BUSY IN BRISTOW: Tax-Free Weekend Takes its Toll

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For the first time, I was in the state of Virginia on Tax-Free Back to School weekend and made use of the time to save. True, we went into Wal-Mart with lesser ambitions, but what Mom can walk past an aisle of school supplies advertised at 50 percent off and buy one get one free? It didn’t matter to me that we were in Williamsburg or staying at a campground or that we’d come in for batteries and a bag of ice. I came, I saw, I shopped.

“You don’t have their lists,” my husband said in an attempt to get in and out of the mega store without buying reams of loose leaf paper. “Who says I don’t?” I retorted, going to the school link on my iPhone. He shook his head in defeat and wandered off into automotive.

Last year, I went to Target in late August with a compilation of my children’s four separate lists. Turns out that sort of forethought made shopping much more efficient as this year in my last-minute tax-free glee, I went up and down the same aisles three different times.

“We have tons of glue sticks at home,” Husband said once he came back in futile hopes that I’d finished.

“No, we don’t. I was just in that drawer last week.” What was really in question here was the definition of ton. He thought a ton equaled five or six, and I thought a ton was a complete package of 12 from Costco where I’d picked them up the year before.

“Well, I know we have folders,” he said picking up a few from the pile I’d just painstakingly chosen.

“We have folders, but not the right kind or the color the teacher’s requesting.”

At this point, he gave up, and I maneuvered the cart back down the art supply aisle for the third time trying to tune out a mother who was arguing with her daughter that the list said she only needed one five subject notebook so that’s all she was going to get.

In fact, the longer I stayed, the more I noticed other frustrated shoppers, and soon enough the aisles started to feel a lot like the labyrinth from the fourth book in the Percy Jackson series. A minute ago, there were index cards down here, I thought to myself, I’m sure of it. The crazed panic of the other shoppers was starting to wear off on me – either that, or my blood sugar was plunging. Regardless, I knew I needed to get out fast before another person bumped into my cart.

On our way to the parking lot, I could feel myself relaxing, and when I read my receipt and saw I’d only paid .52 tax on non-school related items, I felt myself grow positively lighter than air.

My elation continued as we hit the outlet mall, and I bought rain gear for the kids at 20 percent off and again … no tax! Why oh why was I usually in South Carolina this weekend? Who needs the beach when one can score tax-free booty?

The next morning, I discovered that we needed milk, so I ran across the street (and by ran I mean drove) to the convenience shop, but all they had was a single serve for $1.79. Indignant, I drove a bit further – back to Wal-Mart – walked briskly to the far wall of the store (how clever – placing the milk a mile away from the door). However, I also saw Pop Tarts (had to have ‘em) and eggs (maybe I’ll make a big breakfast). At the checkout, I waited impatiently behind a woman who was paying part of her bill in cash and part with credit so that when it was my turn, I was beside myself.

Back at the campsite, I reached down for my bags and discovered I’d grabbed only the milk. I’d left my entire tax savings back at Wal-Mart! I did go back later and recoup my financial losses. For anyone who’s ever wondered, a lot of people leave items at the counter. Personally, I blame the bag carousel and the lackadaisical clerk.

Now that we’re home and our school supplies runneth over, I wonder if it was all worth it.

Certainly, three trips into the Williamsburg Wal-Mart in the space of 24 hours is a little much. I don’t know what the Bristow (technically Manassas) or Gainesville Target is like on Tax-Free Weekend, but by late August when we really need to be thinking about our return to school, all the supplies will have been re-stocked, and it’s an actual pleasure to walk through the well-organized, wide aisles with my pre-planned list instead of shopping on the fly with my phone while camping.

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