totallyBF Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 Am I crazy or what? I will be driving from Houston Texas to Tampa Florida I will leave around 3am and hopefully get back at 7pm Thursday But my question is has any of you guys done this? How's travel on the day of thanksgiving? Bad? I've never traveled on the day of thanksgiving and the worst thing possible is that there is tons of traffic and I don't get back by 3am Friday I will stop where I am and go shopping in whatever town I am in. I'm nervous but there will be three of us driving so we won't need to stop at all. And the reason I need to purchase my big ticket items here (fl) because 7% tax and in Texas my family has told me 9% I am about saving as much money on BF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iliveforblckfri Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 And the reason I need to purchase my big ticket items here (fl) because 7% tax and in Texas my family has told me 9% I am about saving as much money on BF.You are talking about saving 20 dollars on 1,000 dollars of purchased goods. If there isn't another reason to go to Texas you will use that much up in fuel. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwc designs Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I'm not sure I'm willing to drive 15-16 hours to save 2% in sales tax. Are you cutting your trip short just to make the sales? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcwalker Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 As for traffic, it is generally lighter on Thanksgiving because most truckers and other business traffic are off the roads. Road constrcution projects also stop for the holiday and generally leave as many lanes open as possible. As someone pointed out, the difference between 7% and 9% tax isn't enough to worry about--and I am sure that most parts of Texas (where I grew up and family still lives) are lower than 9%. If you must be on the way, consider doing shopping in Florida panhandle or somewhere else along the way, then finish the drive friday afternoon. Better yet, just enjoy whatever you are going to Texas for on Thanksgiving, do your BF shopping near Houston, and head out friday afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjimslade Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I would not drive all that way just to save 2% on sales tax. I would stay in Texas and do your shopping in Texas and then drive back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpr Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 If you are trying to save 2% then forget it. If you have to be home in FL for another reason then ok. Had you said you were trying to beat the Sunday traffic and the 2% savings was a bonus, then that's another story (though you could still shop on BF and make it home before Monday). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkrbel Posted October 18, 2011 Share Posted October 18, 2011 I'm nervous but there will be three of us driving so we won't need to stop at all. Firstly, you WILL be stopping. I don't care how many people are driving or how long you can hold it, TX to FL is too long for anyone for hold it in. You can take snacks on the way to avoid stopping for food but I also don't see the advantage of saving 2% and being totally sleep deprived. I don't think the roads would be too busy other than nearby exits for major cities where people may be traveling to and from relatives homes. I would be careful for drink drivers though, maybe it's just around here but ppl don't need much of an excuse to drink and drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HansieDZ Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 12 years ago on Thanksgiving,I traveled 300 miles to get home after my father's funeral the day before. The one thing I noticed was that NO restaurants were open along the way,but I mostly went thru small towns. We had to wait 2 1/2 hours to eat in a larger city. Very few gas stations were open either. Things have probably changed since then though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TazErase Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 1) I agree, to save 2% in taxes by driving through the night really isn't worth it. Better to get in line in Texas and get the better deals that spend all that time driving home. 2) Traffic is usually very light on Thanksgiving. 3) Most gas stations should be open, at least here many are able to accept credit cards at the pump. Some states like NJ where the law requires the attendant to pump the gas would probably be more difficult to find open. Final opinion... It would probably be much smarter to do your shopping in Tx, get on lines earlier to get the better deals and not have to race and be concerned about not making it. To save $20 but lose all the sleep and risk everything, it would be better to stay where you are and get to the stores earlier. Also, there is an increasing pattern of stores being open Thanksgiving Day as well as opening earlier for BF some as early as 10pm Thursday or midnight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockfordmom Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Is the only reason you are coming back then is to save 2% on tax? What are your big ticket items that you want to buy? And are you going to have been up for like 24 hours when you start your black friday shopping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momlori Posted October 19, 2011 Share Posted October 19, 2011 Sales tax in Texas is 8.25% maximum and Florida is 7% max so you really are only saving 1.25%. On $1,000 of purchases you are only saving $12.50. That said, you will need to watch your gasoline as some stations will still be closed. Traffic should be pretty open Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totallyBF Posted October 19, 2011 Author Share Posted October 19, 2011 I am planning on spending around 3k and one of the items include apple laptop and also if I stay in Texas I cant buy all the items I want because they won't fit in the car to come back home. (Toddler kitchen set) big box, well apprently I'm getting different percents from Texas I thought it was all the same! I will get some sleep when Im tired too drive, I don't think ill be that sleepy when I get back. I can drive about 6 hours straight and sleep the rest of the time we each plan on driving 5 hours each. So yeah that should give me plenty of time to sleep and be ready to shop. My family isnt big no party nothing on thanksgiving so yeah. I think it would be really cool to buy a newspaper on thanksgiving from every state I pass lol.... Texas louisana mississppi alabama and of course florida. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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