Send Out The Scouts

This weekend is Massachusetts's annual tax-free holiday. The two-day event is meant to kick-start the local economy by enticing people to purchase high-priced items without having to tack on the state's sales tax and thereby saving them tens, if not hundreds, of dollars. Personally, I don't participate. Not because I have any moral objection - I just forget that the holiday is coming and shop as I normally do. Typically, that means I buy the item I want when I see it and then kick myself when the commercials start to run. That mental lapse aside, I have always thought these holidays were a bit of a risk. I mean, it is not like New Hampshire (which never has a sales tax) is all that far away. You can be across the border and shopping in about an hour. If you are looking to buy something very expensive, it can be worth the gas. And New Hampshire is well aware of this fact. Why else would there be a large mall at the first exit over the state line? That's why I've always thought reminding people of the Granite State's proximity was a bad idea for the Commonwealth. People may still live and work here, but you may also be inadvertently pushing them into spending all their disposable income in another state, especially anyone who works off up that way. All I'm saying is that if you were a poor man you wouldn't going to let your girlfriend go out on a couple dates with a rich guy just so she can have a nice meal. Not unless you want to be single in the near future.

However, despite my trepidation, these holidays have proven to be quite effective. I don't think they are the boom everyone hoped they would be, but I'm sure these companies do better than they would normally expect for a random weekend in August. In fact, much like local radio stations have started switching to all-Christmas music all the time earlier and earlier due to the fact that it is a rating boost, some store have begun offering the savings early by selling things at a sale price of exactly the sales tax. Others are encouraging people to come in early, scout out their purchases (secretly hoping they might buy a few smaller items in the spur-of-the-moment) and fill-out all a purchase order which won't be processed until Saturday or Sunday. And scout they do. I know of a few people who have their big purchases all lined up and ready to go. [Sidebar: Which I totally get. I also understand the people who may be planning to buy many smaller-ticket items, because sales tax can add up quickly. The people who confuse me are the ones who are only planning to buy one, low-priced item. If that is all you are getting, why wait? I understand that money is money, but stores are going to be annoyingly busy this weekend so you have to ask if it is worth it. I think $1.40 is worth not fighting the crowds, making sure the item you want is still in stock and staying home. Some loyal readers may recognize this stance, as it is the same one I use when skipping Black Friday.]

I found myself among these scouting parties earlier in the week. The family is still on the hunt for a good couch for the beach house, which is proving harder to find that you would think. (The problem is that no one can bring themselves to suggest spending $500 for something that is going in the cottage. If you totaled up the value of every item in the place they wouldn't be worth that much money. So, we're looking to keep the cost down, yet we're also being very picky about what we want. It just goes to prove that beggars can, in fact, be choosers.) That is why I spent a couple afternoons popping in and out of a few different furniture stores, searching for an alternative. Unfortunately, the only thing I was able to find was guilt. Having worked in retail, I know how annoying it is to have to wait on a person where both parties involved know the customer has no intention of making a purchase. I've been in that situation where you feel compelled to provide them with the same level of customer service you would any one who walks in the store, even though there is an above-average chance they are only in there because they want a few minutes of free air conditioning and you would rather save the energy by ignoring them. It sucks, but it is part of working in retail. Knowing that I was not going to make a purchase that day I found myself on the other side of that equation and pretending I was interested in buying something even though I wasn't.

Because of this past work experience it wasn't long before I changed tactics and tried to be as open as possible with the salespeople by declaring my intentions early. Within a sentence or two of their arrival I would let the sales person know that I was not going to buy anything today, so if they worked on commission their time would be better served elsewhere and if I had any questions I would find them. The good news was that most of them seemed to appreciate my honesty and totally understood why I wouldn't be buying that day. The only people who kept pressing were the ones whose companies were letting them fill out purchase orders to be processed later, as they could still get the credit for the sale even though it wouldn't happen for another three days. They might not have gotten the message, but at least I felt a little better. (I did still feel slightly guilty because on more than one occasion I felt as though I may have given them the impression I would be back this weekend, which is not going to be the case as I still haven't found the right couch. Hopefully, they will be so busy they forget about me.) So, another sales-tax holiday which I will be sitting out. I guess that just leaves us hoping that whichever store finally has the exact couch we want also has a branch in New Hampshire.