Hingham Businesses Pleased with Tax-Free Weekend

The savings might have been small but the opportunity to shop tax-free for the weekend brought crowds of shoppers to the businesses of the

The , who are not known for engaging in sales, were the big draw on both days with many shoppers content to wait their turn before being admitted into the store.

The traffic from the Apple store had a knock-on effect for the other technology retailers. One employee at confided that this had been the most successful weekend for sales of their Nook e-reader since Christmas.

It wasn’t just the latest games consoles and tablets that people were shopping for. Outdoor recreation specialist had a steady weekend with people buying bikes, kayaks and accessories. 

"The savings are small but on a rainy weekend it encourages people to come into the store," REI Hingham manager Chris Hark said.

Hark also thought that many consumers had come to the Derby Shoppes knowing exactly what they wanted.

“There have been a lot of customers who pre-shopped and waited for this weekend to buy, say, the bike they’ve been looking at,” he said.

Employee Lisa Wells said this situation was also common at .

“People know what they want and they’re coming in ready to buy,” she said.

By the end of the weekend, Niamh O’Maille, Marketing Coordinator for Derby Street Shoppes, was happy with how the weekend had gone with the car-parks filled from early on Saturday morning until the Sunday evening and the restaurants doing a brisk trade.

“We’re really pleased how this weekend went for all the businesses concerned,” she said.