The Olympian task of finding parking at Memorial City Mall was particularly challenging on Saturday, prompting a competitive game of “follow that family” as a car’s departure seemed the only hope to snag a spot.

That’s just the start of the fun of tax-free weekend in Texas, a chance for shoppers to save money on school supplies and apparel via a sales tax exemption.

The holiday, which has been held annually in Texas since 1999, runs through Sunday, ahead of the return to school later this month. The state comptroller’s office estimates Texans will save about $107.3 million in state and local sales tax this weekend.

The tax-free deal applies to qualifying items under $100, such as clothing, footwear, backpacks and other school supplies like pens, pencils, binders, notebooks, calculators, rulers, lunch boxes and much more.

Memorial City Mall extended its hours for the occasion and several of the shopping center’s retailers are offering additional discounts this weekend.

This ends at midnight on Sunday; the tax-free deals are also redeemable online.

The west Houston mall was less busy inside than the parking lot suggested, but around 11 a.m. a cluster of families congregated in Target’s school supplies aisle, children running around and parents going through their lists.

“I didn’t even know it was tax-free weekend,” said Sarah Homer, who was shopping with her daughter Kate, 11, soon to be a sixth-grader at Spring Forest Middle School.

Homer, a nursing director at the Texas Medical Center, has been very busy at work preparing for a fourth wave of COVID-19 cases. This happened to be the day she was free to buy a few items for Kate’s return to school — the tax-free deal was a nice surprise.

Homer didn’t even bring a shopping list, but Target had a display of print-outs with QR codes directing to each Spring Branch ISD school’s list. She scanned it with her phone and studied it.

Kate picked out a few notebooks with colorful designs; the tween was excited to have fun supplies this year.

“The one thing I need is for school to happen,” said Homer, who has been juggling work and having the children at home.

Rick Lee was also browsing the Target school supply aisle with his wife and two boys, 12 and 9.

“Just trying to save a few bucks,” he said. His family shops on tax-free weekend every year. He thinks he saves money doing it this way, but isn’t exactly sure how much.

The Lee family lives in Katy and typically shops there, but they were in the neighborhood and decided to stop by Memorial City Mall instead this year.

Their two kids did virtual learning last year, because they had a choice, but this month is their first in-person reentry to school since before the pandemic.

“I guess it’s OK,” he said. “Eventually we have to go back.”

Several doors down from Target at Vera Bradley, a “back to school checklist” display greeted customers at the entrance, decked out with notebooks, water bottles and tumblers, pens and planners in the brand’s signature floral motifs.

Carolina Zarinana emerged from the row of backpacks, cradling a few supplies she had selected. As a high school biology teacher at Katy ISD, she also needs to stock up: comfortable shoes and backpacks to walk and carry around the school, notebooks for her many meetings and classes.

Zarinana said she came to the mall intentionally on tax-free weekend for the savings.

“Teachers have to spend a lot of money, too,” she said. “It adds up.”

And saving a few dollars felt almost like winning the gold.

emma.balter@chron.com