Guest Post by David McCollum, publisher of the Las Cruces Bulletin. This editorial is from the November 19th, 2010 issue of the Las Cruces Bulletin.
If you’re a die hard, you’ve probably already set your alarm clock for 3 a.m. tomorrow to beat the competition to the best Black Friday deals. Or maybe you’re even more die hard and you don’t even plan to go to sleep tonight. No matter what kind of shopper you are, I would like to encourage you to think about shopping locally this holiday season.
In case you haven’t noticed, I love Las Cruces, New Mexico! One of the ways to ensure that Las Cruces remains such a strong and vibrant community is to shop locally. The following is an excellent editorial from the Las Cruces Bulletin, highlighting all the great reasons to shop locally in Las Cruces this Black Friday – Thanks, BobRecently, the lead “news” story at the top of page one of a purportedly “local” daily newspaper urged readers to shop early and often “online.” Readers were told that by doing their Christmas buying on the Internet, they would be able to avoid long lines and the disappointment of finding that retailers had run out of a particular item.
We disagree strongly with the notion of online, out-of-market shopping, and believe that all Las Crucens should reject this suggestion. Here is why: As the Christmas shopping season has begun, our country is still in a very difficult economic situation. Our nation’s financial dilemma is affecting us in Las Cruces as our state faces a coming-year deficit of somewhere between $500 million and nearly $800 million. This unfortunate situation is having an impact on all New Mexicans, including schools, businesses, service providers, government and people who are either looking for jobs or are desperately trying to hang on to their current positions.
Possibly the greatest, most positive effect we each can have on our Las Cruces economy is to simply make a commitment to shop first at locally owned retailers.
When a person makes an online purchase from a non-local business, nearly all of the dollars spent leave our hometown without benefiting our community in any significant way. Our community’s economy is also affected negatively when we travel out of town and across state borders to make purchases.
The gross receipts taxes paid to local retail businesses are the principal funding for our schools and government. Online and out-of town purchases contribute “zero” to the financial health of our community, including one of our most critical needs – public schools.
Even in Las Cruces, we need to be judicious about where we spend our money. We basically have two options. We can shop at a locally owned and operated business where two-thirds to three-fourths of each dollar will remain in our community, or, we can spend our precious dollars with a non-locally owned business where less than half of our money (in some cases, less than one fourth) will stay in town.
Non-locally owned businesses immediately send the money we spend with them to out-of-town corporate offices to buy out-of-town goods and services and to provide corporate profits that provide little benefit for our local economy. On the other hand, a locally owned and operated business will keep the majority of the money and taxes right here at home. Additionally, research has consistently shown that local businesses provide more than three times the financial support to local nonprofit and charitable organizations, as compared to non-local businesses.
Whenever you choose to buy goods and services from a locally owned and operated business, you are investing in the future of your community. Most of the money you spend stays here at home, and you are supporting your neighbors who have chosen to live, work and raise their families here.
Local business owners provide much more than just their products and services.
They also provide civic leadership and networks of relationships that can endure for generations.
So before you shop online, out of town or plan to spend your precious dollars at a giant box store in order to save a little time or money, please think first about the value of investing in Las Cruces by doing your shopping at locally owned and operated businesses right here in your hometown.
You, your children and their children will be the beneficiaries of your wise decision today to “Shop Las Cruces First.”
Contact us today at 575-523-2500 for more information about all the other great reasons to find your next custom home in Las Cruces, NM at Picacho mountain. Picacho Mountain features spectacular Custom Homes, Patio Homes, Town Homes, Neighborhood Retail, and more!