Issue 27.09
Hard times are all around us. So many folks out of work, so many empty stores, and more are going out of business. What can we do?
First: It is time to band together as a community. Support our little stores. These families are counting on you! When a store closes, it affects all of us. That little store brings in taxes and jobs. Jobs we all need to keep our community going.
We recently put up a sign “help wanted.” Within hours, we had to take it down. There were so many applicants, we couldn’t wait on our customers. Almost every one of the applicants said, “I’ve been out of work for a while, and I live nearby.”
Notice the empty care lots of our local dealers. Please, buy your cars here in town…not in Las Vegas or Salt Lake. Help our stores like Nisson’s, who have been in business many years. The family was born and raised here and are having trouble keeping their doors open. Both Nisson’s Variety and Grocery have things we all need and their prices are low! You can’t find better quality meat than theirs and the family has given their all, their best service, to our community. If they close, it will be a great loss for all of us.
Think of the other locally owned stores. Helping them stay open serves you! Their money stays in Utah. Their business taxes pay for our schools, parks, recreation facilities, and we need them to prevent the collapse of our local economy!
Picture this: If the small stores are gone, giant superstores like WalMart, Costco, and Sam’s Club can charge you whatever prices they want. Their profits go out of Utah, to another state. An employee is only a badge number to them and you are a dollar sign. There will be no competition. There will be no personal service because these companies only care about you long enough to get rid of their competitors.
Nobody will know your name at the meat market. Or the clothing store. Or the shoe store. Your pharmacist and local optometrist will be gone. Your florist. Maybe your local insurance man, considering that mega-stores are adding these departments.
Now look at the job loss if small stores are closed. The families that borrowed money to go into business, families with high homes, lost everything, including their credit. We are left with hopelessness. But, if we all pull together and support the small stores and restaurants during these hard times, we can survive. Keep our dollars in Southern Utah. We can turn this around and remain safe. United, we can get through these uncertain times. Spend conservatively, but keep spending at small stores.
Restaurants that are family owned are having hard times as well. Notice how many are closing. Again, big chains keep going. They don’t need our money. The small family businesses need us now. We can all help. Band together in community and stay strongly dedicated to this. Failure is not an option.