Anyone who ventured out to a Selma area retailer this weekend — specifically those retailers who offered any school-related item — can attest to the crowds, the brisk sales and the interest the annual sales tax holiday weekend has garnered.

The look on the faces of cashiers at local retailers resembled those you would see during the Christmas sales rush,

The weekend, which has been adopted by nearly every municipality and county throughout Alabama, provides a shopping weekend for families without state or local sales taxes and gives retailers a boost during a time of year when sales may not be at their best.

It is true the loss of sales tax revenues — primarily on the city and county level — is a bitter pill to swallow for many, especially in a sluggish economy.

But the level of interest and the foot traffic this type of promotion provides to local businesses is often times immeasurable.

Our only complaint with this program is the timing.

With Selma City Schools starting Monday, other schools beginning Wednesday and Dallas County Schools kicking off classes Aug. 15, the weekend was far too close for families to get what they needed in a timely fashion.

Because classes begin so early in August, it only makes sense to push the tax-free holiday back into July, giving parents time to plan and purchase items when they are not so pressed up against the deadline.

Even with the problem of holding the holiday weekend so close to the beginning of schools, there is little doubt the recent weekend was a success to retailers and customers alike.

It is our hope, our call, that lawmakers will continue the program but look at changing the timing to ensure everyone can take part and everyone can benefit.