MERCEDES, Texas (ValleyCentral) — It’s tax-free weekend and shoppers can take advantage of savings to buy back to school items.
Susana Ruiz, shopping with her son at the outlet mall in Mercedes said she missed tax-free weekend last year, but added, “We wanted to try it this year, we didn’t take advantage last year, so we wanted to see how it was this year.”
Ruiz said she was able to find some good deals on shoes but her shopping day had just begun.
The National Retail Federation said families with students in elementary through high school could expect to spend almost nine hundred dollars on back to school items.
Outlet officials said this is one of their busiest weekends of the year. Nirvick Mohinta, General Manager for Rio Grande Valley Premium Outlets said sales were much higher compared to earlier in the Summer.
“Significant bump in traffic during this period from May and June. Because we’re talking maybe double digits in terms of traffic and sales.”, Mohinta said.
The outlet mall also hosted a back to school event where backpacks and other supplies were handed out and entertainment was provided. Mohinta said these events were a good way to give back to the community and they helped retailers.
“They end up spending time at the center and they’ll maybe grab a coffee, some food, so overall our transaction sizes go up,” Mohinta added. “Our average transaction size goes up. And total sales go up during this time period. “
There are some items like computer and tablets that don’t qualify for the tax-free savings. But for families looking to purchase clothing and other school supplies, tax-free weekend ends Sunday at midnight.
