By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
It is tax-free weekend in Missouri.
This weekend, shoppers save on back-to-school merchandise, which is rather loosely defined during the weekend. Eligible purchases range from school supplies, which includes computers, to clothes.
East Hills Shopping Center General Manager Lindsey Davis says the savings aren’t just available to St. Joseph residents or even Missouri residents.
“In my years of working in retail and here at the shopping mall, we do pull in anywhere around a 90-mile radius,” Davis tells the Missourinet. “So yes, we get people from Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa all coming to St. Joe to take advantage of this sales tax holiday.”
State law recently expanded the sales tax holiday to include not just the state sales tax, but all local sales and use taxes.
Davis says the weekend has become so popular, it rivals Black Friday for certain retailers. Many retailers sponsor events to attract customers.
Davis says the mall hopes to attract shoppers with more than just a tax break.
“We have different events that are turtle related,” Davis says. “We are having a live tortoise event on Saturday. Remington Nature Center, affiliated with our city, they have someone they know that also does a tortoise rescue. So, between the two of them, they’re bringing out about five to seven live, big tortoises that kids can see, touch, and just learn about the awesome animals.”
The back-to-school sales tax holiday in Missouri runs from Friday through the close of Sunday.
Alisa Nelson with the Missourinet contributed to this story.
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