Shop locally, save money
By JAMI WILLIAMS
City of Marion Economic Development Director
I was disappointed to learn (from the editorial in the July 5 Marion County Record) that so many people take the time to complain about things they don't like in their "hometown paper" and wondered how many other businesses get this same reaction from their customers.
Do people take the time to THANK the Marion County Record for the wonderful stories they do publish, or THANK their local retail stores for offering items they frequently purchase? Or is it customary for people to only express the negative and assume that businesses know the positive?
We are very fortunate to have stores in OUR town to purchase our basic necessities; repair shops to fix our broken things; places to buy gas, gifts, milk, lumber, medicine, computers, light bulbs, laundry detergent, and cleaning supplies. And the best part is
It is time that we actually take ownership in OUR town. If local businesses want people to shop in their store, then they need to shop in other local businesses. If we could bond together to support each other, and start looking for reasons to SHOP LOCALLY, instead of looking for excuses to shop out of town, everyone would benefit.
The more local businesses sell, the more likely they are to get larger quantity discounts and lower their prices. If a store doesn't offer what you need or want, ask them if they can start stocking it. You would be amazed at how cooperative local businesses can be.
So many times, people have a small-town mentality, that something isn't worth as much in OUR beautiful, quaint, safe, hassle-free town as it would be if they were to buy it in a large metropolitan area with stop lights, traffic jams, too many people, angry motorists, large parking lots, and long check-out lines. I think it is time for Marion to bond together to support each other.
The IRS offers $.445 per mile as a mileage reimbursement. This figure takes into account the price of fuel, insurance, maintenance, and general wear and tear on your car. If you use this figure as a means of determining the cost benefit of driving out of town to save a few pennies on purchases, consider this:
A round trip to Newton is 77 miles. Based on the IRS mileage reimbursement figure of $.445, one trip to Newton costs you $34.36. A round trip to McPherson is 74 miles — or $32.93; to Wichita is 127 miles — or $56.51; to Kansas City is 317 miles — or $141.07 Even a round trip to Hillsboro (only 24 miles) costs you $10.68.
Is it really worth NOT supporting our local businesses? Is it really worth taking the chance that our local retail stores may close due to lack of support from OUR community? Let's see what can happen when we start shopping locally and support each other! When we start to thank businesses for being here, not just when we need them, but every single day! The fact that gas prices are continuing to go up is a reason to support our local economy, a reason to shop locally, and a reason to advertise in our hometown paper.
