Spend holiday dollars at home

You can't beat Wanganui for customer service. Photo/File

This year will soon come to a close and you are probably asking yourself: "How is it that the year has passed so fast?"

As it has been with years past, the transition from October into the Christmas run has happened at break-neck speed. And it has been a busy year for many businesses with the economy presenting opportunities and challenges.

As in previous years, I'd like to encourage you all to shop local this festive season. As many of you will note, the Avenue continues to contain empty spaces, but it is good to see people either expanding their retail presence or planning to introduce something new.

This economy under the management of the current Government is beginning to produce results and locally (and also from what I see around the country) the green shoots of recovery are taking hold. One reliable blog has been posting for some time now about the good economic news which has been emerging and there is evidence of this which can be seen locally.

Confidence is growing with businesses investing in the future, and this translates into jobs and more funds moving around the economy.

The type of investment being made is long-term, where business people are looking beyond the immediate, which is what true budgeting is about.

Rather than being focused only on a short-term imperative, I see increased investment being made in training and development, plant and equipment, and capital maintenance of assets. It could also be the simple realisation that cutting overheads every year is not sustainable.

While the business community invests, we - as a wider community - should invest in our own economy. The best way is to support local retailers and service providers by doing our Christmas shopping in Wanganui rather than driving to Palmerston North.

Under our tree this year will be presents purchased from quality retailers located right here, rather than from some multinational based in a mall.

Apart from keeping money in the local economy, there will be other benefits by spending in Wanganui.

Definitely the first of these will be customer service. Countless times we have visited Palmy and spent much of the trip back discussing how the service over there is dwarfed by the care and attention of most Wanganui retailers. Our retailers, for the most part, know how to look after their customers and create value by turning an interaction into a relationship.

Many of our out-of-town friends recount their shopping experiences with nothing but high praise. So why would you travel 55 minutes when the best service is already here? And don't forget we have some of the best cafes to chill out in when the Christmas list is complete.

Need any more evidence? Delay or cancel your trip to Palmy and give local retail businesses your custom. You won't regret the decision and the local economy will benefit and continue to grow.

Russell Bell's Zenith Solutions is a specialist Wanganui business advice and consultancy practice - 021 244 2421.