This Friday and Saturday Mississippians can shop for clothing, footwear and school supplies under $100 and not pay the 7 percent sales tax. Shanna Head with the Outlets of Mississippi in Pearl, says retailers will work to serve customers the best they can despite some staffing shortages.
“Staffing, I have never seen anything like this before. And it’s not just shopping centers. This is everywhere, from restaurants to even just like personal businesses,” said Head.
Head says it’s the biggest shopping weekend of the year for the mall and she’s asking customers to please be patient with workers. The marketing director also says many stores will be asking customers to wear masks due to the coronavirus. Dawn McVea, state director for the National Federation of Independent Business, wants customers to support small businesses. She says nationally,
“We have studies that show about 67 cents of every $1 spent in a small business stays in the community. And so those are really important numbers for folks to keep in mind when they go to shop at a local retailer versus a big box retailer,” said McVea.
McVea says finding qualified staff is a challenge but businesses are getting more applications and have made adjustments to accommodate customers. Orders placed by mail, telephone and online are included in the Sales Tax Holiday.
