It’s almost tax-free weekend. Here’s a list of places to shop near the Triangle
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- Triangle residents can visit SC or VA for tax-free school supply shopping in August.
- VA and SC waive sales tax on select items like clothing and school supplies Aug. 1-3.
- NC ended its sales tax holiday in 2013, but lawmakers have proposed reinstating it.
North Carolina families haven’t been able to take advantage of a sales tax-free weekend since 2013.
The sales tax holiday, previously held in North Carolina the first weekend in August, allowed families to gear up for the school year with items such as clothing, shoes, notebooks and pens, without paying sales tax.
While that opportunity isn’t locally available anymore, Triangle residents can travel to South Carolina or Virginia to shop for back-to-school essentials during their sales tax holidays in August.
When is tax-free weekend?
This year, the sales tax holiday is Friday, Aug. 1 until Sunday, Aug. 3 in South Carolina and Virginia.
Over the weekend, eligible purchases are exempt from sales tax.
Tax-free weekend savings
▪ In Virginia, shoppers can save between 5.3% and 7%. During the sales tax holiday period, buyers do not pay sales tax on school supplies that are $20 or less per item or clothing and footwear that is $100 or less per item. (Select hurricane and emergency preparedness, Energy Star and WaterSense products are also sales tax-free that weekend.) For a list of items exempt from the tax, visit tax.virginia.gov.
▪ The statewide sales and use tax in South Carolina is 6%. Counties may impose another 1% sales tax if the county’s voters approve it.
Where to shop during tax-free weekend
Triangle residents may travel to South Carolina, Virginia or Tennessee to take advantage of sales tax-free shopping.
Here are some places where Triangle residents can shop:
▪ Danville, Virginia, which is about 80 miles from Raleigh, has Walmart, Target, Staples, Old Navy, Michaels and Marshalls.
▪ Roanoke, Virginia, which is about 150 miles from Raleigh, has Belk, Michaels, Skechers, Staples, TJ Maxx, Macy’s and JC Penney.
▪ In the Norfolk, Virginia area, about 190 miles from Raleigh, shoppers can visit department stores including Dillard’s, JC Penney, Macy’s and Belk. There’s also an outlet mall with locations of Gap, Nike, Adidas and other retailers.
▪ In South Carolina, Dillon (about 120 miles from Raleigh) and Bennettsville (about 115 miles from Raleigh) have Walmart and Dollar General locations. Florence (about 150 miles from Raleigh) has Walmart, Target, Office Depot, Michaels, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Belk and Old Navy.
▪ Computers and other devices may be purchased at Best Buy in Rock Hill, South Carolina, about 180 miles from Raleigh.
Why did NC get rid of sales tax holiday?
From 2002-13, North Carolina had a sales tax holiday. In 2013, then-Gov. Pat McCrory signed a new tax cut law, which eliminated the sales tax holiday and lowered personal and corporate income taxes.
The law went into effect in July 2014.
North Carolina lawmakers said when they halted the sales tax holiday that the state had lost more than $13 million in revenue during the sales tax-free weekend in 2013.
Lawmakers have floated the idea of reinstating a sales tax holiday multiple times since 2013. Both the House budget, which received bipartisan support earlier this year, and the budget proposed by Gov. Josh Stein include restoring the sales tax-free weekend, The News & Observer previously reported. (Lawmakers from the House and Senate failed to agree on a comprehensive state budget during the legislative session.)
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 3:25 PM with the headline "It’s almost tax-free weekend. Here’s a list of places to shop near the Triangle."
