ROANOKE RAPIDS — Shoppers came out in droves to take advantage of tax-free weekend in Roanoke Rapids. Most stores reported better than average sales halfway through the three-day tax-free holiday.

Della batts | daily herald’ Aliyah Simmons, 14, decided to shop for some school clothes during tax-free weekend with her aunt, Joyce Simmons. When asked why she liked tax free weekend Aliyah said, “It saves money!” Advertisement

Wal-Mart’s manager Mickey Parker said, “We’re inundated with shoppers!”

Shopper Johnnie Miles agreed. “It’s a madhouse!” Parker said people were buying lots of school supplies clothes, computers and shoes.

Parker said she’d had concerns about the store remodeling throwing ice water on the weekend, but she said she was pleasantly surprised to see it didn’t make any difference to her shoppers.

Fannie Grant brought two of her three daughters out shopping. Grant, Camden and Ebony were looking for school clothes in Maxway on Roanoke Avenue. Grant said she believes she found some great buys in the five stores she and the girls had already visited. “That helps a lot,” she said.

Shoe Show Manager Elsie Conner said her store was kind of busy. She said she thought they were actually busier last weekend. “Most of my customers came out last weekend. It was the first of the month,” she said.

Connor said she’d also run into a lot of people who didn’t realize this was tax-free weekend. “Most of them are use to it being the first weekend in the month.”

Big Lots reported they were a little slow this weekend also, but things were picking up by lunchtime.

Connie Salmon from Littleton said she tries to shop on tax-free weekend every year. She usually spends around $100. “It depends on what we find,” she said. “It’s usually around $100 or so, depending on how we luck up.”

Lauren and Gary Boyce traveled all the way from South Hill, Va. to do their school shopping in Roanoke Rapids. They were in J.C. Penney buying clothes for their two daughters, Kaitlyn and Gina. “I got my school clothes,” said Gina.

The Boyces said things are tough all over. But a tax-free weekend is “a big help. We’re not on a tight budget yet, but we will be soon,” said Gary.

J.C. Penney Supervisor Dennis Jackson said the tax-free weekend has done wonders for his store. “Yesterday and today were very good, and tomorrow we’re hoping will be even better. I think this is working out alright for us,” he said.

Shoppers can continue to save, by not paying sales tax through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, on clothing, footwear, and school supplies, sports and recreational equipment, computers and computer supplies.