Time to stock up: Gardens Mall hosts back-to-school shopping event for college students
PALM BEACH GARDENS — The Gardens Mall is sending local students off to college with a day of shopping during the state’s back-to-school sales tax holiday.
From 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, the mall will host its Gardens University event, an all-day back-to-school shindig for returning and first-time college students.
The tailgate party-style event will include four $10 vouchers for each student to use at one of the 29 participating stores in the mall, according to mall spokeswoman Whitney Pettis Jester.
“It’s a unique experience we’re creating, rather than simply hosting back-to-school sales,” she said.
The party includes inflatable lawn games from Jupiter Bounce and a root beer float station with root beer from Shake Shack and ice cream from Häagen-Dazs, Jester said.
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The state’s back-to-school sales tax holiday began July 24 and ends Sunday. Items exempted from sales tax during this time include most types of clothing and footwear that cost less than $100 per item, and school supplies that have a sales price of less than $50 per item.
Students should register online through Eventbrite by visiting the mall’s website, www.thegardensmall.com, and selecting the “TGU College Back to School Event.”
Registration includes the four $10 vouchers. When students arrive at the mall, they must bring their ticket from Eventbrite, plus their college ID or acceptance letter. Vouchers can be picked up from the Information Desk between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., with the mall open for shopping from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Past events have drawn more than 1,000 participants, Jester said. This year it is limited to the first 2,000 students to register, she said.
“We’ve seen really great success with this in the past couple of years,” Jester said.
While many back-to-school events focus on students in kindergarten through 12th grade, she said The Gardens Mall saw an opportunity to host a fun event for college students and give them “a fresh start in their new chapter.”
“So what better way to do that than with a new, fresh wardrobe?” Jester said. “They can really choose their own pieces to go to school with and just really make it a day of shopping and celebrating with their friends.”
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During the past few years, shopping malls have put an increasing emphasis on hosting events to entice shoppers to spend more time and money. The Gardens Mall hosts near-weekly events, many of which are free to attend and lead to “great sales results,” Jester said.
“We always want to have something unexpected, always something happening,” she said. “Rather than focusing on sales per square foot, we focus on experiences per square foot.”
A recent “Puppy Yoga” event combined a yoga session with a puppy adoption drive for Big Dog Ranch Rescue in Loxahatchee Groves. It was sold out and at least seven of the puppies from the event were adopted, Jester said.
“We keep looking at new ways to enhance those types of events and keep it fresh,” she said.
If you go
Back-to-school shopping at The Gardens University
Where: The Gardens Mall, 3101 PGA Blvd., Palm Beach Gardens.
Participating retailers: Abercrombie & Fitch, Aerie/Offline, American Eagle, Anthropologie, Athleta, Aveda, Banana Republic, Bath & Body Works/White Barn, Claire’s, The Copper Closet, Express, Fit2Run, Hollister Co., Journey’s, Kate Spade, Kendra Scott, Lilly Pulitzer, L’Occitane, Lululemon, Lush Cosmetics, Madewell, Ocean Magic Surf Shop, The Paper Store, Salt Life, Sephora, South Moon Under, Tazga, Tory Burch and Warby Parker.
When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 5
Information and registration: www.thegardensmall.com, click on “TGU College Back to School Event on the main page.”
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Gardens Mall hosts back-to-college shopping event to end sales tax holiday
