From the Publisher – Eileen Majors
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It is hard to believe it but you are likely one of the 200+ million Americans poised to make something really big happen. It will be a make-or-break decision whether you realize it or not.
It could well send one more to an unemployment line or collapse another well-intended mortgage. Another car may well find its way back to the bank while another child heads off to school wearing last year’s coat. And what about those new football uniforms for the school!? So much is at stake yet most people haven’t a clue. And they certainly have no clue that it will be you and I, sitting here in our little towns across the Sierra Cascades that get to make the call. Will it be the guy down the street losing his house or a mere pay cut for an industry giant’s CEO?
Okay, I give. It is all decided by where we will each spend our holiday dollars. According to NRF’s 2010 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, U.S. consumers plan to spend an average of $688.87 on holiday-related shopping, a slight rise from last year. Many small local businesses need our support now more than ever. Having barely survived two declining tourist seasons, they need us, and the survival of local businesses is vital to the health of our communities!
If each household in Plumas County alone planned to spend a modest average of $500 locally on holiday gifts and meals, it would add up to a whopping $45 million dollars pumping into our local economy. Add Lassen County to the figures for another $4,812,500.00. As dollars are fed into a community, they can recirculate through that community several times, stimulating economies and prompting local businesses to even go ahead and spring for those football uniforms.
Enjoy the holidays. Shop locally whenever you can and you’re apt to enjoy the experience greatly. Local merchants are known to offer everything from cookies and free gift wrap to the most important thing of all — service — right in your neighborhood.
Happy Shopping!
