Tennessee's Tax-Free Weekend begins Friday at 12:01 a.m.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — If you need school supplies or even new technology in order to get safely back to school, this weekend may be your best time to shop. Starting at 12:01 am Friday is Tennessee's annual sales tax holiday weekend.

The weekend comes as many businesses are eager to see customers come back through their doors. "You just have to roll with the punches and figure things out as you go," said Brittany Hartwell, the owner of Molly Green at the Mall at Green Hills.

In a year where back to school is something different for every student, back to school shopping is too.

"We can send them back to school with all they need with the CDC and school guidelines," said Brooke Haertle, a manager at Altar'd State, also inside Green Hills Mall.

Masks and hand sanitizer are now must-haves. New clothes may be to show off to your classmates or, for virtual students, your roommates.

Hartwell says the annual Sales Tax Holiday weekend is usually just as big as Black Friday for her store. She admits, she's a little conflicted. Of course they could use a boost in business. "We want to have a lot of sales but we don’t want to have a lot of footsteps necessarily, so obviously we can’t have both things," she said.

That's why Molly Green is encouraging online sales. Altar'd State is also promoting their curbside pickup program.

"They can just call any of our locations and tell us what they’re looking for and a size," said Haertle.

No matter how you choose to shop, both stores say they have reduced prices in addition to the sales tax exemption. "She could get two more shirts because she wasn’t going to be paying that sales tax, and that’s what it’s all about," said Haertle.

Here's what's exempt and not exempt this weekend:

Clothing

Exempt:

• General apparel that costs $200 or less per item, such as shirts, pants, socks, shoes, dresses, etc.

Not exempt:

• Apparel items priced at more than $200
• Items sold together, such as shoes, cannot be split up to stay beneath the $200 maximum
• Items such as jewelry, handbags, or sports and recreational equipment

School Supplies

Exempt:

• School and art supplies with a purchase price of $200 or less per item, such as binders, books, backpacks, crayons, paper, pens, pencils, and rulers, and art supplies such as glazes, clay, paints, drawing pads, and artist paintbrushes

Not exempt:

• School and art supplies individually priced at more than $200
• Items that are normally sold together cannot be split up to stay beneath the $200 maximum

Computers & Other Electronics

Exempt:

• Computers for personal use with a purchase price of $3,000 or less
• Tablets, smart phones and electronic readers with a purchase price of $3,000 or less
• Televisions and video game consoles with a purchase price of $3,000 or less

Not exempt:

• Storage media, like flash drives and compact discs
• Individually purchased software
• Printer supplies
• Household appliances