Aug. 9--As Meredith and Jon Riley walked out of JC Penney in Oak-wood Mall Satur-day afternoon, their bags were bulging with new clothes and their pockets with about $33 more than a normal weekend shopping spree would leave them.

That was how much the Rileys saved in sales taxes on their purchases during Okla-homa's tax-free weekend, scheduled to coincide with taxed parents looking for back-to-school bargains.

"It's awesome," Meredith Riley said. "They should do it more often."

JC Penney -- following the same vein as several clothing and shoe stores in Enid -- initiated sales to go along with the tax-free event, which covered only clothing, shoes and similar items this year. Lesser-known eligible items include diapers, cloth and disposable; wedding apparel; garters and garter belts; and athletic supporters. A list of eligible items can be seen at http://www.tax.ok.gov /faq/faqsth016.html.

Under the tax-free holiday, shoppers were not charged tax on eligible items costing less than $100. Communities are reimbursed based on a formula derived from the previous month's sales receipts.

The tax-free event continues through midnight tonight.

It was not only the bargains heating up Saturday, as some businesses along Gar-riott lost power for more than two hours after a tree blew over onto a power pole.

Several businesses from east of Van Buren to east of Oakwood closed doors for the duration of the outage, but clothing retailers braved the heat, and temperatures climbing into the upper-90s didn't stop the lines from forming at Old Navy cash registers, as shoppers were drawn by the tax-free sales advertised for the weekend.

"We just wanted to get in on the $10 jeans," said Dover resident Susan Holt, who said she shops in Enid because it "has everything" and is less hectic than Oklahoma City.

From swamped to steady

Local retailers reported business was going well this weekend, even though some did not know whether to credit massive sales or the tax-free status.

A spokeswoman at Ross Dress for Less, who did not wish to be identified, said the tax holiday definitely stimulates sales.

"I think there's a lot more shoppers than a normal Saturday," she said.

Kmart Assistant Manager Ray Styles said business is up by about 5 percent, but the target area was evident.

"It's pretty busy anyway (this time of year)," he said, "but there are a lot more shopping for clothes and shoes."

Atwoods -- which has held its own store-wide, tax-free events for years -- also saw an upswing in clothing sales, said Wes Johnson, store manager.

Tabby Marriott, service manager in training at Old Navy, said kids' clothes were popular Saturday, and she thought that was reflective of the sales tax holiday.

Leaving the parking lot in Neilson Square, Holt said she was grateful.

"We spent about 110 bucks and didn't spend any tax."

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Copyright (c) 2009, Enid News & Eagle, Okla.

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