This year, more than ever before, we’re encouraging shoppers to make their Christmas purchases close to home.
With the American dollar floundering, no doubt thousands of people will be enticed to flock to the malls of Duluth and Minneapolis, in search of bargains.
It may make your loved ones happy, but it does nothing for the local economy.
By not supporting retailers in your own community, it makes it difficult for them to survive.
Profits that may be used to hire additional help might evaporate. Should too much money flow south of the border and businesses in Thunder Bay be forced to close their doors, that could mean higher municipal taxes for the rest of us.
Price gaps are narrowing. Toss in the relatively unknown 2.5 per cent surcharge most credit card companies add on to out-of-country purchases and the bargains just aren’t what they used to be.
With Black Friday looming large on Nov. 26, resist the urge of the red, white and blue and spend the day searching for bargains in your own neck of the woods.
When you shop at home, the entire city wins.
