Itโs Thursday, Boston.
๐ Do you love The B-Side? And โฆ wanna help us out? Reply to THIS EMAIL and pour. Your. Heart. Out. Weโll use these quotes for our marketing โฆ and for rainy days. <3ย
๐ Whatโs on tap today:
Could rent control come back?
The COOLEST foodie event
Comparing Apples to Apples
Up firstโฆ
SALES TAX HOLIDAY
Mass.โ biggest sale of the year

Image: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe. Illustration: Gia Orsino.
Warm up your credit cards โฆ because itโs Mass.โ annual sales tax holiday! On Aug. 9 and 10, shoppers can save 6.25% on *most* items up to $2,500. But per usual, not everything is fair game
Hereโs what to know:ย
๐โโ๏ธ The tax savings only apply to personal purchases. So if your shopping list includes business purchases, or purchases for business use, sorry, no deal for you.ย
๐ธ Only items under $2,500 qualify for the deal. I.e., If you buy something over $2,500, the whole price โ not just the difference โ will be taxed. So realistically, the most you could save on a purchase is $156.25 (or 6.25% of $2,500). That said, as long as every individual item is under the cap, you can get the deal on however many items you want.
๐ซ But not every item qualifies. One major no-go? Food (tragic). Other noโs include cars, boats, electricity, gas, alcohol, weed, and tobacco. Think of it this way: Besides the food court, pretty much any item you could find at a mall should qualify. Hereโs a full list of exceptions.
๐ And clothes are a little wonky. Fun fact: Clothing under $175 is always exempt from the sales tax, so the only way to get a deal on clothes this weekend is to shell out for a piece over $175 (Reformation flats, anyone?). Another little quirk: If you buy a piece of clothing over $2,500 (though, letโs be real, who among us?), the first $175 wonโt be subject to the tax, but the rest will be.ย
๐ป The deal applies online and IRL. Yes, including Amazon! Bonus: Even if the items donโt arrive at your door until after the holiday, you still wonโt pay the sales tax. And if you return your item after the weekend, you wonโt be retroactively charged.
๐ฌ Any other questions? Hereโs where to find the answers. Happy shopping!
QUICK QUESTION!
๐ธ Are you planning on taking advantage of tax-free weekend?
Let us know below!
CITY
Quick & dirty headlines

Image: Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe
๐๏ธ Itโs looking like rent control might be on our ballots next year. No joke! Advocacy group Homes for All Massachusetts has launched a campaign for a 2026 ballot question that would implement a tight 5% cap on rent increases statewide, with some exceptions for small landlords. If it makes the ballot, the proposed Q would be pretty high stakes since real estate bigwigsโ influence on Beacon Hill tends to squash similar measures there, and ballot Q topics can only repeat every six years. Now, itโll be sent to the AGโs office for approval.
โฝ The battle over a new Revs stadium might not be about soccer anymore. Itโs starting to feel more like another dueling ground for Mayor Michelle Wu and Josh Kraftโs mayoral race. After all, the team is owned by The Kraft Group. At competing press conferences Monday, Wu called the groupโs mitigation proposal โ a.k.a. how the project will address traffic, noise, and climate resilience โ โunseriousโ and lacking any โmeaningful technical information.โ Meanwhile, the teamโs president clapped back at Wu for โprioritiz[ing] politics over getting a fair agreement.โ Tea!
๐ณ๏ธ Speaking of Kraft and Wu, they wonโt be the only names on your primary ballot. Youโll also see underdogs Domingos DaRosa and Robert Cappucci. Although they only have a combined 4% of voter support and a small fraction of Kraft and Wuโs fundraising dollars, theyโre both hoping their platforms will appeal to some voters: DaRosa as a longtime Bostonian who understands votersโ struggles, and Cappucci as a more conservative voice. Itโll be a long shot for either to advance, but more options = a *healthier democracy.*
๐ This might be Bostonโs coolest new foodie event. Enter: Battle of the Bites. Itโs a new, head-to-head cooking competition between two iconic local chefs where YOUR tastebuds decide who wins. The first battle will be between Boston restaurant heavy hitter Jamie Bissonnette (think: Somaek, Zurito), and Cape Cod โseafood sensationโ Drew Grosse (Lobster Trap) on Aug. 20 at Lincoln. Tickets are $50, but they include a drink, apps, access to the competition, and tastes of both dishes. Plus, the proceeds go to charity.
GIVEAWAY
Together with SmartSKN
Enter to win a personalized AI-powered skincare session at SmartSKN! To enter, just refer a friend and have them accept your invite by the end of the day on Aug. 7, 2025. If you have already referred a friend to B-Side (and theyโve accepted), you're eligible! Full details below*
18+. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Limit one entry per person. See Official Rules & an additional entry option here.
ONE LAST THING
Itโs Apples to Apples

llustration: Gia Orsino
Whatโs the difference between a tech giant and a local movie theatre chain? Itโs like comparing apples to โฆ apples. Literally.
On Friday, Apple (the tech monolith) sued Mass.-based Apple Cinemas for trademark infringement, accusing them of purposefully misleading consumers about the companiesโ relationship, and asking it to drop the โAppleโ from its name.
Per the lawsuit, Apple Cinemas has been riding on Appleโs coattails for years and sullying its good name by creating an Apple-like logo, opening near Apple stores (including one just 50 miles from Appleโs HQ in California), and even fooling some of its landlords about the connection to get better deals.ย
Intentional or not, we can say Apple Cinemas successfully confused many townie commenters in this Warwick Mall FB post.
โ Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario
๐ Thanks for reading! โThis mall ainโt big enough for the two of us.โ โ Apple, probably
๐ฉ The results are in: B-Siders are absolutely split on poop jokes. 33% like โem, 33% donโt, and 33% say it depends on the joke. One reader said: โEveryone needs to be working on being more poop positive. We would all feel better if we could collectively discuss our tummy issues.โ
๐ Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].