Our View: Think outside the box stores
Our View
With the holiday approaching, and the local economy waning, it’s important for area residents to shop local, and not just at the big retail stores.
Our View
With the holiday approaching, and the local economy waning, it’s important for area residents to shop local, and not just at the big retail stores.
As a general rule of thumb, it’s always a good idea for consumers to spend their money within their own community. As one statistic indicated, nearly three-quarters of every dollar spent in a community stays within that community.
Shopping local, however, is perhaps more vitally important this holiday season than others, the Editorial Board contends.
With the national economy stumbling and consumer confidence low in the national marketplace, it’s likely that many people aren’t going to spend as much this month as in past years.
Less money spent means it’s more important to local stores, and the overall local economy, that what money is distributed stays home, rather than leaked out to surrounding communities, or worse, spent over the Internet.
A good sign was Black Friday.
Hundreds of people waited for Craig’s bigger retail outlets to open the day after Thanksgiving, the shoppers hoping to capitalize on heavy discounts for big-ticket items.
The signs weren’t so positive for Craig’s smaller merchants, however, several of which reported that Black Friday customer foot traffic was similar to many other average business days.
And therein lies the problem.
The big box stores, the Editorial Board believes, will be fine this holiday season. But, it’s the smaller outlets, the mom and pops around town, that could use a boost.
The Editorial Board encourages residents to consider these smaller businesses this month as a destination for spending their hard-earned dollars. Ultimately, most of the money spent in the community will stay here and thus help stabilize our economy.
Spending at the chain stores is fine but please don’t forget about the other stores in town that could use the business, especially now when times are tough.
And, it should be pointed out, the owners of smaller businesses need to do their part, as well, by having reasonably priced items and maintaining store hours that are suitable for most customers.
With a little give and take this month, the holiday season can be a merry one for local merchants and consumers.
A beautiful effort for improvement
On Saturday, the Craig Beautification Committee capped off as successful a fundraising effort as its ever had by raffling away a 1976 Cadillac Eldorado, which went to Craig resident Amy Updike.
The committee, which is tasked with improving the city’s overall appearance, raised $11,000 through the raffle. This was more than double the group’s previous best fundraising effort.
The Editorial Board praises the committee for raising so much money to improve their community. Board members also thank Craig resident John Smith, who donated the vehicle for the giveaway.
The committee’s efforts, and Smith’s generosity, will go a long way in enhancing the appearance of our city, which could have potentially positive impacts down the road.
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