North Texas shoppers braved lousy weather Friday morning to stock up on back-to-school clothing and other goods during the opening day of the state's 10th annual tax-free shopping weekend.

The crowds weren't huge, at least at first, and some retailers said they are hoping for brisker business as the weekend rolls on.

Through Sunday, purchases of clothing, shoes and other select items under $100 will be exempt from state and local sales taxes. The state comptroller's office estimates that Texas shoppers will save $54 million this weekend.

At Vista Ridge Mall in Lewisville, store employees and shoppers said they expected traffic to pick up later this afternoon as the weather clears up.

Beth Jones, 38, of Shady Shores, spent the morning rummaging through stacks of jeans in JC Penney’s juniors section with her daughter Taylor, who will start sixth grade in a few weeks. When Ms. Jones learned the store had opened about 90 minutes before they arrived, she said she wished she’d arrived earlier to avoid the crowds.

"I’m sure it’s going to be a zoo," she said. “It always is.”

Despite the tough economy, Ms. Jones said cutting back on school necessities isn’t always possible. "They need what they need," she said. "It's not a luxury."

She expects to spend up to $600 on back-to-school items for Taylor and her brother Jacob, an eighth grader.

At 7 a.m. employees outnumbered shoppers at the 24-hour Wal-Mart Supercenter on South Loop 288 in Denton.

Doritha Cunningham, 38, a Collin County law enforcement employee, was out early with her 13-year-old daughter, Destiny, who is entering eighth grade.

They spent $139.27 on clothing and supplies, not all of which was covered by the tax moratorium. "And that's only the first stop,” she said. “We have two more."

Even with the tax break, back-to-school shopping will stretch the family's budget, she said. In addition to Destiny, she has two younger schoolchildren.

"Now we've got to calculate groceries, gas and medication for the next few weeks," she said. "Hopefully we'll make it. I just pray no one gets sick."

Melissa Barnes, a 28-year-old police dispatcher, was shopping with her two sons, Nick, 8, and Quentin, 7, who were searching for “anything with Clone Wars or Transformers on it.”

JIM MAHONEY/DMN

Andee Dunn and her 7-year-old son Hunter were among the first shoppers to arrive at the Super Target in Garland to take advantage of the tax free weekend.

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The plan, she said, was to stock up on supplies Friday, and clothes Saturday.

"With gas being up, we try to save any way we can," Ms. Barnes said. "Gas should be tax-free this weekend for driving around."

William McCraney, a customer service manager at the Wal-Mart, said the store scheduled extra staff – up to 15 extra people in customer service and on the registers – for what it hopes will be a busy weekend.

The 22-year-old planned to do some back-to-school shopping of his own for his sophomore year at Texas Woman’s University.

"As soon as I leave here," he said, "my girlfriend and I are going to Kohl's."

At a Denton SuperTarget just up the road from Wal-Mart, Tiffany Comiskey, 31, was shopping with her 3-year-old, Ryan, who is entering preschool.

Ms. Comiskey, who moved here from California, said she's been surprised at how many supplies aren't paid for by Texas schools— and at all the items that aren't covered by the tax-free weekend.

Tamara Wimmer, a 48-year-old postal worker, was finishing up shopping for her two children, but said the items in her cart barely skimmed the surface of what she had piled in tubs at home.

Ms. Wimmer also used the tax-free weekend to buy supplies in bulk for needy families.

"It's not like we make that much, but it doesn't take much to make a kid feel like they belong," she said.

A SuperTarget supervisor said she expected store traffic to pick up significantly by the end of the weekend, when the dorms open at nearby TWU and the University of North Texas.

Towers of mini-fridges, microwave ovens, storage tubs, lamps, TV stands and other items marketed to the college crowd lined the back aisles and swamped the back-to-school corner.

"It's a double hit for us, with tax-free weekend and dorms opening at the same time," said Dana Suhas, an assistant store manager. The combination, she said, brings Christmas-sized crowds.

"But we're ready for it. We've staffed up big time."