Back-to-school shoppers snapped up everything from glue sticks to laptop computers Saturday as they reaped the benefit of not having to pay state sales tax.

The three-day sales tax holiday, which ends today, makes many school-related items — including clothing and computers — exempt from the state’s 5 percent sales tax.

“I need to save as much money as I can,” Shelley Ionescu said as she pushed a shopping cart filled with crayons, zipper binders and notebook paper through the Staples store on Decker Boulevard.

With school starting Monday for her three sons — Jake, 11, Coby, 9, and Owen, 5 — the sales tax holiday came just in time for Ionescu, of Columbia.

The state’s sales tax exemption this weekend also is paying off for retailers.

“Right now our sales are trending 18 to 20 percent ahead of last year’s,” said Dan Benchabbat, the Staples manager.

At Goody’s on Two Notch Road, Friday’s sales doubled the 2003 mark for the first day of the sales tax holiday, said assistant manager Tavares Mickel.

The sales-tax break was adopted in 2000 to ease the back-to-school spending burden for working families.

Shoppers saved about $2.3 million in taxes during last year’s holiday. The savings translated into about $47 million in tax-exempt goods sold in S.C. stores.

Reducing taxes is music to Patricia Johnson’s ears. She shopped with her 12-year-old daughter, Mycah, at the Goody’s store.

“I teach people how to lower their taxes,” said Johnson, who has a home-based business.

Eliminating the 5 percent sales tax on an armload of shirts, skirts and blue jeans Mycah wanted to buy fits perfectly into her tax strategy, said Johnson of Columbia.

With her two children, Alex, 11, and Jeanna Anne, 8, Kathy Burrows was wrapping up a day of shopping at the Goody’s in Northeast Richland.

On their trip to Columbia, they bought jeans, shorts, shirts, shoes and socks, Burrows said. Most of the school supplies were purchased in their hometown of Sumter. Burrows figured the holiday will save her about $50 in sales tax.

“It’s crazy not to buy clothes and school supplies when they’re tax-free,” Burrows said.

Sherri Jeffers, of Pontiac, said she does not employ any special strategy to her back-to-school shopping.

“I just try to get everything on the list and then a little extra,” said Jeffers as she shopped Staples with daughters Katie, 12, and Shelley, 10.

Benchabbat said back-to-school sales actually start in mid-July as customers stock up on basics such as notebooks, pencils and folders.

During the sales tax holiday, shoppers come for the big-ticket items such as laptop computers, which sell for about $1,400 plus software.

“In the two weeks building up to the sales tax holiday, average orders will be $15 to $20 a customer,” Benchabbat said. “This weekend our average order will be $50 to $2,000.”

Not having to pay sales tax on a $2,000 purchase saves a customer $100.

Manager Joe Hoskins notices a similar trend at Goody’s.

“Our average (ringup of sales) is at least three times higher per customer,” he said. “This is always a great weekend for us.”

The downside to this year’s holiday is that it comes after some Midlands schools have opened.

Kershaw County and Lexington districts 1, 2 and 3 all began school on Thursday.

But the holiday arrived in time for Richland 2 students, who start Monday. Also, Richland 1 students return Wednesday and students in Lexington-Richland 5 are back in class Thursday.

Reach Crumbo at (803) 771-8503 or ccrumbo@thestate.com.