Aug. 3, 2009
Continue to support community by ‘shopping Chandler’
By Councilmember Rick Heumann
Last year, the City of Chandler launched the Invest Wisely, Shop Chandler campaign to bring awareness to the importance of shopping within City limits and supporting local business, especially during dire economic times.
Much was said about the value of spending money in our community, knowing that sales tax collected from local transactions supports municipal services such as police and fire protection, parks and recreation programs, road improvements, and much more.
All across the country, we are seeing an emergence of initiatives similar to the Invest Wisely, Shop Chandler campaign to encourage consumers to spend their dollars where they live in an effort to spur local economies.
Recently, I came across an interesting program called “The 3/50 Project.” Its slogan is “Saving the brick and mortars our nation is built on.” The project consists of selecting three favorite independently owned businesses and making a concerted effort to patronize these stores frequently. It also encourages spending at least $50 per month at locally owned businesses. Merchants interested in joining the campaign can download information at www.the350project.net. Links to other agencies are also provided to educate the public on the benefits of shopping locally.
The recent announcement of Bashas’ bankruptcy filing and closing of 10 stores in the Valley, including two in Chandler, is a painful reminder of the reality that the recession is hitting hard in own backyard.
Bashas’ is the largest family-owned grocer in Arizona and I take pride in the fact that Chandler is home to the company’s headquarters. Since its founding in 1932, Bashas’ has developed a great reputation for community involvement. Seeing the company struggle financially is not only heart wrenching but it also greatly impacts our local economy. More than 1,000 employees have been laid off and numerous charitable organizations that have benefited from Bashas’ generous corporate giving are likely to experience financial burdens as well.
The Invest Wisely, Shop Chandler campaign points out to the fact that supporting local vendors also indirectly helps nonprofit organizations and suppliers operating in our City. Many of our youth organizations, food banks and social service agencies rely on donations they receive from the private sector.
Moreover, local, independent businesses tend to reinvest more of their dollars in the community by contracting with area merchants. This may not be the case with chain stores that don’t typically rely on local goods and services and send a large percentage of the profits back to their corporate headquarters, often in other states.
And numerous studies show that there is a multiplier effect for shopping at community-based stores. For each dollar spent at a local independent store, three times or more gets filtered back into the community compared to a dollar spent at a chain business.
We never say it enough that supporting local vendors can make a difference in speeding up our economic recovery. Everyone benefits from it – businesses, employees, residents, schools, and charitable organizations. Once again, let us each make a conscious effort to shop locally and remind each other about the importance of keeping our dollars where they will come back to the community. |