• Birmingham News news obituary
  
• Birmingham Business Journal news obituary
  
• Photos of Mickey through his ARA leadership years  

In honor of Mickey Gee, beginning with the 2012 Retailer of Year awards, the Alabama Retail Association will honor a Gee Emerging Retailer of the Year. The award will go to an innovative and effective Alabama retailer who has been in business for at least two years, but less than five years. The award will only be presented in years when the judges feel there is a candidate worthy of the Gee name.

Alabamians spent almost $372 million more this holiday season than during the same months (November and December) in 2010.

In Alabama, December maintained its traditional edge with $4.5 billion spent compared with almost $4.3 billion in November. November sales grew 3.48 percent over November 2010, and December sales grew 5.33 percent over December 2010.

Holiday spending in 2011 generated almost $352 million in sales taxes for the state of Alabama.

December was the first time Alabama has exceeded $180 million in monthly sales tax collections since August of 2008.

Although 2011 is only the second year of holiday sales growth after two years of holiday sales declines, it feels good to be able to make a positive report.

With the University of Alabama winning its 14th national football championship in early January and isolated tornadoes as opposed to wide-spread snow hitting the state in January of this year, the first month of 2012 should have better than expected growth as well.

All of the numbers here, drawn from the Alabama Department of Revenue, represent taxed sales. Holiday sales growth more than likely exceeded five percent if figured into those numbers were purchases Alabamians made over the Internet for which the owed taxes went uncollected.

The lack of online sales tax collection continues to stress states and hometown retailers who can’t compete with businesses that don’t have to collect the taxes owed. Federal action is needed now, so that by the 2012 season, Alabama can really experience holiday cheer.

SOURCE: Alabama Department of Revenue abstracts,
December 2011 and January 2012 reports
(December report reflects November sales and January report reflects December sales.)

Shop Early: Rather spend all of Thanksgiving Day with the family and get up early the next morning to shop? Don’t worry. Plenty of stores will be open before the sun comes up Black Friday (Nov. 25). Study the newspaper and online ads, plot your strategy and route, then shop till you drop! 

Shop All Day: For the past two years in Alabama, Black Friday, the traditional holiday shopping kickoff,  has been interrupted by the Auburn-Alabama football game. No such obstruction in 2011. Pace yourself, shop some in the morning, eat a leisurely lunch, then get back to your favorite stores. Holiday shopping in Alabama should be more evenly spread throughout the Black Friday weekend this year.

Shop Big: The big box retailers offer a lot of shopping options for Black Friday weekend. Kmart will be open all day Thanksgiving. Walmartstarts its sales at 10 p.m.  Target, Best Buy and others will open at midnight. On Black Friday, Belk opens at 3 a.m., Sears and JCPenney at 4 a.m.  and others follow every hour up until 10 a.m. Late Thanksgiving Day or early Black Friday morning are especially good times to buy popular toys and clothing items that might sell out before the holiday shopping period ends.

Shop Small:  Not interested in getting involved in the Black Friday crowds? Try shopping on Small Business Saturday, Nov. 26. Small is big! Most of the more than 50,000 retail establishments in our state employ fewer than 25 people. Those small numbers add up to big business with more than 400,000 Alabamians employed by retail. Shop at stores where you know the owner. You’ll find unique gifts, great service and you’ll do your part to keep a local business operating and hiring.

: Alabama has several retailers that have their base of operations here and are going all out for their customers this holiday season. Books-A-Million, a national book retailer based in Alabama, will be open Thanksgiving Day. Hibbett Sports, also an Alabama-based retailer, opens at 6 a.m. Black Friday. Birmingham-based Simply Fashion had a huge sale the three days before Thanksgiving. Alabama also has many retailers that can only be found in Alabama and offer Alabama-specific products, like Bama Fever. Whatever you want, chances are you can find it on sale at an Alabama retailer.

Shop Online:  Last year, online shoppers spent a record $1 billion on Cyber Monday (Nov. 28 this year), the Monday after Black Friday when many go online to order what they couldn’t buy in stores. Online shopping continues to grow.  Just remember, if you buy online and the retailer doesn’t collect sales tax, you still owe a use tax to the state ofAlabama and your local government on those purchases. Save your receipts on untaxed purchases and make a note of them on Line 19b on your 2011 Alabama Individual Income Tax Return Form 40 (ADOR has a work sheet to help you figure the use tax owed). Just send a check for any use taxes owed to your local government. Not including any use taxes on your income tax form increases the changes of an audit or a letter from the state asking you to reconsider and pay any back taxes owed plus interest.

Shop Social: Multichannel shopping is the buzz this year. Retailers are offering deals you can only get if you follow them on Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms. Got a great deal at your favorite retailer? Share it with your friends via text or social media. Need to know who has the best deal? There’s an app for that. Smartphones will be used with greater frequency this year to find deals, to buy and to share shopping experiences.

Shop for Yourself: It is better to give than receive, but who says you can’t give to yourself. Shoppers are expected to take advantage of at least some deals for themselves. While still money and budget conscience, shoppers have saved some money to buy something they want that others might not get for them.

Shop Green:  Most of the shipping deadlines associated with the holiday season hit about mid-December. The Monday of that week (Dec. 12) has been dubbed Green Monday for all the green that gets spent on that day, both in store and online. If you have to buy, then send gifts this year, you’ll find free shipping abounds. Free shipping even has its own day: Friday, Dec. 16. The post office says to mail a package and have the gift make it by Christmas Eve, mail it by Thursday, Dec. 15. Packages intended for those in the military need to be packed and ready to ship by as early as Thursday, Dec. 1. FedEx expects its busiest day to be Dec. 12, while UPS expects to be busiest Dec. 22.

Shop Super: The last Saturday before Christmas and often the biggest shopping day of the year nationally is known as Super Saturday. This year, the Saturday before Christmas falls on Christmas Eve, a day when many stores will close early and a day many shoppers consider too late to shop. For 2011, Super Saturday falls on Saturday, Dec. 17. Anticipate retailers to offer more deals and large crowds of shoppers on that day.

Stick to your budget, stick to your list and find the way and day to shop that makes the most sense for you this holiday season!

During the three-day period, the state’s four percent sales tax is waived on:

• Clothing priced at $100 or less
• School supplies valued at $50 or less
• Books that cost $30 or less; textbooks at $50 or less
• And computers and computer equipment with a selling price of $750 or less

Alabama’s sales tax holiday is for everybody, not just those going back to school; it is everywhere: the state’s four percent sales tax is waived throughout the state; and most retailers carry one of more of the items covered. Retailers must participate and cannot charge tax on items that are legally tax-exempt during the sales tax holiday.

If cities and counties act at least 30 days prior to the sales tax holiday, they also can join the holiday under the same conditions provided for in the state sales tax holiday. The tax savings for consumers in many areas could grow to as much as 10 percent of their purchases if their local governments also participate. At press time, almost 200 cities and counties had notified the Alabama Department of Revenue that they will participate in the 2011 holiday. Last year, 267 localities also waived their sales taxes for the holiday period.

A certified copy of the local resolution or ordinance opting into the sales tax holiday must be submitted to the Alabama Department of Revenue before Wednesday, July 6, for local governments to be counted as participating in the tax holiday.

To determine if the local governments where your business operates will be participating in the state sales tax holiday, go to:

http://www.revenue.alabama.gov/salestax/STholiday.htm

Keep checking back there as the list will be updated as cities and counties meet the July 6th deadline. Remind your local officials to get their ordinance or resolution passed on time so your customers get the full benefit of the holiday.

Sales tax holidays, which began in the late 1990s, seek to provide relief to taxpayers by instituting a temporary sales tax exemption on certain items for a specific period of time. Fifteen states have sales tax holidays in the month of August. Eleven of those states will have tax holidays on the same weekend as Alabama’s. Tennessee is the only border state with its tax holiday on the same weekend. Mississippi’s is the weekend before and Florida’s is the weekend after Alabama’s tax holiday. This will be the second year Georgia has gone without a sales tax holiday due to budgetary constraints.

Sales tax holidays help boost tax revenues because consumers are drawn into stores to buy tax-exempt items but often buy additional taxable items while shopping. The inspired spending during a sales tax holiday also boosts other taxes, such as those on lodging. Even businesses that do not sell the tax-free items can see a jump in sales as customers get in and stay in the shopping mood all weekend. 

For a concise listing of the tax-exempt items, a retailer primer on the holiday, a poster to place in your store to promote the holiday, the list of cities and counties that have joined the holiday and an Alabama Revenue Department presentation to help businesses understand the holiday better, go to Sales Tax Holiday in the News section of alabamaretail.org.

Decatur retailer shovels parking lot following early January snow storm.

“It killed the momentum we had building,” one retailer told the Alabama Retail Association. ARA heard from 106 north Alabama businesses with 241 locations, which employ almost 5,000, about what it meant to have snow and ice blanket that part of the state in early January. Almost 90 percent said they had to close for one or more days.

Before the storm, about a third of those businesses served a surge of customers buying milk, bread, canned meats, eggs, vegetables, soup, kerosene heaters, propane, batteries, gasoline, fireplace products, sleds, heavyweight clothing, electric blankets, gloves and boots. Only half of the businesses that experienced the surge, however, said the increased business before the storm would offset the losses after the storm.

Fifty-six percent of the businesses that responded to the ARA survey expected their January 2011 sales to be less than January 2010, 24 percent said they expected the same level of sales as January last year and 15 percent expected to exceed January 2010 sales.

January 2010 was the low point for sales in Alabama last year, as it is most years, but the first month of the year also was the only month last year that sales were below the prior year.

We won’t know for sure if January 2011 sales will outperform the same month in 2010 until early March. Being able to surpass January 2010 depends on how well retailers in south Alabama fared. At least one south Alabama outdoors clothing store I spoke with experienced an 18 percent increase in sales, so that is good news. However, the most populous areas of the state are in north Alabama. If state sales overall broke even with last year’s January sales, it will be a pleasant surprise.

Nationally, retail sales weathered the frosty January, but here in Alabama, merchants had to shovel parking lots themselves, sales consultants and delivery drivers reported being out of the field for five days due to road conditions in rural and small cities. Even businesses that were able to stay open said they had no customers, because their customers didn’t or couldn’t venture out.

We just aren’t prepared for major winter weather in Alabama. Now that we have had some experience behind us though, any subsequent storms should be easier to handle; and hopefully, as Punxsutawney Phil predicted this week, spring will come early.

Holiday sales in Alabama for 2010 grew 3.21 percent over the previous year, the greatest growth in holiday shopping in our state since 2006 and the greatest amount spent since 2007, according to Alabama Department of Revenue statistics.

Alabamians spent $8.4 billion in the 2010 holiday shopping period generating almost $337 million in sales taxes for the state of Alabama. Shoppers spent almost equally during the two holiday months, November ($4.1 billion) and December ($4.3 billion), although December did maintain its traditional edge. While holiday sales were way up compared to the past two years, they still lagged behind 2007 holidays sales by more than a half a million dollars and didn’t reach the average 4 percent growth experienced before the Great Recession.

The increase in holiday sales did outpace the sales growth experienced for the entire calendar year. 2010 sales in Alabama exceeded 2009 sales by 2.89 percent. The state saw slow, but steady sales growth throughout 2010 with the exception of the month of January, which declined 3.59 percent over the same month in the year previous.

Although more dollars were spent in December, November was the better performer with 3.99 percent growth over November 2009, compared with a 2.89 percent growth rate for December, the month of the year that typically generates the most sales.

Nationally, holiday sales rose 5.7 percent, according to the National Retail Federation.

Overall in Alabama, total retail output grew 3.1 percent in 2010 to $13.8 billion, or 10 percent, of Alabama’s gross domestic product, according to the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) at the University of Alabama.

CBER predicts a 4.8 percent increase in retail real output for 2011.

It just isn’t fair.

BIGGEST SHOPPING DAYS AHEAD
For most Alabama retailers, the best days for holiday sales have yet to come. Alabama retailers anticipate they will serve the most shoppers the Saturdays before and after Christmas. Gaining on those traditional shopping days and Christmas Eve (the favorite of procrastinators), however, is what is known as Green Monday.

Shopping gets frenzied on the second Monday in December (Dec. 13 this year) because of shipping deadlines. Shoppers buying for friends and family who live elsewhere and those who shop online tend to get their purchases wrapped up somewhere near this date to make sure the gifts they bought get delivered either to the recipient or to the giver before Christmas.

Online sales especially peak in the first couple of days during the second week of December. Just a week ago on Cyber Monday, the traditional holiday kickoff for online shopping, that one day of online sales topped $1 billion for the first time ever. No telling how much will be sold online on Green Monday next week.

HOMETOWN RETAILERS LOSE SALES
But many retailers in your hometown will miss out on those sales not because they don’t have an online presence, but because your hometown retailer has to add the tax to sales and faraway competitors don’t.

It is one of the biggest complaints I hear from retailers: the no-tax advantage out-of-state online retailers receive.

Alabama-based retailers or those with stores in our state universally agree that they lose business to retailers who don’t add sales taxes to their sales.

Taxes are due on all sales but, because of court precedence, retailers without a presence in our state don’t have to collect the taxes. Instead, it is up to the consumer to let the state know the taxes are owed when they file their income tax returns each year. Consequently, only a fraction of the taxes owed on those sales wind up collected and the store down the street loses business to retailers who leave the sales tax off their bills.

Brick-and-mortar stores that sell high-end items, like cameras, computers, furniture and jewelry, especially suffer from the unfair tax advantage remote online retailers receive. Customers come into their stores, look at their merchandise, ask questions, get advice and then go home to their computers where they can find an out-of-state retailer who’ll sell the same item without collecting the taxes owed to the state of Alabama. Many retailers who pay taxes and contribute every day to Alabama communities tell me they are fed up with being showrooms for online retailers who don’t have stores or even a salesperson in our state.

The optimal solution would be a national one, which makes sure all retailers nationwide collect and remit sales taxes. In the absence of congressional action, state lawmakers may need to get involved.

BUY ONLINE FROM RETAILERS WHO COLLECT TAX
The Alabama Retail Association predicts our state’s retailers will have a greener holiday this year than they’ve had the past two years. If the sales lost to retailers who don’t collect sales taxes stayed in Alabama, however, our holidays would be even greener.

So, if you buy online on Green Monday, make sure the retailer collects and pays your taxes. It’s fairer that way, the tax man won’t come looking for you later and you’ll be helping your state and the local economy.

Black Friday: The day after Thanksgiving is considered the ceremonial kickoff of the holiday shopping period. In 2009, ShopperTrak says it also was the busiest shopping day of the year nationwide, although probably not so here in Alabama. This year (as it did last year), Black Friday coincides with the Iron Bowl, the state’s and one of the nation’s most intense football rivalries. Alabama’s retailers reported last year that once the game kicked off, shopping dropped off considerably. With a 1:30 p.m. kickoff in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 26, most Alabamians not at the game will be planted in front of their TVs by 1 p.m.

However, Tuscaloosa area retailers plan to take advantage of the 100,000-plus expected to descend on that city for the Big Game by opening extra special early. JC Penney at University Mall opens at 3:30 a.m. with all of the malls' doors opening at 4 a.m., when the Belk and Sears inside the mall plan to be open. Tuscaloosa has renamed the day Crimson Friday and has dubbed the next day Black Saturday.

If you aren’t an Alabama or Auburn fan, or you just want to “check-in” on the game throughout the afternoon, more than likely you will find stores in our state less crowded on Black Friday afternoon, clerks happy to help you make a purchase and plenty of stores with the game on so you can get a score update.

Do you have to wait until Black Friday for deals? Not really, some stores already offer Black Friday-level prices now. Look for their advertisements.  If you don’t make it to the stores on Black Friday have you lost your chance to save? No, this year, it looks like some will stretch Black Friday into a week of savings.

Cyber Monday: The Monday after Thanksgiving, when customers too busy to shop or who didn’t find the deals they wanted, traditionally go online to make purchases. The date this year is Nov. 29.

Free Shipping Day: A one-day, online event at freeshippingday.com, featuring hundreds of merchants who offer free shipping with delivery by Christmas Eve. This year the date is Friday, Dec. 17. It is not necessary to wait until then, though, as many retailers already are offering free shipping.  To mail a package from the post office and have the gift make it by Christmas Eve, mail by Wednesday, Dec. 15. Packages intended for those in the military need to be packed and ready to ship by as early as Wednesday, Dec. 1, and by no later than Friday, Dec. 3.

FedEx Corp. expects an 11 percent increase in holiday shipments between Thanksgiving and Christmas, peaking on Monday, Dec. 13, which it expects to be the busiest day in the company's history.

Super Saturday:  The last Saturday before Christmas and often the biggest shopping day of the year nationally. This year, Dec. 18.

Day after Christmas: Normally, my favorite day to shop and stock up on gifts for the next year! Dec. 26 falls on Sunday this year, which means I won't head to the stores until after church, considerably shortening my annual shopping marathon. My fellow after-Christmas shoppers and I really have a whole week to get end-of-the-year bargains, though, so this year I'll probably pace myself and spread the spending spree over several days.

After two years of declining sales, holiday sales in Alabama could actually surpass the previous year.

Every month this year except for January, Alabama sales tax collections (the indicator of total sales in Alabama) have improved compared with the same month in 2009. Alabama even collected more sales taxes (2.4 percent more) in August than last year, the month when sales taxes are dropped for three days on a large sector of retail sales because of the annual back-to-school sales tax holiday. 

How important are sales taxes to Alabama's economy? Sales taxes account for almost a quarter of all taxes collected in Alabama, coming in second only to individual income taxes, which make up 35 percent of all collections.   

While not significant, this year’s sales gains have been sure and steady.

Alabamians spent $8.1 billion during November and December of 2009, $191 million less than in 2008. The 2.29 percent decline for the 2009 holiday shopping season followed an 8.64 percent decline in 2008.

Before the Great Recession, Alabama’s holiday sales grew an average of 4 percent annually.

If 2010 spending trends continue through the holiday season, Alabamians should spend slightly more on holiday shopping this year than they did in 2009.

The state already collected more monthly sales taxes in March, May and June than they did in November of last year, the first month of the two-month holiday period. March collections came in about $2 million short of last December, the best sales month for a dismal 2009.

Alabama’s taxable sales have grown on average about 3 percent each month this year. The National Retail Federation projects a 2.3 percent rise in holiday sales nationwide. NRF also noted that consumer spending is finally showing some momentum.

The challenge causing caution here in Alabama is our second straight year with the Iron Bowl falling on Black Friday. Last year, fewer consumers went shopping and they spent slightly less on Black Friday in our state, in part because of the football game that demands our collective attention.

The good news is there is one more shopping day this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas (29 days vs. 28 days last year). Hopefully, the lost Iron Bowl day will be made up with the gain of another shopping day.

Even a one percent holiday sales increase in Alabama would have retailers here jumping for joy.

Even though local governments continue to feel the pinch of a down economy, a record 267 city and county governments this year added their sales tax savings to the state’s sales tax holiday, which was held Aug. 6-8. That’s 12 more than participated in 2009.

GEORGIA'S LOSS WAS BAMA'S GAIN
This year, Alabama stores along Georgia’s border especially noticed an uptick in customers since Georgia opted out of its holiday this year. The decision by the Georgia Legislature to back out of having a sales tax holiday in the wake of budget constraints, prompted Gov. Bob Riley to travel to Phenix City on the Alabama/Georgia border to promote Alabama’s holiday.  

Phenix City Walmart Store Manager Wyley Brown welcomes "friends  across the river" to shop in Phenix City during sales tax holiday.

 During an Aug. 3 news conference at the Phenix City Walmart, the governor acknowledged the state of Alabama has less money because people have less money. Rather than being a reason to do away with the tax holiday, Riley said the circumstances made this year’s holiday even more important. “Government needs to step up,” the governor told reporters. “What Alabamians can save during the sales tax holiday, especially those with children going back to school, is critical to them.”
Like the governor, Wyley Brown, the Phenix City store manager, welcomed “our friends across the river” to come to Alabama to shop during the holiday. Besides Brown, Elise Vasquez Warren, Walmart’s regional general manager; Market Manager Chuck Jones; and Glen Wilkins, who works in governmental affairs for the company, also were on hand for the news conference. Brown and his staff graciously welcomed the governor to the store, which was in the midst of a three-month remodeling project. The store had its grand reopening on Friday, Aug. 20.

NOT JUST GEORGIA LOST SALES
While stores along the Georgia state border reported good sales, Alabama localities next to other Alabama areas that decided not to participate in the holiday also appeared to do well.

“Friday blew last year’s total out of the water,” Jason Camp, co-manager of Books-a-Million in Alabaster’s Colonial Promenade shopping center, told the Shelby County Reporter. Alabaster was one of the few municipalities in the metro Birmingham area that was completely sales tax free for the covered items. Jefferson County for the second year in a row did not drop the county portion of the sales tax for the three-day holiday. “You saw a lot of tags from other counties parked in the parking lot at the Colonial Promenade shopping center,” Alabaster Mayor David Frings told reporters.

UNIFORMS, COMPUTERS SOLD WELL
Retailers that specialize in the category of merchandise that is tax free: clothing, especially school uniforms; shoes; computers; school supplies; and books appear to have done the best during the sales tax holiday weekend. One Alabama Retail Association member who sells uniforms reported “over the top” sales, while an electronics retailer reported double-digit increases in computer sales for the weekend. While the major book retailer in Alabaster reported strong sales, other book stores, especially those that cater to university students, didn’t fare as well. Only textbooks valued at $50 or less are tax free during the holiday.

RESULTS NOT YET KNOWN; OPTIMISM APPROPRIATE
The official results from the sales tax holiday weekend won’t be in until early October, and those results will only let us know if the state gained or lost tax revenue during the month of August compared to the same month last year. The state only compiles information about the amount of sales taxes collected. No one tracks taxes that aren’t paid.

Reason does exist to be optimistic about the results. Alabama sales tax collections have shown modest gains for five out of the first six months of 2010. Comparatively, only one month out of all of 2009 showed a sales tax collection gain over the same month in 2008. Hopefully, Alabama’s sales tax holiday kept those numbers in the positive column in 2010.

Most stores promoted sales tax holiday in-store during the weekend.

The Alabama Retail Association staff and member representatives did their part to promote the sales tax holiday, participating in media interviews and advertising the tax holiday. ARA or its members were mentioned in more than 80 news stories (almost 1,456 inches worth) and television reports in 37 publications, three radio stations and eight television stations, potentially reaching an audience of more 2.1 million. The publicity value of the coverage exceeded $22,000.

Thanks to all of the ARA member companies who talked to reporters, put up signage and advertised to help educate Alabamians further about the sales tax holiday.

My personal final tally of sales tax savings during the weekend: $89.55, a personal record.

COMPUTERS AND COMPUTER SUPPLIES
That total reflects a new computer for my daughter, who is about to start high school, and a flash drive for her to get her assignments to her teachers. I'm still planning to buy printer ink tax free before the weekend is out as well.

CLOTHES
My daughter's completely new wardrobe of school uniforms also hangs in her closet ready for the first day of school Monday. I didn't want to wait until the weekend before school to buy all of her needed clothes, so I paid sales tax on about half of that wardrobe. That strategy worked out well though, because I ended up having to order several pieces, which arrived at the store a couple days before the tax-free weekend. I just waited to pick the clothes up until yesterday, so I could pay for them tax free.

FRIDAY NOT TOO CROWDED
Friday is definitely the best day of the tax-free weekend to shop, especially in the early part of the day. We didn't encounter any long lines. Most of the people we saw out shopping on the first day of Alabama's fifth annual sales tax holiday were parents with children. I did see some grandparents take advantage of the tax holiday to buy a basic laptop for their vacation home to keep in touch with their grandchildren via the Internet.

GREAT DEALS
Retailers are going all out to get customers into their stores this weekend. I cut out a $15 off $40 or more coupon from Kinnucan's out the Montgomery Advertiser, so my daughter could have the cool Toms shoes she's been wanting. For those who missed the coupon, Kinnucan's is matching Montgomery's 10 percent sales tax, so customers who buy tax-free items end up with a total savings of at least 20 percent on their purchases during the tax holiday weekend there.

Academy Sports has some great prices on quality school uniform pieces and an extensive book bag selection.

Summer merchandise also has been marked down significantly. We paid $5 total for two pairs of Old Navy flip flops. To get the best selection though, I'd recommend shopping earlier rather than later. Especially in Montgomery County, where school uniforms are now required systemwide, items such as khaki shorts seemed almost non-existent at the department stores we visited Friday.

BUSIEST TIME OF YEAR FOR SOME RETAILERS
According to interviews conducted by Alabama newspapers on the first day of the tax holiday, the tax-free weekend means big business for certain retailers.

Katherine McRee, co-owner of The Lili Pad and GiGi's, children and preteen clothing stores in Cahaba Heights, told The Birmingham News that the sales tax holiday weekend surpasses the weekend after Thanksgiving to make it the stores' biggest weekend of the year. Southern School Uniforms and Office Depot in Montgomery also told the Advertiser, the weekend is their busiest of the year.

So, stores should fill up today. Probably will try some late afternoon or evening shopping for some school supplies. I'll let you know how it goes.

Find out what's tax free at www.alabamaretail.org.

Every newspaper, television and radio outlet in the state has produced news stories about it. I've gotten Facebook messages and encountered tweets from stores offering deals and longer hours. I've even gotten e-mails directly from consumers asking questions about the holiday. That's different. Most of my correspondence is with retailers, not consumers.

Twitter is all abuzz. The Wynfrey Hotel let everyone know Hoover is participating in the sales tax holiday and that the Galleria is having great sales.

Caiston Elle, Urban Design Apparel, in Gadsden, is offering $20 off any pair of jeans during the tax holiday, in addition to having a sale on all summer merchandise. The store normally closes at 5 p.m., but it will stay open until 9 p.m. during the sales tax holiday. How do I know? The store sent out a tweet.

Is your store tweeting about the deals you are offering? Let me know and I may include it in any blogs I write during Alabama's three-day tax holiday, or just make a note of your specials in the comments section of Bama Retail Buzz.

H.L. Hood and H20 in Orange Beach are having their end of the season sales. Summer shoes will be 50 percent off at H.L. Hood, while swimwear, coverups and select shoes at H20 are 40 percent off. How do I know? I'm their friend on Facebook and they sent me a message to let me know.

Like or become an Alabama Retail Association friend on Facebook. We'd love to know what's happening at your store.

A lot of the retailers along the Alabama coast have been tweeting to let customers know the beaches are open and their stores are ready for the tax holiday.

I'll be out shopping in Montgomery and will let everyone know how it is going here. Let me know what the crowds are like, what consumers are shopping for, what kind of deals they'll find.

EVERYBODY
The primary purpose of the tax holiday is to save parents money when shopping for back to school, but everyone can take advantage of the savings:

• whether you are buying diapers for your one-week-old.
• or a new dress for grandma who just turned 100.

The sales tax holiday is a perfect opportunity to expand your wardrobe, restock your home office with equipment and supplies or buy that latest best seller you have been meaning to read.

EVERYWHERE
At every store in Alabama that sells clothing, shoes, computers, books and school or office supplies, you don't have to pay the state's 4 percent sales tax on those items from Friday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 8. Additionally, in 209 cities and 58 counties, you potentially could buy any of those covered items without paying any sales tax at all. That translates into as much as a 10 percent savings for consumers.

Georgia’s loss is Alabama’s gain. Alabama retailers welcome shoppers from neighboring states to visit Alabama to take advantage of the great savings this weekend in our state, especially shoppers from Georgia, which is not observing a sales tax holiday this year. 

NOT EVERYTHING
It is best though to be prepared when shopping, so print out the Quick Reference Guide from the Alabama Retail Association or Alabama Revenue Department Web sites before you go shopping so you know what is taxed and what is not.

Not everything on a school supply list is going to be tax free.

• Pens, pencils and paper, Tax Free
• Hand sanitizer and paper towels. Taxed
• All-in-one computers, laptops, notebooks and e-readers, Tax Free
• Monitors and computer components bought separately, Taxed
• School uniforms, Tax Free. Football uniforms, Taxed
• Books, Tax Free. Magazines, Taxed  

So study the Quick Reference Guide before you go shopping. It will make your shopping much less stressful.

Stories like Hall’s abounded among Alabama appliance retailers as the Alabama Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program kicked off Monday. Bob Wallace Appliance ran a newspaper ad on Sunday and radio and cable television advertisements Thursday through Sunday to boost sales during the rebate period.

BUYERS DOUBLE UP

An added benefit has been positive media coverage for Alabama appliance retailers. David Cohen talks to a TV reporter here.

The extra advertising effort and longer store hours paid off on the first day of the rebate program for the Huntsville retailer with heavy traffic there through mid-afternoon and more people buying not just one appliance, but two, the allowable limit per household to qualify for the federal rebates.

I know I tipped my sister off to the rebates in Florida, which depleted its funds in less than two days, and she bought both a refrigerator and a dishwasher.

South Alabama also reported heavy traffic as our state’s program began three days after Florida’s.

REFRIGERATORS,  DISHWASHERS TOP SELLERS
"We haven't even had lunch yet," Dan Chavis, co-owner of Chavis Furniture in Chickasaw, told the Mobile Press-Register at 2:30 p.m. Monday. "It's unbelievable." He said dishwashers had been the most popular offering, with his store selling more than 50 by mid-afternoon. He reported selling more than 30 refrigerators in the same period.

At Handy TV & Appliance store on Center Point Road in Birmingham store manager Mickey Watkins told the Birmingham News, the store made 15 to 20 sales in the first three hours, mostly refrigerators. Along with refrigerators and dishwashers, freezers, washing machines and room air-conditioners also qualify for the rebates in Alabama.

MORE CUSTOMERS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND
Kim Lucas, an appliance sales specialist at the Sears in the Bel Air Mall in Mobile, told the Mobile Press-Register that many customers shopped in advance and were expected to return later this week to make their actual purchases. At the time I posted this, 44 percent of the slightly more than $4 million available in Alabama had been reserved atwww.alrebates.com, which features a real time ticker for the amount of rebates reserved.

Many of those who reserved the rebates in advance of purchasing appliances will wait until the weekend or when they aren’t working to actually make their purchases. I’ve reserved a dishwasher rebate, although I’m not sure exactly when I’ll get to the store to make a purchase.

SOME STORES DOUBLE THE SAVINGS
Hopefully, retailers will continue coupling their own discounts with the federal rebates.

Like many retailers, Valley Appliance at 26958 U.S. 72 East in Athens is matching the federal rebate during the rebate offer period. “We take our rebate off the top,” Jarom Haynie told the Athens News Courier. Manufacturers also have timed rebates to coincide with the rebates in the various states. So if you are in the market for one of these appliances, do a little research and you could get a really good deal.

ENERGY SAVINGS THE GOAL
Stimulating the economy is just a byproduct of the federal rebate program. The primary goal is to get consumers to use less energy. A friend, to whom I sent my last missive on this topic, went to Cohen’s Electronics and Appliances in Montgomery and bought a new Energy Star dishwasher and got really excited, not only about saving $75 through the rebate, but about the savings she’ll see down the road. “I just bought a new dishwasher that says it will only cost me $33 a year to run!,” she wrote in a return e-mail.

PASS IT ON
So far, I’m responsible for at least three sales in Alabama and one in Florida (that I know of) by just passing along the information about the appliance rebate program.

You could have the same results. Don’t let your friends or customers miss out on the opportunity to save some bucks and energy at the same time.

SECOND WAVE POSSIBLE
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs expects all of Alabama’s allotment for the rebate program to be reserved within a week. However, some of those who reserved rebates won’t make their purchase or get their paperwork in within the 15-day deadline. Whatever money isn’t claimed will be distributed to those on the waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis. Alabama retailers could see a second surge of customers in the first and second weeks of May.

To reserve your rebate, go to www.alrebates.com.

Well, take down this Web address and phone number:

www.ALrebates.com or 1-877-856-6645

and be prepared to use one or the other as early Monday as possible.

50,000 REBATES AVAILABLE IN ALABAMA
Alabama’s Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program begins the minute Monday does. An anticipated 50,000 prepaid VISA cards ranging in value from $25 to $150 will be issued to Alabama residents on a first-come, first-served basis until the state depletes the slightly more than $4 million in federal funds available for our state as a result of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Only those with an Alabama residential address (no post office boxes) can receive the Alabama rebates.

RESEARCH FIRST

To be uber-prepared, go to your favorite appliance retailer this weekend and scope out the deals they have to offer and make a note of the model number of the ENERGY STAR appliance you want. To qualify for the rebate, the appliance must have the blue ENERGY STAR logo on the front of the appliance or on its packaging. To be certain the appliance you want qualifies, make sure you can find it on the ENERGY STAR website. You won't need the model number to reserve your rebate, but you will need it when you send in the paperwork to receive the rebate.

With the appliance you want in mind, get on the Internet or the telephone first thing Monday and reserve your rebate. The phone number will be open beginning at 7 a.m. Then get to the store, buy the appliance and mail in the required documentation within 15 days from when you made the rebate reservation. If you reserved the rebate Monday, get your documents in by Monday, May 3^rd.

WHAT YOU'LL GET
Within 30 days, you should receive a prepaid VISA card that you can spend anywhere VISA is accepted over the next 12 months.  Here are the VISA card amounts you’ll receive for the corresponding appliances:

• Refrigerators (must by full size, no compact models): $150
• Washers: $100
• Dishwashers: $75
• Freezers: $50
• Air conditioners: $25

On top of the federal rebates, many manufacturers are offering additional rebates on the selling price and on delivery. The retailers also may be offering discounts; some are even doubling the rebates on certain models. Again, do your research before Monday to find out who is offering the best deals. You can do your research online, but you’ve got to buy the appliances in store. No online purchases will qualify for the rebates.

If you need one of these major appliances, it is a great time to save money up front and energy costs over the long haul.

EARLY SHOPPERS WILL GET THE REBATES
Act fast, though. Some states depleted the available federal funds in the first day the rebates were offered. Those states offered larger rebates than what is being offered in Alabama. It took Georgia, two months to distribute $4 million in rebates. Since Georgia’s and other states programs have been up and running for a couple of months, however, more people are aware that these federal rebates are out there. Representatives of the Energy Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs have traveled the state in the past two days to publicize the Alabama rebates, so the word is out. Better to be early and get your rebate reserved.

If Alabama’s rebates do go quickly and you are still in the market for one of these appliances, go ahead and get on the waiting list. The money for anyone who reserves a rebate and then doesn’t claim it in 15 days reverts back to the pool of money available. Like the rebates themselves, the money will be doled out to those on the waiting list on a first-come, first-served basis.

Patience also may called for as some states have had such a rush for the rebates that the website and/or phone line crashed. Again, the website should be operational the minute Monday begins. The website will let you know how much of the rebate money is still available. That total will change in real time, so each time an amount is reserved, it will come off the total available. If the phone number is busy, try again. It the number actually goes to hundreds of lines. You'll eventually be able to get through.

The energy-efficient appliance you buy has to replace an older inefficient model, but there is no requirement to recycle the old appliance. Ask your retailer if they’ll haul away and properly dispose of your old appliance. Many of them will for free.

Now, get out there and save!

>> More details

Consequently, brick and mortar retailers probably saw a shopping surge this weekend as Wednesday, Dec. 16^th, is the deadline to mail packages parcel post, the most economical service the post office offers, and still expect delivery by Christmas. UPS’s deadline is the day before, Tuesday, Dec. 15^th, for standard delivery, while the Federal Express standard deadline is a day later, Thursday, Dec. 17^th.

For many retailers, this week also is the deadline for Christmas delivery of gifts ordered online. According to the National Retail Federation, nearly two-thirds (62.3 percent) of retailers’ shipping deadlines for Christmas delivery will fall on or before Friday, Dec. 18, with the majority of holiday shipping deadlines (34 percent) occurring on Friday itself.

Another date for consumers to keep in mind is this Thursday, Dec. 17, which is the second annual National Free Shipping Day, the day participating retailers ship products for free and guarantee arrival by Christmas Eve.  More than 250 retailers participated in last year’s Free Shipping Day and that number already has topped 600 this year. Businesses can participate free of charge in Free Shipping Day and have their logo and free shipping offer posted on the home page of FreeShippingDay.com by visiting the site and filling out a form. Consequently, Thursday could end up as one of the biggest online shopping days for the 2009 holiday shopping season.

Saturday more than likely will be the biggest shopping day at brick-and-mortar retailers as the Saturday before Christmas is normally the day when the most shoppers hit the stores. Most online retailers, however, will see a deep decline in shopping after Friday, because of the shipping deadlines.

The true procrastinators do have other shipping options, if they are willing to pay for them. The postal deadline for 1^st class mail, priority mail and military express mail is Monday, Dec. 21^st, while the Express Mail and 1^st Class Priority/Express deadline is Wednesday, Dec. 23^rd.

Fed Ex offers an Express Saver on Monday, Dec. 21^st; two-day shipping on Tuesday, Dec. 22^nd; overnight on Wednesday, Dec. 23^rd; and same day delivery on Friday, Dec. 25^th. The UPS deadline for Next Day Air service is Wednesday, Dec. 23^rd.

Savvy retailers already have been communicating with the now-I’m-ready-to-buy shoppers, who must meet the mailing deadlines to get their gifts to the intended recipients in time. For those retailers who haven’t, now is the time to capture these late-in-the-game consumers through your online marketing efforts.

Unlike the national reports, Alabama retailers also say fewer people showed up at their stores for the traditional kickoff to the holiday shopping season. Not surprisingly, the state's retailers attribute the drop off in the number of customers to the timing of this year’s Iron Bowl. While some stores reported a steady stream of customers throughout the day, most saw a noticeable decline just before the game’s kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Alabama retailers’ Christmas wish for 2010 is that CBS will schedule the Alabama-Auburn football matchup for the evening, rather than early afternoon.

Of the Alabama Retail Association members who contacted me, more than half said they sold less on Black Friday this year and reported fewer customers than last year.

They weren’t disappointed by that result, though. They expected it.

In fact, the thousands who did get out in the early morning hours of Black Friday gave Alabama retailers something to look forward to for the remainder of the holiday shopping season. One store reported a 30 percent sales increase on Black Friday, although all the sales happened between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

October sales numbers should be out this week for Alabama, which will give us another indicator of the Alabama consumers' willingness to spend. Our state got its first good sales news in a year in September. Alabama sales tax collections for September improved almost 4 percent over September 2008 sales. The last time Alabama sales tax collections showed an improvement over the same month in the year previous was in August of 2008. Keep your fingers crossed for another good report for October.

Overall, Alabama retailers expect a brighter holiday in 2009 in that they don’t expect the deep decline they survived in 2008. Alabamians spent $8.4 billion during the holiday season last year, almost $800 million less than in 2007. An almost 9 percent decline in spending had not been on retailers' radar going into last year's holiday shopping period. For the five years previous, holiday sales in Alabama had been growing at a 4 percent annual rate.

If Alabama retailers only see a 1 percent decline this year, as the National Retail Federation projects nationally, they’ll be pleased.

The holiday shopping season in Alabama may have started at a slightly slower pace than last year, but the state's retailers expect shoppers to catch up soon.

BIG BOX RETAILERS AND DEPARTMENT STORES
The big box retailers I’ve spoken with do expect to hire more workers for the holiday period this year. Department stores, such as Belk, with 22 stores statewide, already have hired more holiday help than last year and were still looking for additional applicants as late as last week. Best Buy in one of its Alabama districts expected to hire 700 more seasonal workers by the end of this week, what the Best Buy district manager refers to as “Green Friday.”  “We are putting all players on the field and banking on our employees for the holiday season,” he said. Target’s payroll also is greater this year than last.

ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE
Mickey Gee, owner of The Pants Store, which has several stores in the Birmingham area, expects fewer temporary hires this year in Alabama. Gee also is a University of Alabama at Birmingham business professor and an Alabama Retail Association board member.

STIFF COMPETITION
No doubt, the competition for the seasonal jobs is stiff. In a half hour period at Target last week, I watched six people fill out applications. They were standing in line waiting to apply for jobs.

"Employers have a better pool of applicants to work from," Gee told WBRC, Fox6, in Birmingham on Monday. "(Finding a holiday job) is not going to be an easy task." For job seekers, he suggests trying electronics or toy stores as well as places you normally shop, which could give you an advantage.

HOLIDAY HIRING HISTORY IN ALABAMA
Last holiday season (November and December), almost 108,000 fewer people were employed than in the 2007 holiday season, marking a low point for holiday month employment in Alabama. In 2008, the height of employment occurred in May, rather than in the holiday season. Nationally, holiday hiring last year declined 62 percent compared to 2007. In our state, 2007 was the high point for holiday hiring with 2,026,700 Alabamians employed. We won’t get near the 2007 level of holiday employment this year, but the hiring picture in the final two months of the year might actually be better than in 2008.

WHO GETS THE JOBS
What does it take to get a holiday job?

Rebecca Dick, a manager at the Target in the Shoppes at East Chase in Montgomery (pictured at right), told Alabama Public Television’s “On the Job” show that the qualities Target looks for in a seasonal employee are the same as for any employee: a great attitude, punctuality and willingness to work hard. Flexibility in the hours that a potential employee is available to work also is important for holiday hires, she said.

More good news: She said some holiday workers will become permanent employees.

Customers were lined up at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, ready to shop at the Wal-Mart on 145 Kelley Boulevard in Millbrook, manager Ken Hinds told reporters during a news conference at his store. Hinds said 50 percent of the items sold at the store between midnight and 8 a.m. Friday morning were tax free.

Gov. Bob Riley, local lawmakers and Alabama Retail Association President Rick Brown also spoke at the news conference to encourage shoppers to get out and take advantage of the tax break during Alabama's fourth annual sales tax holiday.

SOME STILL CONFUSED
Despite all the publicity and news coverage for the sales tax holiday, some consumers are still confused. A customer outside the Millbrook Wal-Mart told a reporter she thought she had to buy $100 worth of school supplies to qualify for the tax exemption. Not so. Any binders, book bag, calculator, cellophane tape, blackboard chalk, compass, composition book, crayons, eraser, folder, glue/paste/paste stick, highlighter, index card, index card boxes, legal pad, lunch box, marker, notebook, paper, pencil/school supply box, pencil sharpener, pencil, pen, protractor, ruler, scissors and writing tablet that costs less than $50, which is all of the above, is tax free. You don't have to buy a certain amont of those items to qualify. You can buy as much as you want. It will all be tax free.

The dollar limits apply to anything greater than those values. For instance, a $115 dress would be taxed; a $100 dress is tax free. All individual items of clothing priced at $100 or less is going to be taxed free. About to head back out shopping. Will keep reporting here to let you know how it is going.

SHOPPING IN FULL GEAR
Shopping was slow and steady Friday morning, but really picked up midday and into the evening. My daughter and I had to stand in line at Target for her to try on clothes. The line at Office Depot snaked around three times as well.

SAVINGS ABOUND
Don't forget to look for bargains. For instance, Books a Million in Prattville is offering an extra 10 percent off for customers who already have a member discount card, giving those consumers 20 percent off, so says Ronald Spivey, night manager at Books a Million in the Prattville Town Center. Basic school supplies are 50 percent off, Carrie Aaron, store manager of the Dollar General in Brundidge told the Troy Messenger.

I pulled a $5 Best Buy reward and a $10 Office Depot coupon from my e-mail in-basket before heading out to the stores. Shop smart and you can really save this weekend.

So, I’m going to attempt to make it easy for the uninitiated.

The best place to begin is to know what items qualify for the sales tax break BEFORE you begin shopping.

The easy answer is:

• clothing priced at $100 or less;
• school supplies valued at $50 or less;
• books that cost $30 or less;
• textbooks with a price tag of $50 or less; and
• computers with a selling price of $750 or less, plus certain computer equipmentand software. 

All of the above are free of the state’s 4 percent sales tax everywhere in the state. (You may not have to pay city or county sales tax as well, depending on where you shop. More on that later.)

And the truth is there are nuances to each of those broad categories. If you want the full list of what is and isn’t taxed on the tax holiday weekend (Friday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 9) click on the red sale tag here and print out the Sales Tax Holiday Quick Reference Sheet of Exempt Items. Here are the basics for those broad categories:

CLOTHING
First and foremost, any article of clothing priced at $100 or below will be free of the state sales tax.

So, you could go into any Alabama department store this weekend and buy your entire year’s supply of shirts sales tax free, as long as each shirt doesn’t cost more than $100. The total receipt amount doesn’t matter. All that counts is that no single clothing item exceeds $100.

“Clothes” also includes sandals, shoes and sneakers.

Sorry all you sports enthusiasts, golf or football cleats, rollerblades, ski boots and any other “shoe” considered sporting equipment that the general populace wouldn’t wear will be taxed. Ballet and tap shoes fall into the taxed “sports and recreation equipment” category as well. So even if your child is a dance student in an arts magnet school, you’ll still have to pay the sales tax on their dance shoes.

Not going back to school? Don’t worry, your clothes qualify too. Anything from baby diapers to a mother-of-the-bride dress qualifies as long as the individual item cost is $100 or less.

Most accessories — jewelry, handbags, hair bows, umbrellas and briefcases — will be taxed. Don’t fret, stores are sure to have great sales on those items as well, plus some accessories are included in the tax holiday. Tax-free accessories include scarves, hats, socks, underwear and belts.

Discouraged because that dress you’ve been eyeing at your favorite dress shop costs $115? Look in the newspaper, on the Web, check your e-mail and use any rewards coupons, cards or discounts you have. Stores can offer coupons or discounts in order to reduce prices to make items eligible for the sales tax holiday. Go in with a $15 off coupon and that dress will be tax free. (One twist: manufacturer coupons that involve payment to the retailer from a third-party won’t apply to making an item tax free in Alabama. You’ll still get the amount off or rebated, the manufacturer coupon just can’t be used to reduce a price so it meets the Alabama sales tax holiday qualifications.)

SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Not everything on a school’s supply list and not everything a teacher needs in a classroom will be tax free.

As long as each individual item has a value of $50 or less, these specific items, and these items only, qualify for the tax exemption: Binders, book bags, calculators, cellophane tape, blackboard chalk, compasses, composition books, crayons, erasers, folders, glue/paste/paste sticks, highlighters, index cards, index card boxes, legal pads, lunch boxes, markers, notebooks, paper, pencil/school supply boxes, pencil sharpeners, pencils, pens, protractors, rulers, scissors and writing tablets. If you have the school supply list for your child’s school, compare it in advance to the list above.

School art supplies (clay and glazes; acrylic, tempora and oil paints; paintbrushes for artwork, not house painting; sketch and drawing pads and watercolors) also are tax free.

Again, some items on the tax-free supply list are universal needs. Everyone needs paper, pens and tape, for example. The only limitation on who can buy the tax-free supplies is that it has to be private individuals; businesses as well as anyone buying the supplies for resale will have to pay taxes on any of the school supplies on this list.

You’ll notice that paper towels, tissues, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray and other items that often end up on a particular school’s or grade’s supply list will be taxed.

Also some items that teachers use in their classrooms, like bulletin board borders and card stock, are taxed. However, reference maps and globes are tax free.

BOOKS
If you can find a textbook that costs $50 or less, it is tax free for the three-day tax holiday. Otherwise, all books valued at $30 or less, no matter the subject, are tax free. To qualify, a book must be bound and have an International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, a 10- (books published prior to 2007) or 13-digit number, usually above the bar code.

Magazines, newspapers, periodicals won’t qualify as a book.

COMPUTERS/COMPUTER EQUIPMENT:
For the purposes of the sales tax holiday, computer is defined as “an electronic device that accepts information in digital or similar form and manipulates it for a result based on a sequence of instructions, also known as a central processing unit (CPU).”

Translation: A laptop, notebook or mini computer all qualify. Desktop or tower computer systems also qualify, but it has to be the whole system, including the CPU, display monitor, keyboard, mouse and speakers sold together as a package. The individual components, such as the monitor or mouse alone, don’t qualify.

Unlike clothing, school supplies and books, which you can buy in unlimited quanities, only one tax-free computer can be sold on a single receipt. The law was written in such a way to discourage buying multiple computers at the same time. However, if you want more than one computer, you can go through the check out line and buy one tax free, then come back later and buy another tax free as long as the price tag is $750 or less.

While the components of a computer can’t be bought separately in order to make the $750 threshold, a printer does fall under the tax-free holiday, along with computer storage media, such as flash drives and blank CDs. Printer paper and printer ink, the true cost of computing, also qualify. I’m going to stock up on ink for sure.

Computer software also is tax free as long as it is not game or entertainment related. Microsoft Office Home and Student, Rosetta Stone, the JumpStart series, etc., qualify, but you’ll have to pay taxes on WarCraft and Madden NFL. The key is the software has to be educational or commonly used by a student to accomplish school assignments, such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

Personal digital assistants without telephone capability have tax-free status. So a handheld PDA is tax free, but a BlackBerry is taxed.

You can buy as much of the qualifying computer equipment and software as you want. Only the computer is limited to a single purchase.

SAVINGS VARY FROMCITY TOCITY AND COUNTY TO COUNTY
While the state’s four percent sales tax is dropped everywhere in the state for the covered items, 254 local governments also won’t be collecting sales taxes for the covered items during the sales tax holiday. The sales tax holiday law gives cities and the counties the option of participating or not.

So, in the city of Montgomery, which is in the county of Montgomery, shoppers will save 10 percent on their purchases, because Montgomery city and county both voted to join the state tax holiday, and 10 percent is the total of city, county and state sales taxes in Montgomery. That’s the best situation for shoppers, when all three governmental entities drop the sales tax.

If you shop in Birmingham, for instance, you’ll save 8 percent, instead of 10 percent, because you will have to pay 2 cents in sales tax for every dollar spent. While the city of Birmingham voted to participate in the holiday, Jefferson County decided to continue to collect its 2 percent sales tax. To find out if your city and county governments have joined in the state sales tax holiday, click on the red sale tag above and go to 2009 Participating Cities & Counties.

BEAT THE CROWDS
The shopping this weekend won’t be as crowded as Black Friday (after-Thanksgiving sales), but it may come in a close second as far as shopping traffic goes.

Because the sales tax holiday officially begins at 12:01 a.m. Friday and ends at midnight Sunday, some stores will be opening early and staying open late. To avoid crowds, go early or late. Just check with your favorites stores to see when they plan to open and when they plan to close.

Getting there when the store opens or on the first day of the sales tax holiday also might be helpful as most retailers have anticipated slower sales than last year due to the recession. (According to the National Retail Federation’s 2009 Back to School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, the average family with school-aged children in the South is expected to spend $505.01 on back-to-school items, which is $106 less than what they expected to spend last year.) Lower inventories in anticipation of those lower expectations may mean some items could sell out early.

CHECK BACK WITH BAMA RETAIL BUZZ
Hopefully, some of this information has been helpful to you. Check back here Friday. I’ll try to post updates throughout the day to let you know how the shopping is going.

Nancy King Dennis is the director of public relations for the Alabama Retail Association.

Amazingly, despite the possible loss of revenue, more than 250 local governments decided to drop their sales taxes this summer on items included in the statewide sales tax holiday. In fact as of July 23, Alabama Department of Revenue records show that seven more local governments than last year had notified the department that they will participate in the tax holiday. Of the 252 localities participating this year, 14 are doing so for the first time and 167 have participated since the tax holiday’s inception in 2006.

While the state sales tax on clothes, school supplies, books and computers is waived every year during the three-day holiday, local governments can opt in or out each year.

We should all applaud the local governments for giving more weight to the needs of distressed consumers and retailers than their budgetary concerns. In addition to having concern for their constituents, though, those local decision-makers may just be wily.

In the first three years of the tax holiday, state sales tax collections actually grew 24 percent in the month of August, over the same month in 2005 when there was no holiday.

Why? How many times do you go to the store to get one thing and come back with two or three others that you had no intention of buying? For most of us, it happens every time. Such is the case during the tax holiday, we go to buy tax-free items and buy a few taxed items as well. A basic tenet of retailing proves itself again: Get consumers into the store, and they will buy more than the deep discount item that drew them there in the first place.

This year, why not buy some taxed items intentionally to encourage local governments to continue to support the tax free weekend?

Consumer spending turns the economic engine and fuels the tax base that allows our governments to provide basic services.

So on Friday, Aug. 7th, through Sunday, Aug. 9th, if your budget allows, buy clothes, computer equipment, books and school supplies tax free and throw some discounted linens, accessories and other taxed items into your basket too. Go out to eat and fill up your gas tank as well while you are out and about.

You’ll be supporting local businesses, supporting the local government and saving money.

If the sales tax holiday continues to be a money maker for the state and local governments, maybe more of the 450-plus local governments in our state will join in, creating more savings for consumers.

For the retailers that sell clothing, school supplies, computers and books, the state’s upcoming sales tax holiday offers a much-needed incentive to get consumers in their stores with their wallets open.

Savvy retailers plan for the sales tax holiday and have discovered ways to get the most out of this shopping stimulating event.

Suggested strategies include:

• sales on covered items to coincide with the holiday. A national survey just out today shows that sales are a determining factor for where the majority of consumers will shop for back-to-school items this year. Bonus: Past history has shown us consumers who come into stores to buy the tax-free items will buy taxed items as well.
• adding inventory. Alabama retailers should have three years of data by now on which to base inventory needs to meet demand from this holiday. According to the national survey, clothes and electronics will be the two big ticket items for back-to-school shoppers. The average family in the South is expected to spend almost $200 on clothes and close to $150 on computer-related equipment.
• increasing advertising or developing advertising specifically related to sales tax holiday items. One effective tool is to let regular customers know, through direct mail or e-mail notices, about the most popular item you sell on the tax-free list. If you sell shoes and most customers are buying Crocs right now, let them know Crocs will be tax free Aug. 7-9. Forty percent of consumers also say they will bring along coupons and look at sale circulars when doing their back-to-school shopping. Start an e-mail campaign to your store’s best shoppers and encourage them to remind their friends about the sales tax holiday.
• extending shopping hours. Retailers can start selling the covered items tax free at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, and the holiday extends to midnight, Sunday, Aug. 9th. Many will be open earlier and stay open later than normal to accommodate shoppers.
• segregating, or having a special display for, or distinctive signage for the tax-exempt items. The Alabama Retail Association provided a poster that could be used to promote the sales tax holiday to its member retailers that sell clothing, school supplies, computers or books. If you sell more than just the covered items, it will make it easier for the consumer if the tax-free items are grouped together.
• training your clerks on what is exempt and what is not. Download the Sales Tax Holiday Quick Reference Sheet of Exempt Items from the Alabama Revenue Department’s Web site and make copies to place at cash registers, give to clerks to study before the holiday and provide for customers. Match the tax-free list with local schools school supply lists. Not all items on the school supply list are going to be tax free. Letting customers know up front will save grief.
• capitalizing on any surrounding areas that don’t participate in the tax holiday. A total of 245 local governments have opted to also drop their sales tax on the covered items, but not all localities will participate. If a neighboring area is not participating, consider advertising the greater savings in your locality.
• getting all the information needed before the holiday weekend. Retailers with questions related to how to handle the sales tax holiday should talk to someone at the Alabama Department of Revenue before Aug. 7th. Call 334.242.1490 or 866.576.6531 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays.

The Alabama Retail Association has links to most of the information retailers need about the tax holiday. Just click on the red sale tag on the home page at alabamaretail.org

If you have gifts to give but you are out of ideas, here are some Alabama online options:

Go to Tucker Pecan Co., a family-run business in the historic area of downtown Montgomery.  They sell in-shell and unshelled pecans as well as a variety of gourmet candies and ship free in the United States.

In a recent e-mail to ARA, Jeanne Donald, owner of HOPE’s Cheesecake in Gulf Shores, asked: What better to give at this holiday season than delicious, gourmet cheesecake made right here in Alabama? Her cakes, including Bailey’s & White, Chocolate Kahlua and Chocolate Marble, can be shipped and frozen for up to six months!

In downtown Birmingham, the offerings from Contri Brothers Gift Baskets, aren’t all wrapped up in baskets. There’s also hams, steaks, floral arrangements, cheese, chocolates and wine.

Bromberg’s, one of the oldest family-owned and -operated businesses in the United States with four Birmingham area locations, has great Christmas ornaments, corporate gifts and much more to offer.

If you’ve got a NASCAR aficionado on your list, check out www.racingusa.com, the most frequently shopped, independently owned NASCAR store in the world. You can only find it online and it is Alabama owned.

If you want to ship other uniquely Alabama gifts, such as the Bama-Rettos (chocolate bar shaped like the state) at Prattville’s Chocodelphia or a chocolate pecan pie from Priester’s Pecans in Fort Deposit, you need to place your order soon.

Ground shipping deadlines in time for Christmas kick in Monday, Dec. 15, with some extending as late as Friday, Dec. 19^th.

No doubt great choices of Alabama companies with an online presence exist in your backyard as well.

Shoppers: What Alabama companies have you ordered gifts from this year?

Retailers: What unique gift options do you offer online and what is the deadline to order in time for Christmas delivery?

“We understand the economy is challenged and everyone is shopping smarter. We feel this is one of our strengths because we offer so many ways to shop through catalogs, online and stores. A lot of our promotions apply across the board on all three,” Ginger Spry, general manager for JC Penney in Dothan. “We’re doing the best we can to respond to the customer.”

Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008
Dothan Eagle

“People are still going to buy their groceries and Christmas gifts regardless of the economic situation,” said Ty Weathington, assistant manager of Wal-Mart in East Gadsden. He said the deeper discounts Wal-Mart offers will help out the shoppers during the hard times.

Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008
The Gadsden Times 

"I've been doing this now for years, and I don't think the economy will have that much of an effect on people's spending," said Steve Mitchell, general manager at the Best Buy in Florence.

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008
Florence Times Daily 

Lynn Boothe, one of the owners of Objects in Spanish Fort, echoes almost all retailers in describing Christmas as "extremely" important to her business. Her store recently expanded into a neighboring space …, and she says November sales ran ahead of last year.  "I'm not singing the blues," Boothe said.

Saturday, Nov. 29, 2008
Mobile Press Register 

Sales at the Smith Variety Store in Mountain Brook exceeded expectations for Black Friday weekend, said Jim Glazner, whose family has operated the store on Culver Road since 1976. The Smith Variety store in downtown Homewood and the Ozone Shades sunglasses retail store Glazner's family owns also surpassed predictions.  "I was extremely pleased," said Glazner, whose variety store sells toys, some apparel and other gifts.

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008
Birmingham News 

"I'm running ahead of last year in sales, so I think we'll do OK this holiday," said Walter Busenlehner, owner of Homewood Toy & Hobby  in downtown Homewood, whose father Clarence started the toy store in 1950.

Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008
Birmingham News 

For Thomas Upchurch of Capitol Book & News in Montgomery, the season is off to a steady start. Because books are traditionally last-minute gifts, he said, early sales aren't crucial. "I would say so far we have been happy with sales and our traffic," he said.

Friday, Dec. 5, 2008
Montgomery Advertiser 

Michael Cohen of Cohens Electronics and Appliances Inc. in Montgomery said sales have been solid and – surprisingly – most of his customers haven't seemed reluctant to spend money.

Some customers visit the store, then leave to think about the purchase. Most, however, close the deal quickly.

"People are coming in, getting a good experience and making a purchase," he said. "Most people want to get it now."

Friday, Dec. 5, 2008
Montgomery Advertiser

What is the shop talk in the Alabama hamlet where you live?

The Alabama Retail Association today released its tips for shopping on Black Friday, the traditional kick off of the holiday shopping season. Matt Hawk at the Tuscaloosa News consulted experts at the University of Alabama and a national accountants’ organization in a story offering west Alabamians tips to navigate the chaos of shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. One of the same UA experts also provided some advice for Consumer Affairs readers last week. The ShopSmart’s editor provided even more tips for that article.

We all have our shopping tricks, and we need them more than ever this year.

Here’s a slightly abbreviated version of the suggestions ARA has for shoppers:

• Perfect your holiday gift list. Note sizes, specific model numbers or brands, preferred colors and the amount you are willing to spend for each gift.
• Line up your gift list with print and online advertisements. Note which stores have the items you want at the price you want, the time the stores open and if they have even better deals if you get there at a certain time.
• Attach coupons you’ve clipped or printed out to your shopping list as well as discount cards retailers have mailed to you. Check your last bill, there could be a coupon or discount card in there. Also be sure to take along your rewards cards, so while you are buying from your favorite retailers you are also earning cash back or further discounts.
• Plan your route based on the store opening times and the location of the stores. Pre-program your GPS for the stores you’ll visit or plan the quickest route on an Internet map site. 
• Go to bed early or plan to forego sleep altogether, because some of the best deals will be gone before dawn. Merchandise with the best prices go quick during doorbusters and early bird specials. Plan to be there at least an hour ahead of the store opening if your goal is to get something that is deeply discounted and popular.
• Take the sale ads with you. Sometimes retailers will honor other retailers’ deals. It never hurts to ask.
• Once you are in a store, ask about unadvertised specials.
• Shop locally owned retailers as well as the big boxes. Local or regionally owned stores may be less crowded, you’ll get great service and you might even get the best deals there!
• Be prepared to stand in line. Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. Carry water and snacks.
• Keep your receipts and know the return policy.

ARA will issue another tips list 10 days out from Christmas. In the meantime, share your best hints as well as your shopping experiences with Retail Buzz. 

Shoppers: What are your shopping strategies?

Retailers: What advice do you have for shoppers?

In the past few days, BIGresearch and the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association released a survey that showed shoppers are most interested in hearing from their peers about products, retailers and past shopping experiences. That revelation coincided with media requests to the Alabama Retail Association to find out what retailers in Alabama think and are anticipating in terms of holiday shopping.

The thought then occurred: Wouldn't it be beneficial if shoppers and retailers in Alabama could share information with each other? That's what Bama Retail Buzz hopes to accomplish.

The Buzz will try to share what's up in retail in Alabama, from both perspectives. Consumers and retailers are welcomed to share comments here that contribute to the common good (those that don't will be turned away).

We are all in the same economic boat, and we all want to stay afloat. So ...

Shoppers: Found any great deals? 

Retailers: Have any great deals to offer? 

Shoppers: Found any unique gift ideas? 

Retailers: Have a gift that must be on every shoppers' list? 

Right now, posts will be mostly about holiday shopping, but the Buzz also will delve into trends, surveys and even, taxes.

The focus will be on Alabama and what Alabama has to offer in terms of the retail experience.

For instance, in a recent e-mail, ARA learned about this uniquely Alabama retail event:

Santa’s Shrimp Boil in Orange Beach

SanRoc Cay, a small marina/shopping mall in Orange Beach, with seven retail businesses, four restaurants and a marina offering a variety of charter cruises, will have a shrimp boil, wine tasting, chocolate tasting and children's activities on Black Friday, the traditional kick off for the holiday shopping season. The goal is to attract shoppers to the huge sales at the stores. "We have huge hopes for the holiday business," says Jeannette Dean, information coordinator with SanRoc. We’ll light our Christmas Tree as the sun goes down to start your Holiday Season.

In the middle of the state, they expect shoppers to be serious about getting in line first for bargains:

Camp Out in Leeds

The evening of Thanksgiving shoppers have been invited to bring their tents and camp out on the front parking lot at the Bass Pro Shops store at the intersection of Interstate 20 and Highway 78 (exit 140) in anticipation of the sale that begins at 6 a.m. Friday.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Bass Pro Shops will be passing out free refreshments. They will serve hot chocolate, coffee, and smores around the fire pits. Every half hour, early-bird shoppers will draw for gift cards. There will even be a drawing for a $1,000 Bass Pro Shops gift card and a $5,000 Shell gas card.

Campers also will be given an opportunity to share the love by bringing a new toy to donate to the Bass Pro Shops “Toys for the Kids” drive to benefit the U.S. Marine Corps “Toys for Tots” program.

Please let the Buzz know about other decidedly Southern and Alabama events planned for the holiday season.

During the holiday shopping season, expect new posts regularly. Visit often and tell your friends!