Sales Tax Holiday Weekend kicks-off across South Carolina

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Friday marks the beginning of South Carolina’s Sales Tax Holiday Weekend, which means from now through Sunday, sales tax will not be included when purchasing select items.

Hundreds of families at the Tanger Outlets took advantage of the start of tax-free weekend as many prepare to head back to school.

“It makes a huge difference,” shopper Wade Hughes said. “Right now, with everything being expensive, I’ll take any help I can get.”

This year’s Sales Tax Holiday Weekend is making a difference as Lowcountry shoppers hit the stores, while avoiding a big hit to the wallet.

“We’re just trying to save a little money,” Hughes said. “Get the kids all the goods they need to go back to school in-style.”

At Tanger Outlets, shoppers get an even bigger bargain as retailers are offering additional deals on top of the tax break.

“Not only are people getting a break from sales tax,” Tanger Outlets marketing director Andrea Gervacio said, “we’re also doing some Tanger-style coupons, which is additional savings for 15 to 25 percent off at select stores.”

Many shoppers, like the Seel sisters, are taking advantage of the savings.

“We went to North Face because we wanted to look for bookbags there,” Addison Seel said. “Then, we went to Under Armour for shoes and stuff. We also went to Arie for leggings and all that stuff.”

Businesses say they saw a good turnout Friday, and expect the same throughout the weekend.

“There’s been great traffic today,” Gervacio said. “Lots of people are shopping. Hands full of shopping bags because there’s really great deals happening right now. Tax-Free Weekend is a really big time for retail in general, but for us it’s pretty comparable that of like Thanksgiving weekend and leading up to the holidays.”

If you’re planning on heading out Saturday, they’ve got some tips on how to make the most of the experience.

“Saturday tends to be a very busy day for Tax-Free Weekend just because it’s the first day that everyone has off for the weekend,” Gervacio said. “So, we highly recommend wearing comfy shoes, light clothing, just because you’re going to be moving around a lot. And definitely download that Tanger Mobile App. Make sure that you’re getting all the details on all the deals that are happening in the area.”,

You can find the full list of sales tax exempt items here.