Most of you have likely completed all of your Christmas shopping by now. Since there are only a few more days till Christmas, that’s a good thing. Hopefully, you were able to purchase products and services from the many local merchants in the area. That effort truly does make a difference.
I am amazed at the sincere appreciation I feel each time I buy something from a local business. The reply is not just a robotic thank you, but rather a heartfelt gratefulness for choosing to spend my dollars locally rather than with an online global chain that connects with me only by my credit card number.
With our company being a locally owned business, we also sincerely appreciate when businesses choose to market with us. It helps us invest in our staff, our facilities, our publications and our communities. We know that local businesses have all kinds of advertising options today, and that the out-of-towners swoop in frequently with something bright and shiny and new to sell them. So, with that in mind, I want to say thank you to the local businesses that continue to choose to market their goods and services to each of you through our growing family of publications.
Loyalty is said to be a thing of the past, but that’s not what we see. We see locally owned business owners and managers who look out for each other, support each other, and buy from each other during good times and bad — and encourage others to do the same. We see smart people who aren’t distracted by the fly-by-night media reps who show up for a few weeks and then disappear, but instead show their support for those who helped them get to where they are. And we see business owners and managers who truly appreciate their customers and their vendors alike, and they don’t hesitate to show it. That’s appreciation. That’s community. That’s loyalty.
None of us are perfect, and we can all improve, but I want to thank those in the local business community for being here to serve all of us. We appreciate you. And for those of you who still need to some last-minute shopping, our local merchants would be glad to help you out.
Merry Christmas to all, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
Editor and Publisher
Times Vedette digital editions
shane@gctimesnews.com
641-332-2707