Christmas is just a few days away. The majority of us have finished our Christmas shopping, or have just a few items left to purchase.
Of course, there are the procrastinators out there who haven’t started their shopping yet, and they might be surprised and disappointed to see the lack of selection on some items.
Once Christmas is over, Boxing Day sales will be at the front of mind for many. While Black Friday sales in November have made their way to Canada, and have become much more popular in the last few years, Boxing Day is still a big shopping day for bargain hunters.
We have several shopping options at this time of year. You can go to your local retailers and other businesses in Estevan for the last-minute gift ideas, and to purchase other items you need. You can drive to Regina or another larger centre to the stores in those communities. Or you can go online to do your shopping.
We know where we would rather do our shopping. We want to do it right here in our hometown, with our local vendors.
Drive to Regina or elsewhere for last-minute Christmas shopping? Are you going to be able to find things in Regina that you can’t find here? Is it really worth the two-hour drive in each direction, and the hassle when you get there?
Go to Regina for Boxing Day sales? There are more stores to choose from, but what will you be able to find in Regina that you can’t get here? And are the bargains actually worth it?
Plus, who really wants to battle the Boxing Day shopping hordes in Regina anyways? If you’re travelling from Estevan, you get to drive for two hours to the Queen City, fight the traffic around the malls, the big box stores and the other shopping hubs, spend 20 minutes looking for a parking spot at your favourite store, and battle with other shoppers looking for the best Boxing Day deals on electronics, appliances, furnishings and whatever else you need.
You could shop online from that big box retailer in the U.S. that has no local presence. You’ll spend money on something, cross your fingers that they get the order right, and then wait for it to be shipped here.
And, of course, when you shop online, you do nothing to stimulate the local economy, or create jobs.
When you shop locally on Boxing Day, or any other day for that matter, you’re supporting the local economy. You’re supporting the business based in your community, that pays taxes in your community, that serves your community, that employs people in your community, and supports causes and organizations in your community.
When you shop at the big box store or the mall in Regina, you’re helping the economy in Regina, which is good for the province, but it doesn’t make much of a difference locally.
And when you shop online, do you really know where the money is going? Maybe it will go to help the economy of the community where the distribution centre is located.
And when you shop locally for Christmas gifts at the last minute, or during Boxing Day Week, you’re avoiding the rush of people in the stores in the larger centres. It’s a more enjoyable, less stressful situation.
There’s an old adage: go big or go home. Well, here’s a different spin on it: when it comes to where you shop, you can go with the big box stores, or you can go with the home-based retailer.
The choice should be simple.
