SAN ANTONIO — Tax free weekend is underway and parents are frantically trying to find those last minute items their child might need to head back into the classroom.
Tax free weekend runs from Friday through Sunday. And you can do it in-person in-store, or online as long as the seller is in the state of Texas. But it only applies to certain items under $100.
“Shoes, clothes, school supplies, Tierra James said about what she needs to buy this weekend for her 11-year-old daughter.
James said she prefers shopping in-person.
“Because I don’t know if my child can fit into it or not so I just go in and take her in to see if she can fit in it instead of trying to guess online.”
“It’s important too if you don’t use an item, purchase in bulk, you can use it next to your items that you can repurpose. There are a lot of great discounts for students,” Jason Meza, the spokesperson for the Better Business Bureau of south Texas said.
The Better Business Bureau has tips for back-to-school shopping:
- Plan ahead and check what supplies you already have before making new purchases.
- Do your homework by comparing prices and reading reviews.
- Look for student discounts – some will require a valid ID.
- Shop safely online using only secure websites.
- Use credit cards if possible since they offer more protection if something goes wrong.
And it’s best to be cautious to avoid problems like buying a fake Labubu. Many people lost their minds and large sums of money when they found out the doll wasn’t worth the dollars they paid.
“We see a lot of cyber criminals pop up fake shops and try to get consumers to click, give information, pay, and then get a counterfeit or nothing at all. So we see this especially with, the hard to find apparel, the shoes that are in demand,” Meza said.
Tips if you’re shopping for tech:
- Shop with familiar retailers.
- Watch out for imposters.
- Approach significantly low prices with caution.
- Know what you are shopping for.
- Make sure you know the seller.
- Use a credit card if at all possible and not a debit card.
“Debit cards are tied directly to a checking account. So, the quicker you use a debit card, the faster the money goes. It’s like a one way fishing line to their bank account. So, we encourage credit card use, especially with retailers you are not familiar with or ones you don’t shop with usually,” Meza said.