|
It Makes Cents To Shop Local!
There was a time not so long ago that when I told people I shopped locally, I got looks of pity. It was as if that mystical place across the river offered everything a person needed, that nary a desired item could be found on our shores.
I am proud to state, however, that is no longer the case, and I couldn’t be happier. In the past few years, I have heard more colleagues, friends and relatives state that not only are they shopping locally, they are enjoying staying closer to home, helping out their neighbors and saving money on purchases.
Yes, you heard me right. Most people save money by shopping on this side of the river, and that is no exaggeration. While there are a number of you still hopping in your cars to avoid paying sales tax on necessary items, many might be surprised to learn there is no sales tax in Vermont for clothing and footwear. None.
To be honest, I have been always intrigued with those folks who gave the sales tax as a reason to shop in nearby states. How many of us would stop dead on the street if we saw a 6-percent discount sign outside a store’s door, but there are some among us who drive for hours to avoid that very tax.
And that mileage takes a toll on one’s car. The Internal Revenue Service, hardly known for being conservative, estimates that for each mile of driving, between gas and wear-and-tear, it costs us 50 cents. That means for most of us, who live at least 20 miles away from the most convenient border town, that it costs an extra $20 per trip.
Those savings at those national chains do not seem as attractive when you place that extra $20 on every trip, do they? Add the extra time you waste driving to that destination, and shopping closer to home and supporting your neighbors seems to make a lot more sense and cents.
If every single one of us on this side of the state vowed to make far more trips to our own stores than to the national chains across the border, it would, literally, pour millions of dollars of revenue back into this region, at a time when we need it most. Tens of millions of dollars leak across the border every year on shopping purchases, assisting nearby states but certainly not this region.
One of the biggest advantages one garners by shopping locally is the customer service received and the quality of one’s purchase. Our shop owners are incredibly knowledgeable about their products, whether they are selling you a stove or winter boots. And they will be there to answer questions and assist you if something goes awry.
I encourage you to check out the hand-crafted items at the Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild, the sales at J.C. Penney, the many literary offerings at Green Mountain Books and Boxcar & Caboose Bookshop and the many stores across our region. Personally, I am off to buy birdseed at Lyndonville Agway. There are hungry chickadees depending on me, and I can’t let them down.
(Darcie McCann is the longtime director of the Northeast Kingdom Chamber. She has a standard response to those wearing the same outfits as her…. “Thank you for shopping locally.”)
|
