Store owners on the Gulf Coast are feeling the boon of a tax-free sales holiday and pleased state leaders once again scheduled the period without sales tax to run a full 10 days. The holiday started on Friday and shoppers have been taking advantage of the savings through the weekend. “We’re expecting a week that is a bit more sane for everybody, for us and for our customers,” says Tim Holliday, co-owner of Children’s World. The tax holiday, which started Friday and runs through Sunday, exempts sales tax on most clothing priced $100 or less, most school supplies priced $15 or less and on the first $750 toward a personal computer and certain computer accessories.

For some businesses, the holiday provides a small break to customers more than a major stimulus, though business owners are still pleased. “Tax-free holidays is really for kids going back to school, and for my customer it doesn’t make or break a sale. It’s just an added bonus,” said Harmony Bens, co-owner of Lotus, a downtown fashion boutique.

For businesses like Children’s World, which sells school uniforms en masse this time of year, the tax holiday concentrates a good deal of business. “We’re already seeing people take advantage of it,” Holliday says. And parents likely would buy the uniforms regardless, it stimulates some to pick up an extra outfit, benefitting the business. Holliday was grateful for the boost, but also that the period, unlike in the last few years, runs longer than a weekend. A shortened time means the business has to deal with a lot of traffic in a short time, and this makes things more manageable just by avoiding a rush.