My almost perfect sales tax holiday

I turned in Friday night with what I considered a flawless plan for Georgia Tax Holiday shopping.

I’d perused the newspaper for sales. I made sure I knew precisely the items I’d look for, and I knew where to look. I went online to check for any additional coupons for the things I needed. Then I went to sleep.

7 a.m.: The alarm on cellphone woke me right on time. By 7:45, I was walking out the front door, comfortably dressed and fully rested, ready for the task at hand.

8:15: Order number 314. Plain biscuit and a small orange juice. I know from experience that there is nothing worse than shopping on an empty stomach. I stopped at McDonald’s for a quick bite before driving to the store.

8:30: I pulled up at a shopping center in Union City and was astonished to see a mostly-empty parking lot. There were about 10 cars in front of the mall’s main entrance. I thought: “I can’t believe I’ve beaten the rush!” When I saw a lady standing out front, I asked her if the mall was open. “Oh yes,” she replied. “It’s like this because it’s Saturday. During the week, it’s packed.”

Huh? I managed to hide the dumbfounded look on my face before continuing past her and through the unlocked doors. There were people there, alright — people power-walking around the mall’s inside perimeter.

Of course, I was amused and a slight bit embarrassed. In all my preparation, I never considered that the early bird hours I’d been reading about didn’t actually apply everywhere.

Oh well. On to plan B.

9:15 a.m.: I turned my car around and headed south to Southlake Mall. Once there, I was more than eager and feeling the rush of being behind schedule. There were more than a few people in the JC Penny when I arrived. I wasn’t the least bit discouraged. In fact, I was excited to get going.

I didn’t have a huge budget and had a packed schedule Saturday, so my time spent would be limited. Still, I wanted to make the most of it.

I picked up the store’s 15 percent coupon at the front door that could be used multiple times throughout the morning.

I looked only at the “Doorbuster” items, those marked down as much as 70 percent for shoppers in and out by 11 a.m.

I also quickly found the clearance racks for additional reduced-priced clothing.

As a browsed, the store manager approached me with a smile and a nice offer: reward points and another discount if I signed up for the email list by providing my email address. “No problem, and thanks,” I told him.

10:30: I walked away from the cash register with three pairs of jeans, eight shirts for $115. A check of my receipt lets me know I saved about $60.

Not a bad morning, I’d say.

Did you do any sales tax holiday shopping? How fruitful was it? Did you save lots of money?