Shopping locally a great ‘Merry Christmas’ to Valley community

Despite recent economic uncertainty, fueled in part by political gamesmanship in Washington, D.C., consumer confidence appears to be up as we enter the homestretch of the gift-buying season. According to the annual holiday shopping survey conducted by global financial services firm Deloitte, Christmas season spending this year will increase 12 percent over 2012.

Increased consumer spending is good for the overall economy. It reflects positive feelings among wage-earners a few short years after a substantial economic downturn.

That can be as good for the local economy as it is for the national economy. As we are fond of pointing out on these pages, any spending at local businesses provides a huge shot in the arm for the local economy.

That’s because every dollar spent in this community has the potential for economic impact well beyond its face value. Whether you shop in downtown Palmer, Wasilla’s Creekside Plaza or even at the larger national retailers, you are supporting your neighbors who earn their paychecks there. Those paychecks, in turn, get circulated back into the local economy the same way, as the same dollars change hands several times.

There is no denying the allure of online shopping. It requires no travel and can be conducted, conveniently, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

But in these final days before Christmas, we hope Mat-Su residents thinking about filling out their shopping lists at a dot-com address will consider the economic power of rechanneling some of that spending to local establishments. As local entrepreneur and marketing consultant John Klapperich regularly notes, if the tens of thousands of Mat-Su residents who will buy Christmas presents this year committed to spending just $100 locally that they would otherwise have spent online, there is potential for a multimillion-dollar turbo boost to the local economic engine.

That’s the kind of boost that benefits everyone. From a better job market to an expanded tax base, a robust business environment enriches the community in countless ways.

With 10 shopping days left before Dec. 25, we urge our readers to invest in the place they live by shopping locally. It’s a great way to say “Merry Christmas” to the community.

Details of Deloitte’s annual holiday spending survey can be found at tinyurl.com/kusn5ll