Aug 17, 2010

Shoppers cash in on tax-free holiday in Mass.By Maribeth ConwayEnterpriseNews.com

Braintree, MA — In a bustling parking lot outside the Braintree Best Buy, Matt Dattilo of Hingham pushed his car’s rear seat down to make room for the 46-inch flat screen television, audio sound system and microwave he and his wife purchased over the weekend’s tax-free holiday.

The couple had been thinking about buying a new TV, and the holiday was the incentive they needed, he said Sunday.

It’s a little early to crunch numbers, but retailers are reporting strong weekend sales, in many cases surpassing sales from the last tax-free holiday in 2008. Lawmakers skipped the holiday last year for budgetary reasons.

For stores selling big-ticket items, tax-free holidays can bring in several weeks worth of revenue in one weekend.

At 6 p.m. on Saturday, sales at Sears in Braintree had already beat 2008 numbers by $80,000.

“It seems everybody feels the need to do their own little tea party,” said Marc Silva, general manager of the Braintree Sears.

During the holiday, most purchases less than $2,500 are exempt from the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax.

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