They came; they saw and they shopped, but locals had mixed reactions to this weekend’s annual sales tax holiday.

From 12:01 a.m. Friday until midnight Sunday, residents making purchases of school supplies, clothing items less than $100, books and electronics saved by not having to pay sales tax. For locals shopping in Andalusia, that was a 9.5 percent savings and that amount ranged upward to 10 percent for those shopping out-of-state.

Some residents said those savings was well worth dealing with battling the crowds. Others didn’t.

Jan Allred likened the shopping experience to Black Friday.

“If you have the patience to wait in those long lines, it is definitely worth it,” she said. “I got two kids school-ready for about $500.”

Chris Byrd said his experience shopping for his son, Zac, “actually wasn’t that bad.” “Staying away from high taxes is worth it for me every time,” he said.

Sonia Henderson Wallace said she and her family traveled to Dothan on Friday and shopped Andalusia Sunday.

“Sales were great and shopping was not crowded,” Wallace said of their Friday experience. “Then, we went to our local Maurice’s. Great sale there too, along with awesome selections of clothing! I loved the taxes I saved on top of the slashed prices.”

Melissa Adams Wise said, “It was totally worth it,” but, Carissa Odom Reeves and Tanya Hart Mancil said the crowds weren’t worth the bargains.

“It was total madness in Dothan,” Reeves said.

“We went to Pensacola, (Fla.),” Mancil said. “So not worth it – long lines and overcrowded stores.”

Tara Dalton said, “I‘m waiting, because every year I only spend about $75 initially and that only comes out to about $7 in savings. I purchased almost everything ahead of time while supplies were plentiful. We’ll get the rest this week.”