WOW! What a response to the Chamber of Commerce Shop Local game and contest. We’ve already given away 2,000 game cards and 2,500 “I Shopped Waurika” stickers. We’ve ordered more of both and they will be here on Thursday. “We are elated about the success so far,” Jacob Eck, Chamber President stated. “We have a couple of announcements coming up next week that we think everyone will like. We are adding a couple of additional cash giveaways on earlier dates. More to come on that after our committee meets on Friday of this Week.”
Shopping local is a decision that you make every single day. Everything on our shopping list is not available in Waurika, but a great deal of it is.
A few years ago we made a decision to shop local for everything we could. When you shop where you live you help support your city in many ways. When a group of us got together to plan the Shop Local Waurika campaign we talked about many reasons that shopping local was important.
Here are 5 excellent reasons that shopping local is important and many of them are not about money or taxes. Many of these reasons are all about you!
1. When you shop local you receive the personal touch. When I wrote the story on Beaver Lumber and plumbing last week and this week on Shelton’s Grocery, I asked many people why they shopped those stores and it always about customer service and working with people you know and who know you. Employees take the time to explain the products and services they are selling.
2. Crowd free shopping. I am always amazed at how people talk about how crowded their shopping experience is at the big box stores. Why do we fight it? The check-out line at Shelton’s Hometown Grocery is never more than three deep. I recently bought wiper blades at Johnson Auto. They not only coached me through what I needed, but installed them for me on the spot. No wait. Great product. Friendly service. I could write many articles on the service from Beaver Lumber. They are always so helpful and appreciate our business. Why drive 45 miles to save a few dollars when you can shop local and make a difference in your hometown?
3. Creates local jobs. According to a Rubicon Global blog post, Small businesses are the largest employers nationally. Since the 1970’s more than 65% of new jobs have come from small businesses. Not only do small businesses employ local people, but they also shop from other local businesses. Your dollars continue to circulate locally. Good stuff.
4. Non-profits receive more support. According to the same Rubicon Global post noted above, Local business owners provide significant support for non-profits. In fact, non-profits receive as much as 350% more money from local shops than non-locally owned businesses. If you are part of a local organization you know this to be true. Who pays for our cheer calendars, summer reading lunches, band trips to Walt Disney World, softball shirts for all the children who participate each year? Shopping local stores gives back to those who so good to help us all out when we want to have a new program.
5. Puts taxes to good use. In addition to generating more tax revenue per sales dollar, taxes paid by small, local businesses are widely used to support schools, parks, roads, and other local programs that benefit your friends, family, and community.
So, let’s have some fun. Play the “Shop Local Waurika” game and someone is going to win some additional cash!
