South Carolina’s tax-free weekend offers more than just back-to-school savings

South Carolina’s tax-free weekend – which starts at 12:01 a.m. Friday and concludes at midnight Sunday – couldn’t come at a more strategic time.

Back to school is just around the corner, with most public schools resuming classes within the next two weeks.

That leaves only a few fleeting days for most families to get prepared for school with all the requisite supplies, not to mention new clothes, shoes, backpacks and lunch boxes.

But the coming three days of shopping without having to pay sales tax on a laundry list of items is also a time to shop for:

▪ Baby stuff – In addition to clothing, diapers (cloth or disposable) are tax free.

▪ The sportsman – Hunting vests, waders, gloves for batting, cycling and golf, as well almost every kind of shoe or skate, are tax free.

▪ A wedding – Bridal gowns and tuxedos that are bought (not rented) are tax free.

▪ Christmas – Buy gifts now, particularly items that are not deeply discounted, and save the sales tax.

“It’s a great time to shop,” says Marianne Bickle, professor and department chairwoman for retailing and fashion merchandising at the University of South Carolina. “It’s a great time to save.”

This is the 16th annual tax-free weekend for South Carolina. The state Department of Revenue estimates shoppers will save $2 million to $3 million over the course of the weekend. The tax-free weekend means York County residents won’t have to pay the 7 percent sales tax.

Many non-retail businesses likely will see a boost in sales from increased shopping, according to the South Carolina Retail Association. That would be good news to local businesses that have been reporting soft sales in June and July because of the heat. It’s also a historically slow sales season for many retailers.

North Carolina used to have a tax-free weekend, but lawmakers there ended it in 2013. York County retailers saw a surge in tax-free sales in 2014, which some attributed to North Carolina shoppers coming south for savings. Retailers are hoping for a similar bump this year.

The 7 percent savings doesn’t sound like much, but it depends on what you are shopping for, said Bickle and Jane Thomas, professor of marketing at Winthrop University.

Buying clothing is not likely to result in significant savings, as prices are usually low and there are many sales as stores try to move their remaining summer inventories.

But for someone buying a computer tax-free, they said, the savings can be significant.

It’s not just computers, though. Printer cartridges, usually pricey, are tax free for the weekend.

To maximize tax-free weekend savings, Bickle, Thomas and others suggest:

▪ Using coupons or other deals to boost savings.

▪ Comparing prices at several stores. This can often be done online.

▪ Making a list, checking it twice and sticking with it. This helps curb impulse spending but also ensures you get everything you are looking for.

It is also a good time to shop local. Many local retailers have the back-to-school items, but the business shoppers send their way comes with a perk.

“If you spend $100 locally at a chain store, $15 is reinvested locally by the store,” said Stefanie Stacks, chairwoman of the York County Regional Chamber of Commerce’s “Buy Local” campaign. “If you spend $100 at a local store, $45 is reinvested in taxes and wages.”

Local consignment and gift stores, such as Two Social Butterflies in Rock Hill, Good Things Consignment in Clover, Crossing on Main in Fort Mill and Echo Consignments in Lake Wylie, have back-to-school items.

“If you are looking for something different, a change of pace, come see us,” said Brenda Hallman. co-owner of Two Social Butterflies.

Who benefits from tax-free weekend sales?

Tax-free weekend coincides with back-to-school shopping. But it’s a time to shop for a variety of items:

Baby: bibs, clothes, diapers (cloth or disposable), bumper pads, crib padding, blankets, pillows, shoes

Bath: mats and rugs, towels and wash clothes, bathing caps (shower curtains and rings are taxed)

Beach: bathing suits, bathing trunks, beach towels, sandals, flip-flops

Computer: computers, computer software contracts (when sold with computer), hardware service contracts (when sold with computer), software, printer cartridges

Dorm room: bedding and bed linens, blankets, pillows (refrigerators, furniture and bicycles are taxed)

Hair: Bobby pins, hair bows, hair clips, headbands, bonnets, bandanas, barrettes, elastic ponytail holders, scarves

Sporting goods: Hunting vests, ice skates, in-line skates, roller skates, ballet shoes, bowling shoes, football cleats, soccer shoes, riding pants, jogging suits, ski boots, ski masks, ski suits, skin diving suits, sweat shirts, pants and bands, waders, gloves, tennis shoes (rental shoes are taxed)

Wedding: Bridal gowns and veils, bow ties, corsets and corset laces, garters and garter belts, gowns and formal clothing, tuxedos (rentals are taxed)

The Herald’s School Supply Drive

The Herald and its sister community newspapers – the Enquirer-Herald in York and Clover, the Fort Mill Times and the Lake Wylie Pilot – are partnering with school districts in York and Lancaster counties to gather supplies for children from families in need. We hope you’ll keep these families in mind as you shop this weekend, and pick up a few items to donate.

 

NEEDED SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Three-ring binders, including 1-inch, 2-inch, 3-inch or 5-inch; backpacks; non-sticky book covers; Clorox or Lysol wipes; colored pencils; construction paper; crayons; dividers; dry erase markers; facial tissue; flash drive; folders with prongs; glue sticks; liquid glue; graph paper; hand sanitizer; handheld pencil sharpeners; highlighters; index cards; ink pens; loose-leaf notebook paper, both college ruled and wide ruled; Lysol; marble composition notebooks; markers; clear page protectors; pencil pouch or box; pencils; Post-it notes; ruler; scissors, both blunt and pointed; black sharpie markers; spiral notebooks; staples; tape; white copy paper; and quart and gallon zip-lock bags.

DROP-OFF LOCATIONS FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES

Rock Hill: Rock Hill schools district office, 660 N. Anderson Road, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

Fort Mill: Fort Mill school district office, 2233 Deerfield Drive; Doby’s Bridge Elementary School, 1000 Dragon Way; Tega Cay Elementary School, 2185 Gold Hill Road; 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

Clover: Clover school district office, 604 Bethel St., 8 a.m.-4 p.m.; Clover Community Bank, 124 Old N. Main St., 9 a.m.-4 p.m.; Clover Community Bank-Lake Wylie, 5196 Charlotte Highway, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

York: York District Office, 1475 E. Liberty St.

Lancaster: Lancaster School District, 300 S. Catawba St.; U.S. Postal Service, Main Street, Lancaster; Food Lion stores on North Main Street and Airport Crossroads; and Southern States Chiropractic, 106A N. Woodland Drive, Lancaster.

WHERE TO SEND MONEY

Make checks payable to these organizations and write “school supplies” in the memo line:

Rock Hill Schools Education Foundation, P.O. Box 12286, Rock Hill, SC 29731, or drop off from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Thursday at Rock Hill Schools Administrative Office, 660 N. Anderson Road, Rock Hill.

Foundation for Fort Mill Schools, online at ffms.org or mail checks to the foundation at P.O Box 476, Fort Mill, SC 29716. Contributions in excess of the amount needed for school supplies will be used for field trip scholarships.

Clover School District, 604 Bethel St., Clover, SC 29710.

York School District One, 1475 E. Liberty St., York, SC 29745.

Communities in Schools, Lancaster, P.O. Box 3241, Lancaster, SC 29721.

This story was originally published August 5, 2015 at 6:12 PM with the headline "South Carolina’s tax-free weekend offers more than just back-to-school savings."