Franklin County residents looking to save some money on their back-to-school items will no doubt take advantage of this weekend’s sales tax holiday held statewide in Alabama.

Sales tax will be waived on many items starting at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and ending at midnight on Sunday and many local businesses are looking forward to the surplus in shoppers.

The cities of Russellville, Red Bay and Phil Campbell will all participate in the holiday, which means city taxes will be lifted as well.

“This is a great opportunity for our residents,” Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Director Nina McNatt said. “It is always important to shop at home and support the many great businesses we have here, and I think this will be a good weekend for those places if people will come out and support them.”

McNatt said everything from school supplies to clothing and shoes could be found right in the county at various retailers in Russellville, Red Bay and Phil Campbell.

“In this economy, it’s important to save every little bit you can, so I hope people take advantage of this sales tax holiday,” McNatt said.

Retailers like Cato, a women’s clothing store in Russellville, will have extra staff available to accommodate the hopefully large crowds.

“We have marked down our summer items and will have new looks for the upcoming school year available this weekend,” Cato store manager Tracy Waldrop said.

Other stores in the area have also stocked up on items like backpacks, pencils, notebooks and other supplies that many people will need once school starts on Aug. 15.

According to the Alabama Department of Revenue, items that will be exempt from taxes during the sales tax holiday include things such as: belts, hats, clothing, coats, shoes, computers, computer printers, printer supplies, binders, backpacks, crayons, pencils, pens, and art supplies.

Items such as cosmetics, hand bags, cell phones, magazines, furniture, video games, wallets or sports equipment are not included in the sales tax holiday.

For a complete list of exempt and non-exempt items, visit http://www.ador.state.al.us/salestax/salestaxhol.htm.