Tax-free weekend attracts back-to-school shoppers

Halfway through tax-free weekend, El Paso retailers say back-to-school shoppers have arrived in full force.

“This weekend is good for us,” said Efren Alvidrez, who works at Bolsa Coketa, a store on El Paso Street. “We have more people; around 50 percent more. It’s good for us.”

Alvidrez also told ABC-7 backpack sales were up 100 percent.

Tax-free weekend started on Friday, August 10th and will last until Sunday, August 12th at midnight. Nearly everything is tax-free, but there are some exceptions.

“We like it,” said Andres Bernal. “We get a lot of stuff without taxes, you know?”

He was shopping with Mariel Chairez, who is getting ready to go into the second grade.

“It’s great,” said Paul Dessauer Sr., who bought some jeans with his son, Paul Dessauer Jr. “We saved a lot of money and I wish it could be like that every day.”

“It’s my last year,” said Dessauer Jr., who is entering his senior year of high school. “So, I’m very excited to go to college and get out of the house.”