Dillard’s at Temple Mall was packed Saturday and Sunday with back-to-school shoppers taking advantage of the statewide tax-free weekend that began Friday and continued until late Sunday night.
The exemption applies to most clothing, footwear, school supplies and backpacks sold for under $100. The state comptroller released a list of the items.
Kari Harrison, women’s and juniors’ department manager at Dillard’s, said the store will offer steep discounts of 40 to 65 percent during the special weekend, and will continue to offer those discounts while supplies last.
“The store is always stocking new items and the quality of the clothes is excellent,” she says. “Dillard’s clothes are so high quality that you can wear them for years.”
She said even swimsuits were on the duty-free list, along with other obviously school-related items such as shoes and lunch boxes.
“There were a lot of people shopping on Saturday,” she said Sunday afternoon.
Compared to last year, the number of visitors increased and sales also increased significantly.
“We’re still seeing customers today — people who couldn’t come yesterday and last-minute shoppers who realized they needed to buy more,” she said.
Customers come from all over, including from Waco and Killeen, she said.
“Customers love coming to the Temple store because it’s organized and easy to find products,” she says. “And our customer service is there to help and assist each customer in choosing products, which is a big plus. It makes their shopping experience easier. This is a service industry; it wouldn’t be Dillard’s if it wasn’t.”
She said many people don’t realize that Dillard’s is still in business because it moved years ago from the front of the mall to the old Macy’s building across the street, and in fact, Dillard’s owns the building and is separate from the mall, she said.
“We have no intention of closing,” she said.
Patience Anderson, a saleswoman at Pink Bulldog Boutique, 208 North Penelope St. in Belton, said the store, which specializes in accessories for women and children, was very busy Sunday afternoon.
“We’ve had a pretty good response to custom shirt orders this weekend,” she said.
Customers included Troy and Academy students, many of whom were buying school spirit shirts made by the store, which she said are custom-made spirit items.
“I would say this is primarily for fans to wear at football games,” she said.
She said the store’s owner, Micah Springton, visits area schools and sells a number of items that promote school love.
The store regularly stocks bows, headbands, earrings and more.
“We can also make hats to support the school,” she said.
Because it was tax-free weekend, the store was running a special sale, where customers could buy one item of clothing or shoes and get half off on subsequent purchases, she said.
“It’s going really well,” she said.
