5 Tax Free Back-to-School Deals

1.) Reno Beach Surf Shop: A surfer shop may not be top of mind when you're back to school shopping. But the 4th Street North store not only has some back-to-school clothes (including sandals) and supplies (such as backpacks), it is offering $45 in coupons to folks who stop by today. That should be enough incentive to get a lot of folks in the door. Reno Beach Surf Shop is at 1031 4th St. North.

2.) Dali Museum: The Dali is promoting "surreal deals" at its museum gift shop. Your kid also is likely to stand apart form the crowd with a wavy watch. That's a good thing, right? The gift shop is offering 25 percent on back-to-school items, and you can order online for some web-only special. But we like the Dali, so stop by the coll museum gift shop, too.

3.) Ellenton Outlet Stores: Venture across the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to the Ellenton Outlets for tax-free back-to-school savings on all clothing under $75. Merchandise at the outlet stores already is discounted 25 percent to 65 percent. So expect added savings.

4.) Walmart: Shopping local is great, but most everyone ducks into a favorite big box store for great deals, convenience and stuff you can't find anywhere else. Tax-free plus Walmart makes for some sweet deals. Walmart seems to lead the way this year in back-to-school deals with its nifty guide that lets parents and kids enter their school name and zip code to see if their supply list is posted. If so, you get a handy rundown of the supplies, with prices. Even when your school is not listed, there's a handy menu of suggested school supplies per age group.

5.) Other Big Box Deals: You don't need a membership to shop at Sam's Club today-Sunday for the tax-free "holiday." This is the time to check out whether Sam's Club is for you.