And there’s no place like your hometown to do your Christmas shopping. That’s the message The Crittenden Press is trying to send in the weeks leading up to this holiday season.
Shop Marion First. That’s the name of the campaign to encourage local residents to consider Marion and Crittenden County first when it comes to stuffing stockings and fulfilling Christmas wish lists. While we understand that not all gifts under the tree this Christmas can be found within the boundaries of Crittenden County, we submit that there are any number of unique gift ideas close to home and local alternatives to taking your money out of town or shopping online.
Sadly, few voting in the most recently completed poll at The Press Online planned to do their holiday shopping at home. Only 11 percent said they plan to do the bulk of their Christmas shopping locally, while 61 percent plan to take their money out of town and another 28 percent will use their charge cards online.
Those figures are shameful. So taking your money elsewhere is an approach we hope to get you to reconsider as the calendar counts down to Christmas. Not only is there a convenience in shopping at home—saving both time and money when travel is considered—but money spent locally stays within the community, helping it to flourish and grow stronger.
Every time you shop, you exercise a choice—a choice to support your neighbors or take vitality away from the very community in which you live.
It is your choice, but is it one you make without careful consideration?
Remember, money spent here means local jobs that feed local families. It means strengthening a tax base that allows for community improvements. And it means the doors stay open to local businesses that offer convenience year-round.
What will be your choice this holiday season?
We hope more of us choose to shop Marion first.
