Shoppers came out in droves Saturday at Grand Strand-area retail outlets, seeking deals and stocking up on back-to-school items as the fifth annual S.C. tax holiday rolled on.

"The mall is packed," said Stacie Dickerson, marketing director for Coastal Grand Myrtle Beach, the area's newest indoor mall and the state's largest. "It's a very busy day."

As of 3 p.m. Saturday, more than 7,000 cars had been in the mall's parking lot, and Dickerson said she expected the number of vehicles to exceed 10,000 by the end of the day.

The mall, which opened in March, typically draws 10,000 vehicles on normal Saturdays, she said.

Tanger Outlet Center off U.S. 501 between Myrtle Beach and Conway and the Tanger center at the junction of S.C. 22 and U.S. 17 between Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach were bustling Saturday as well.

"It looks like it compares to last year or a little better," said Sherri Davenport, marketing director for

Tanger. "It seems busier."

The sales tax holiday, which began in 2000 as a way to give consumers a break on back-to-school purchases, has become the second- or third- busiest weekend of the year for Tanger retailers, Davenport said.

At the Tanger center off U.S. 501, shoppers endured long lines at the Gap Outlet, where items were buy one, get one half price.

At the Polo Factory Outlet, a steady stream of customers Saturday afternoon checked out marked-down Ralph Lauren items.

For instance, a men's bathing suit, regularly priced $45, was marked down to $9.99, and a woman's V-neck T-shirt emblazoned with Ralph Lauren's polo insignia, regularly priced $29, went for $6.99.

Clothing and school supplies such as pens, pencils, paper, book bags, lunchboxes, and calculators are among the items on which consumers don't have to pay the normal 5 percent sales tax this weekend.

Exempt items also include computers and computer accessories.

Anticipating a rush on computers, electronics dealer Best Buy in Myrtle Beach set up a queuing system so customers could be waited on in order.

"We're as busy as can be," said Best Buy General Manager Stan Kilp. "It's been off the chain."

This year's hot ticket?

"Laptops have just been smokin'," he said.

Shoppers have until midnight today to take advantage of the sales tax holiday.

According to the S.C. Department of Revenue, consumers saved $2.3 million in would-be sales tax during 2003's tax-free holiday.

Mary Knight of Lancaster wasn't intentionally seeking tax-free bargains while shopping for her husband's birthday, but she certainly didn't mind finding a pair of swim trunks on sale for $10.

"I think it's good, especially for moms and pops that have to buy things for their school children," said Knight while she rested in one of Coastal Grand's lounging areas near Sears.

Now a grandmother, Knight wished the tax-free event had existed while she was raising three children.

"It would have been nice," she said. "Every little bit helps."