DES PERES, MO – August 7, 2026 (STL.News) – Missouri’s annual Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday is underway, and West County Center in Des Peres is putting the spotlight on tax-free shopping as families across the St. Louis area prepare for the start of a new school year.
The 2026 sales tax holiday began at 12:01 a.m. Friday, August 7, and continues through midnight Sunday, August 9. During the three days, qualifying purchases are exempt from both state and local sales and use taxes throughout Missouri. That means eligible purchases at West County Center and other retailers across the state can be made at a zero percent sales tax rate during the holiday.
West County Center has officially listed Tax-Free Weekend among its Aug. 7-9 events and is promoting the opportunity to shoppers preparing for the new school year. The shopping center, located at 80 West County Center in Des Peres, describes itself as a St. Louis shopping and dining destination with more than 150 stores and restaurants.
The weekend is especially significant for families purchasing clothing, shoes, school supplies, and computers, since Missouri law sets specific price limits for qualifying merchandise.
What Missouri Shoppers Can Buy Tax-Free
Under Missouri law, clothing priced at $100 or less per item is exempt from sales tax during the holiday. The definition includes most apparel intended to be worn on the body, including footwear. Certain accessories — including jewelry, handbags, watches, scarves and umbrellas — are excluded.
School supplies qualify when they do not exceed $50 per purchase under the state’s rules. Eligible products include notebooks, paper, writing instruments, crayons, art supplies, rulers, textbooks, backpacks, calculators, maps and other items normally used by students in the classroom.
Technology can produce some of the weekend’s largest dollar savings. Personal computers and qualifying computer peripheral devices costing no more than $1,500 are eligible. Computer software is eligible at $350 or less, while qualifying graphing calculators can cost up to $150. Missouri’s Department of Revenue specifically lists laptop and desktop computers, tablets and iPads, monitors, keyboards, printers, scanners, memory and several other computer-related products among qualifying items.
Those limits are important. If an item exceeds the applicable statutory threshold, the entire purchase may become taxable rather than only the amount above the limit. For example, the Department of Revenue says a $98 pair of jeans qualifies, while a $114 sweater does not because the sweater exceeds the $100 clothing limit.
Local Taxes Are Included in the 2026 Holiday
One point that has confused longtime St. Louis-area shoppers is whether municipalities such as Des Peres can continue charging local taxes during tax-free weekend.
That is no longer the case.
Beginning January 1, 2023, Missouri changed the law so qualifying purchases during the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday are exempt from all state and local sales and use taxes. Cities and counties can no longer opt out and continue collecting their local portion on eligible merchandise during the holiday.
That makes the current holiday different from earlier years, when shoppers sometimes encountered different tax treatment depending on where they made their purchases.
For shoppers at West County Center, qualifying purchases are therefore exempt from the applicable state and local sales taxes during this year’s Aug. 7-9 holiday.
West County Center Enters Weekend From Position of Strength
The tax-free event arrives during a period of considerable activity at West County Center.
CBL Properties, which owns and manages the mall, said in June that West County Center receives more than 7.1 million annual visitors, has a 98% occupancy rate and generates retailer sales of just under $900 per square foot. CBL Chief Executive Officer Stephen Lebovitz called the property one of the company’s top-performing assets.
The mall has also been adding retailers and restaurants.
POP MART opened its first Missouri location at West County Center in May, while Foot Locker was another recent addition. CBL also announced plans for Levi’s, L’Occitane, Perfumania and Urban Outfitters locations during 2026. American Eagle Outfitters and Victoria’s Secret are undergoing renovations, according to the property owner.
Construction is also underway on a Cheesecake Factory restaurant in the mall’s Restaurant Village, with an opening expected this fall.
For back-to-school shoppers looking specifically for technology, West County Center’s current directory confirms an Apple store on Level 2 of the mall. The mall also lists Nordstrom as a current tenant offering in-store and online pickup services.
Families Are Watching Prices Closely
Missouri’s tax holiday comes as affordability remains an important issue in back-to-school shopping nationwide.
The National Retail Federation reported that 78% of back-to-school shoppers expected prices to be higher this season. About one-third said they typically plan purchases around summer sales, reflecting the emphasis families are placing on discounts and value.
Shopping also started early this year. NRF reported that 62% of back-to-school shoppers had already begun purchasing items by early July. That was slightly below the 67% recorded at the same time in 2025 but remained well ahead of the 55% recorded in 2024.
The sales tax holiday gives families another opportunity to reduce their total bill, particularly when tax savings can be combined with qualifying retailer promotions.
A computer approaching the $1,500 eligibility ceiling, for example, can result in a substantially larger dollar saving than a notebook or package of pencils simply because sales tax would otherwise be calculated on a much higher purchase price.
Back-to-School Shopping Takes Center Stage
West County Center is also running its “Battle of the Backpacks: The Final Lap” promotion through August 31, with the mall describing it as a $2,000 back-to-school giveaway. The promotion and Tax-Free Weekend are both listed on the center’s current events calendar.
The combination gives the Des Peres shopping center a strong back-to-school focus as students and parents make their final purchases before classes resume across the region.
For shoppers, however, the key is knowing Missouri’s eligibility requirements before reaching the register. Not every product sold at a clothing, electronics or school-supply retailer automatically qualifies.
The Missouri Department of Revenue advises consumers to pay attention to the price limits and product definitions established by state law. Only purchases for personal use qualify for the holiday.
For West County Center and retailers throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area, the three-day event represents an opportunity to capture late-summer shopping activity at precisely the time families are looking for ways to make school budgets go further.
And for Missouri consumers, this year’s statewide exemption is particularly straightforward: from August 7 through August 9, qualifying back-to-school purchases are exempt from both state and local sales taxes wherever they are purchased in Missouri.
