By BRENT MARTIN and TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Shop St. Joseph encourages local consumers to stay home.
St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce Senior Vice President Natalie Redmond says participating merchants hand out tickets to shoppers, up to 100 tickets per purchase depending on the amount spent. The winning ticket receives $10,000.
“So, it’s really designed to be a way to encourage folks to shop during the holidays and keep those dollars local to support our local economy,” Redmond tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Redmond says the Chamber has watched the program grow over the years.
“We have seen the program grow significantly since it started,” Redmond says. “The number of tickets has really grown. The first year we gave out 40,000 tickets. This last year, we gave out over two million tickets.”
Many retailers count on Black Friday and sales during the Christmas season to get them into the black for the year. That might be even more important this year, a year after COVID-19 restrictions and fears kept some consumers from venturing out.
Redmond says it’s difficult to forecast sales this year.
“You know, it’s hard to tell,” Redmond says. “Consumer confidence isn’t necessarily back the way that it should be or we would like it to be, but we sure hope that people will find a way within their comfort level to shop local. A lot more of our local merchants give unique shopping experiences where you can pre-order something or order online where that may not have been a thing prior to the pandemic.”
Redmond says while it’s difficult to predict what type of year this will be, most St. Joseph retailers feel optimistic with their online offerings a bit more prominent that usual.
“So, there are definite ways that you can still support local even if you don’t feel comfortable going into a crowded store,” Redmond says.
Shop St. Joseph will draw the winning ticket on December 20th.