine Street, eventually finding a pair that he could wear in the final weeks of summer.

Although Humphries said he stopped out for lunch Sunday afternoon instead of shopping, the outdoor racks of clothes and shoes enticed him.

“I saw the sidewalk sale, and I like supporting local business, so I stopped by,” Humphries said.

Frank Rainwater, executive director of the S.C. Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Office, said when the shopping holiday began in 2000, customers were estimated to save nearly $3 million throughout the weekend. The idea was to provide some tax relief and help families get ready for the start of a new school year.

Even though this year’s estimates topped $2.3 million due to the most recent economic recession, it is still a win-win for customers and businesses.

“The results of these exemptions are mixed,” Rainwater said. “It’s popular but there is a lack of hard data to provide specific answers on the benefits. Taxpayers like the idea, and merchants like the attention it generates.”

David Wingo, area manager for Mast General Store on Main Street, said this year the customer traffic was great.

“We have seen a really good flow of parents and students, and just people in general, buying lots of backpacks, clothes and shoes,” Wingo said. “It was just a really good flow of people out to take advantage of the weekend.”

Michael Eleazer, assistant manager of Half-Moon Outfitters on Devine Street, agreed.

“We have been fairly busy,” Eleazer said. “We have been starting off slow in the mornings and picking up in the afternoon.”

Those who shopped at Half-Moon Outfitters during the weekend got the added bonus of marked down prices on seasonal clearance items, Eleazer said.

“We have had a good handful of people waiting for tax-free-weekend by putting stuff on hold,” Eleazer said.

For Eleazer’s store, like many, actual sales numbers are still being tabulated, but he said the weekend has been a good driver in the annual sales numbers as projected.

This story was originally published August 9, 2015 at 7:23 PM.