While Black Friday is unparallelled in its extreme discounts and massive hype, there might be a new contender in town. As we head back into the school year, we can’t help but wonder — is Back to School Saturday the new Black Friday? Retailers are trying to drum up as much attention to their back to school sales as their Black Friday sales and while it may not ever be as big, it’s certainly growing.
The National Retail Federation says that back to school shopping is the second biggest spending season of the year. Second of course to Black Friday and the holiday shopping season, retailers use these shopping events to encourage consumers to spend big during sales. With some stores stretching the back to school sales and often putting items on sale you wouldn’t normally buy for school, consumers seem to be ready for this second door busting season. Teen Vogue, in combination with retailers and marketers, is driving the efforts to make August 11 Back to School Saturday. Retailers participating include Aéropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Express, Guess, H&M, Maybelline New York, Pacific Sunwear, Quiksilver, Staples and Vans. These retailers will host events and offer special deals and free samples.
Jason Wagenheim, Vice president and publisher of Teen Vogue, said, “Our long-term hope is that it becomes part of the retail calendar, like Black Friday.”
Sears is also doing a Back to School Saturday event on August 11 — but for a good cause. Sears will donate up to $70,000 of all apparel, footwear and fine jewelry purchases made using a 15% off coupon both in-store and online. The donations will benefit charities affiliated with Sears’ Team Up to Stop Bullying, an initiative designed to bring solutions quickly and effectively to victims, families, educators and communities.
Many Back to School Saturdays have been centered around when some states have tax free days. Checking out tax free is a guaranteed savings of 5-10% that can add up a lot for families. If you’re a good planner and want to get some Christmas shopping done early, these weekends can be great to take advantage of.
Check out these states that have a tax free week or weekend coming up still in August 2012.
Connecticut: August 19-25
Georgia: August 10-11
Maryland: August 12-18
Texas: August 17-19
How do you save during Back to School? Do you think the savings can be as good as Black Friday? Let us know in the comments below!
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