🤑 Babe, wake up, it’s tax-free weekend

It’s Thursday, Boston.

💜 Do you love The B-Side? And … wanna help us out? Reply to THIS EMAIL and pour. Your. Heart. Out. We’ll use these quotes for our marketing … and for rainy days. <3 

👀 What’s on tap today:

• Could rent control come back?

• The COOLEST foodie event

• Comparing Apples to Apples

Up first…

SALES TAX HOLIDAY

Mass.’ biggest sale of the year

Warm up your credit cards … because it’s Mass.’ 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

Here’s what to know: 

🙋‍♀️ 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. 

💸 Only items under $2,500 qualify for the deal. I.e., If you buy something over $2,500, the whole price — not just the difference — 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.

🚫 But not every item qualifies. One major no-go? Food (tragic). Other no’s 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. Here’s a full list of exceptions.

👗 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, let’s be real, who among us?), the first $175 won’t be subject to the tax, but the rest will be. 

💻 The deal applies online and IRL. Yes, including Amazon! Bonus: Even if the items don’t arrive at your door until after the holiday, you still won’t pay the sales tax. And if you return your item after the weekend, you won’t be retroactively charged.

💬 Any other questions? Here’s where to find the answers. Happy shopping!

QUICK QUESTION!

💸 Are you planning on taking advantage of tax-free weekend?

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

🏘️ It’s 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 bigwigs’ influence on Beacon Hill tends to squash similar measures there, and ballot Q topics can only repeat every six years. Now, it’ll be sent to the AG’s office for approval.

⚽ The battle over a new Revs stadium might not be about soccer anymore. It’s starting to feel more like another dueling ground for Mayor Michelle Wu and Josh Kraft’s mayoral race. After all, the team is owned by The Kraft Group. At competing press conferences Monday, Wu called the group’s mitigation proposal — a.k.a. how the project will address traffic, noise, and climate resilience — “unserious” and lacking any “meaningful technical information.” Meanwhile, the team’s president clapped back at Wu for “prioritiz[ing] politics over getting a fair agreement.” Tea!

🗳️ Speaking of Kraft and Wu, they won’t be the only names on your primary ballot. You’ll 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 Wu’s fundraising dollars, they’re both hoping their platforms will appeal to some voters: DaRosa as a longtime Bostonian who understands voters’ struggles, and Cappucci as a more conservative voice. It’ll be a long shot for either to advance, but more options = a *healthier democracy.*

😋 This might be Boston’s coolest new foodie event. Enter: Battle of the Bites. It’s 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 “seafood sensation” 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 they’ve 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

It’s Apples to Apples

What’s the difference between a tech giant and a local movie theatre chain? It’s like comparing apples to … apples. Literally.

On Friday, Apple (the tech monolith) sued Mass.-based Apple Cinemas for trademark infringement, accusing them of purposefully misleading consumers about the companies’ relationship, and asking it to drop the “Apple” from its name.

Per the lawsuit, Apple Cinemas has been riding on Apple’s coattails for years and sullying its good name by creating an Apple-like logo, opening near Apple stores (including one just 50 miles from Apple’s HQ in California), and even fooling some of its landlords about the connection to get better deals. 

Intentional or not, we can say Apple Cinemas successfully confused many townie commenters in this Warwick Mall FB post.

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍎 Thanks for reading! “This mall ain’t big enough for the two of us.” — Apple, probably

💩 The results are in: B-Siders are absolutely split on poop jokes. 33% like ‘em, 33% don’t, and 33% say it depends on the joke. One reader said: “Everyone needs to be working on being more poop positive. We would all feel better if we could collectively discuss our tummy issues.”

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