The Demopolis Area Business Council (DABC) is encouraging members of the community and surrounding area to keep their tax dollars at home through its “Shop Local” campaign complete with prize drawings.
Along with giving out prizes, the DABC wants to bring awareness about the need for people to shop in the area.
“A lot of people aren’t aware of what shopping local means,” said DABC Secretary Jay Reynolds. “A large percentage of what makes Demopolis what it has become is the local sales tax and local business owners.”
The campaign, which was first held in 2013, will run from Nov. 14 to Dec. 22. To enter, an adult participant must purchase a good or service for $25 or more, or $10 for students, from a local business in the Demopolis area and email it to demopbuisness@gmail.com or post a picture on the DABC Facebook page of the product and receipt. A person may enter as many times as the number of local receipts received.
Weekly drawings will be held for a prize of $100 gift certificates to various businesses and a final drawing will be held on Dec. 22 for a $500 cash prize and more gift certificates. Prior drawing winners will not be excluded from the final drawings and the deadline to enter is midnight on Friday, Dec. 21.
Receipt entries from the over 60 members of the DABC will net a local shopper two entries per purchase.
The contest has led to an increase in money and donations in the school system, according to Reynolds.
Reynolds said that through shopping local first, residents are giving back to their own communities through the items they purchase.
“If I want to go buy a widget and I can buy it Demopolis for $5 or buy it in Tuscaloosa for $4, yeah I may be spending another dollar but that dollar is getting turned over four to five times inside my own city,” Reynolds said.
The DABC conducted a study using economic impact numbers and discovered that of the $118,000 spent on receipts submitted through the contest, it created an economic impact on the area of over $181,000.
Reynolds said he hopes the campaign and contest will get people to spend money locally as opposed to online or in a neighboring city. He said a he spoke to one woman who was going to Tuscaloosa to buy a cookbook, but after hearing about the contest decided to buy the cookbook from the Mustard Seed instead.
“Of every dollar spent in a locally owned business, over 30 cents of it comes back to the city before it’s over, whether it’s through payroll and that person spending money, taxes, donations, sponsorships or advertising,” Reynolds said.
With the holiday season coming up, Reynolds said there is no time like the present to help Demopolis grow by shopping local and entering for a chance to win some money.
“As long as people buy local and they understand that spending just a little will actually get you more in return,” said Reynolds. “Your kid may get new jerseys for his baseball team or the team goes to state and nationals and needs travel and lodging money. They’re not calling Tuscaloosa for that money. They’re calling local businesses.”