Under different circumstances, this may have been the weekend that Massachusetts held a sales tax holiday.
State lawmakers chose to forego the holiday, citing the state's tenuous fiscal condition. It's one of the few times in recent years that shoppers haven't been offered a break from paying sales taxes for a day or two during summer.
The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is disappointed but hoping it won't stop people from visiting their local stores this weekend.
The organization is using various strategies to encourage people to spend money locally and to not shop in tax-free New Hampshire or go on the internet to order goods.
The group says several retailers are running promotions offering savings on purchases equivalent to the 6.25 percent sales tax.
