AMARILLO, TX -- Tax free weekend has finally made its way to the Panhandle. Shelves are stocked and folks have been taking advantage of some great deals.  

Retail stores started preparing early this year and were ready for the crowds. Sales associate Tessa Sanders said, "What we did is we decided what sale items we wanted to put out. We split it up between the most popular and the least popular, put it all out there and we fixed our store set, put all our brand new stuff out and made sure that it was up at the front and were kind of refilling as we go." 

Tax free weekend took off early Friday morning. Shoppers began navigating their way through crowded aisles and endless products trying to get the best deal possible.  

Many stores and associates have been working hard to keep customers happy. Store Manager, Jaclan Hnidak said, "The tax free weekend has been really eventful. We've got a lot of great sales going on. We've got some good customers coming in. Everyone's been really nice and really patient with us and we've been trying to find them all of the colors, denim, blazers and everything they need for back to school."  

There are several caps on many items and not all products are tax free. "Not everything. It's only on the school supplies, backpacks and shoes. So things like our jewelry, perfume, key chains, nail polish, some of the littler things they don't apply,” Jaclan stated.  

Tax may sometimes seem like an insignificant addition to purchases but some customers say it makes a big difference. Mother of three, Samantha Aikin said, "Oh for sure, yes. I've got three kids and it really has helped. This one's going off to college, this one is going to high school and this one is in junior high, so we're all about the savings."  Tax free weekend has always proven to be a great way to save in a still tough economy.