Well,
Not sure how exactly to interpret the completely unscientific poll on shopping for the holidays downtown.
The fact that one out of five of the participants didn't buy a single item downtown isn't surprising. I actually thought it might be higher. (I'm assuming that readers from faraway didn't bother to participate.)
The good news would be that close to half of the folks taking part did the bulk of their holiday shopping downtown. I put myself in the 50% to 69% category, with the actual figure close to the top of the spectrum. We bought the rest of the items online. (My frenzied Friday shopping spree might have pushed us into the next bracket.)
So the results are good but they could be better.
UPDATE: I'd love to here from those folks who bought nothing or very little downtown. Tell us what kept you away.
8 comments:
One way to increase local sales for everything would be an increase in the state gasoline tax at the pump.
If all the money raised went into a bigger family exemption on state taxes it wouldn't be 'regressive' and local retail [and the environment] would benefit.
That's an interesting idea. I wish this had been done a decade ago. It might have steered us into better habits before the current crisis hit.
Higher transportation costs go beyond retail sales, of course. I'd support would encourage companies to let employees work from home or remote locations whenever possible.
One more thought on gas tax. We need to give our politicians 'air cover' on this. I suspect its viewed as a taboo subject since its got lots of special interests ranging from car dealers to oil companies, etc. destination 'big box' stores who see it as an impediment to their business interests.
Somehow the community would need to reassure elected officials including the Governor, Reps, and State Senators that making tough changes like this reflects a 'profiles in courage' type character and will play well with the electorate.
Hey Ron - Overall I'm in favor of a gas tax with an exemption/deduction system for professionals, freight and public transportation.
However I wonder if a state as opposed to federal tax is a good idea. Newburyport for example may have more to lose from a tax on gas imposed by the sate of Massachusetts only potentially encouraging more people to go shop and refill in NH?
A comparative between Seabrook and Newburyport/Salisbury gas prices already showed a difference of 20c a gallon or so and I’m sure this already hurts local retailers.
On the question of popularity, I think governments would need to designate some very specific uses of these taxes, whether they are for road maintenance, facilities for non-motorized transportation, renewable energy investments, etc. and demonstrate to us all motorists how these additional $tax will benefit us.
Hi,
I purchased almost everything downtown.
8.5 of 10 people. The other 1.5 was Amazon.
But here's the story.
I usually wait until X-Mas Eve to purchase most of my stuff. I've got my list and I've already figured out what I'm getting. For the past 15 years I've made it a point to purchase most of my gifts from local stores.
So I was thinking some Newburyport Gift Certificates would be nice for a couple relatives, as opposed to just getting one from a specific store. Last minute change.
So I went to the Chambers' office...
They closed at noon...
Not a problem, I was not working on Monday so I don't expect them to either.
But I did think, since there is no where else to get them and gift certificates are the classic last minute gift but are also becoming a major gift purchase, volume-wise.
Especially the NBPT certs since they can be used at so many places.
It's a shame that they are not available somewhere else and more promoted.
It's a great idea. They say over 60 businesses, although I only count 55 on the website :
http://www.newburyportchamber.org/nbpt_giftcertificates.shtml
Even Hall & Moskow and Piper Properties take them. Pretty amazing that one could pay their rent via a gift certificate.
thanks,
sds
The NCC gift certs are indeed a great gift.
And while shopping on Amazon for stuff you cannot find locally, look for a local non-profit affiliated to this vendor and start shopping from their site. Two of them (not quite local, but still regional):
http://massbike.org/
http://www.wbur.org/
Happy New Year! :)
Can someone explain this to me. Is shopping online truly a greener form of buying. Afterall, products bought online still must be transported with boats, trains and trucks, the same as retail products.
Do the savings come in not having the lights, heat and other costs associated with operating a store?
Just curious.
There's no simple answer, Tom, as it depends to some extent on where the product is manufactured. Boats and trains are rarely an issue for American-made products, for instance.
And, who's to say the shop making the product you're buying online doesn't have a wind turbine, for instance.
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