"Tax free" shopping at Kohl's, JC Penney.

I have to say, this is a sales tactic I associate more with used-car dealerships... but hey, if it works, it works. Both Kohl's (April 1) and JC Penney are offering "tax free" shopping days. Of course, they can't really ignore sales tax, so what it actually means is they'll be taking a discount on your subtotal equal to or greater than your state's sales tax, and then charging you sales tax on that reduced total.

Well, the Kohl's offer is valid only in AZ,CA,FL,IA,MI,MO,TX,UT,VA,WV,WI. The JC Penney offer is valid only in retail stores, Wednesday, 3/31, to Saturday, 4/3. It doesn't sound like that big of a discount, but anyone who has made a major purchase in Washington knows the pain of forking over nearly 10% in sales tax, so if you need a big appliance or a tractor or something, this might be worth noting.