Back to School Budgeting and Bargaining

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – August means back to school for kids and parents stressing to find ways to make all the necessary purchases as affordable as possible.  

The Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio is offering ways to maximize back to school shopping as well as tips toward avoiding online scams. 

“So August 1st is the beginning of the two weeks of the Ohio sales tax holiday. Which times perfectly with back to school shopping. And you know this year, it’s a two week time period, which is far longer than it has been in the past. It was just a tax free weekend. So, it’s a great opportunity to save money by not having to pay the Ohio sales tax,” BBB of Central Ohio President Judy Dollison said.

The holiday, which runs until August 14th, covers most items under $500 dollars. Additional details about what items are tax exempt can be found on the Ohio Department of Taxation’s website.

“We always recommend also, that you know, when you’re approaching, you know, your back to school list; you determine your budget, create you know, the items that you really need to purchase so that you don’t maybe make impulse purchases when you get there. But really want to research those big ticket items. You know technology has become such a priority for all of us, even our kids in school. So you really want to understand the requirements that the students need for their classroom work,” Dollison said.

The BBB also recommends that online shoppers verify that the website they’re shopping is legitimate and always be on the lookout for clickbait scams. For more information about online shopping safety and back to school shopping advice, you can visit bbb.org.