Shoppers take advantage of the first day of Ohio sales tax holiday

Many shoppers at Franklin Park Mall took advantage of the first day of Ohio’s sales tax holiday on Tuesday to see savings on their purchases.

Since 2015, Ohio has set aside a few days in August for consumers to buy certain items with no sales tax to help families buy clothing, supplies, and other goods for the coming school year.

This year, the sales tax holiday spans 10 days, from Tuesday until Aug. 8. More items that are unrelated to school supplies are now eligible.

The sales tax holiday is for all tangible personal property valuing $500 or less, excluding watercraft or outboard motors, vehicles, alcoholic beverages, tobacco, vapor products, or item that contain marijuana.

“I think it’s great,” said Tim Grady, of Toledo, who helps buy school clothes for his grandchildren. “Any time you save even a little bit of money, it’s always worth it.”

Samantha Link, of Sylvania, said she noticed the difference when she purchased items at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

“I was expecting it to cost more. That’s nice,” she said.

Meghan Dusseau, of Bedford, Mich., said she learned about Ohio’s sales tax holiday on the news Tuesday morning.

“We don’t have that in Michigan, so I took advantage of it in Ohio,” Ms. Dusseau said. “I purchased back-to-school tennis shoes, book bags, lunch boxes, and shirts.

“After the purchase, I looked at the receipt to make sure that the sales tax really didn’t go on there,” she laughed, adding that the savings gave her the incentive to buy more.

Katie Parker, of Tecumseh, Mich., bought clothes at Hollister for her 12-year-old twins, Maddison and Chelsea, and said she noticed the savings right away.

“Things were cheaper. It lets me get more,” Ms. Parker said. “We still have to get school supplies.”

Laney Newman, of Toledo, said the savings will come in handy for college.

“I bought something for $19.99. That was the price on it. And that is what the receipt showed with no sales tax,” she said.

Jennie Good, of Kenton, Ohio, said she bought a lot of items at Target earlier in the day for her daughter, Katie, who is in college. Ms. Good said was unaware that the sales tax holiday this year was expanded to include most purchases under $500.

“None of that was on my radar, but it is now,” she said.

Julie Sanderson, manager of marketing and business development at the mall, expects to see more shoppers during the week taking advantage of the sales tax holiday.

“No-tax weekends have been happening for years. It’s always something that drives people in for basic shopping: clothes, shoes, back-to-school supplies,” she said. “This year, with the extended items it applies to and the extended limit, we do expect to see more people shopping in stores that might not necessarily be clothing stores for back-to-school items. It’s a good time to get those things that you may have been waiting for.”

As an added incentive, shoppers who have spent at least $150 at the mall can spin a prize wheel to win gift cards from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday.

“It’s our tax-free holiday Spin and Win,” Ms. Sanderson said. “All in all, it’s a great time to come out.”