Tax-Free Weekend

This past weekend was the 11th annual tax-free weekend in Texas. Something completely new to this Zonie. When discussing tax-free weekend with some people I was told to steer clear of malls and most other shopping centers for the weekend. Yeah right! That was not about to happen. Of course I had to check it out. It's the first time I've ever lived in a city that has a tax-free weekend.

I got up and out to the mall promptly at 10:00am on Saturday just to see the native Texans taking advantage of these tax-free days. Typically at 10:00am on a Saturday there are few people there yet since the doors just barely opened. Not this Saturday though. The area where I usually choose to park was completely full except for 2 parking spots designated "compact car only". I drive an SUV, trying to park my SUV in a compact parking spot isn't a smart idea. So I went in search of a different parking lot in front of Macy's. I found a decent spot, not too far from the front entrance. When I went into the Macy's it was certainly busy but not wall to wall busy! Thank goodness! When walking through the mall people were all around. The crowds didn't seem out of the norm other than the fact that the mall was crowded at an earlier time than what is usual for a Saturday. At least it wasn't out of control crowds with people running people over. I'm not sure if running people over to get into a store happens here in Dallas? Sadly it does occur in Phoenix yearly on what is known as the biggest shopping day of the year. So did I take advantage of the tax-free weekend and go on a shopping spree? Nope, sorry to disappoint. I looked around a bit that's all.

Personally, I think this is a weird time of the year to shop. It's still hot out so I'm not in the mood to look for fall and winter clothes. Yet it's towards the end of summer so what is the point in buying another pair of flip-flops when there's not much left of summer. Perhaps I make little to no sense! Nonetheless that's my opinion! Once mid to late September arrives I start to think about updating my wardrobe and getting ready for fall. Then again I don't have a family that includes 4 kids that all need back to school clothes. If that were the case you can bet I would have been doing some serious shopping. Afterall, the motivation for the annual tax-free weekend is to help families prepare their kids for the new school year.

Here's the odd thing about me. I hate crowds! I'm rather picky about the times I choose to shop because I don't like it when it is overly busy. The fact that I was so eager to get to a Dallas mall during this past weekend shows one of two things...my curiousity I have for my new city or some weird personal growth. Possibly a combo of both!