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>> BIG BOX STORES CAN MOST
AFFORD THE BEST SALES, AND
SHOPPING ONLINE IS AN
ATTRACT ALTERNATIVE TO
FIGHTING THE CROWDS,
ESPECIALLY DURING THIS
HECTIC HOLIDAY SEASON, BUT
WHAT IS IT THAT LOCAL
BUSINESSES HAVE TO OFFER
THAT OTHERS CAN'T?
AND WHY DOES SHOPPING
LOCALLY KEEP MORE MONEY IN
NEW MEXICO?
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT
THIS AND OTHER NEWS OF THE
LINE IS ONE OF OUR LINE
REGULARS, TOM GARRITY OF THE
GARRITY GROUP.
AND OUR OTHER LINE REGULAR
HERE TODAY IS ROB NIKOLEWSKI
OF THE NEW MEXICO WATCHDOG,
THEY'RE JOINED BY OUR
GUESTS, FORMER STATE SENATOR
DEDE FELDMAN, AND WE WELCOME
BACK JULIE ANN GRIMM, EDITOR
OF THE SANTA FE REPORTER.
TOM, YOUR COMPANY, THE
GARRITY GROUP, PUBLISHES A
GARRITY PERCEPTION SURVEY.
THE RECENTLY PUBLISHED
RESULTS SHOW THAT LOCAL
RETAILERS WILL DO WELL
DURING THE HOLIDAY SEASON,
BUT THERE ARE SOME SEVERE
CHALLENGES TO GETTING THE
IDEA ABOUT WHAT CONSTITUTES
LOCAL, AND HOW DOES ONE HELP
WHEN ONE SHOPS LOCAL.
LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW A
DOLLAR WORKS, THOUGH.
LET'S GO THERE FIRST.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU SPEND
A DOLLAR LOCALLY?
>> OBVIOUSLY OUR SURVEY TOOK
A LOOK AT BUYING PATTERNS OF
NEW MEXICO RESIDENTS, A
SCIENTIFIC SURVEY.
RESEARCH AND POLLING DID
THIS STUFF.
AND WHAT WE FOUND IS THAT A
NEAR MAJORITY OF FOLKS HAVE
A PREFERENCE FOR BUYING
LOCAL.
SO, YOU KNOW, NEARLY ON A
TWO-TO-ONE MARGIN, PEOPLE
WILL WANT TO SUPPORT A LOCAL
STORE.
BUT THE BIG CATCH IS, WHAT
CONSTITUTES LOCAL, BECAUSE
WE ASKED THEM TO NAME A
LOCAL STORE THAT THEY HAD
NAMED.
356 RESPONSES LATER, THE TOP
20 INCLUDED 16 NATIONAL
FRANCHISE STORES, AND NUMBER
ONE BEING WAL-MART AS A
LOCAL STORE.
>> WOW, 16 OUT OF 20.
>> YEAH.
>> I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE
SAYING, THOUGH, WHAT AN
AMAZINGLY HUGE CHALLENGE FOR
LOCAL RETAILERS.
>> ABSOLUTELY, BECAUSE THEIR
BIGGEST COMPETITOR, WHO IS
SELLING THINGS AT A VERY LOW
RATE, YOU KNOW, AND PROBABLY
QUALITY IS SUSPECT, SOME
WOULD SAY, ALL OF A SUDDEN
THEY'RE SEEN AS A LOCAL
OPERATION.
LOCAL STORES, THEY HAVE TO
BE ABLE TO SPEND TWO TO
THREE TIMES MORE, OR MAKE
TWO TO THREE TIMES MORE
IMPRESSIONS IN ORDER TO BE
CONSIDERED AS A VIABLE
OPERATION.
>> AND THAT'S WHERE IT GETS
CHALLENGING, DEDE, THOSE
IMPRESSIONS COST MONEY.
YOU HAVE TO ADVERTISE AND
THAT KIND OF THING.
SO THE SENSE OF UNFAIRNESS
IS HUGE HERE WHEN IT COMES
TO THIS.
HOWEVER, IT IS BUSINESS.
THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS
FAIR OR UNFAIR.
>> IT'S THE MARKET.
>> EXACTLY. SO WHAT'S THE
ANSWER FOR LOCAL RETAILERS
HERE, AS WE APPROACH BLACK
FRIDAY HERE?
>> I THINK THAT THE LOCAL
RETAILERS IN ALBUQUERQUE
HAVE BANDED TOGETHER.
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF MORE
LOCALLY ORIENTED CHAMBERS OF
COMMERCE.
I THINK THE 'KEEP IT
QUERQUE' GROUP IS SORT OF
BRANDING THAT IDEA OF BUYING
LOCAL AND MAKING IT, YOU
KNOW, POLITICALLY CORRECT,
IF YOU WERE, AND I THINK
THAT THAT'S HAPPENING MORE
AND MORE.
I THINK THE GREEN CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE HAS GOT THE SAME
KIND OF IDEA THERE.
AND PEOPLE FOLLOW THAT.
ALSO, IF THE BUSINESSES CAN
GROUP TOGETHER, THEY CAN
ADVERTISE TOGETHER, THEY CAN
WORK TOGETHER TO MESSAGE
WHAT IS LOCAL AND WHAT IS
NOT.
>> SURE, THE SHOP AND
STROLLS, THOSE KIND OF
THINGS ALL ADD TO THAT
FEELING, ROB, OF SOMETHING'S
LOCAL VERSUS A BIG BOX
CHAIN.
AND I'M CURIOUS HOW
POLITICIANS FIT INTO THIS.
ONE MIGHT SAY, WHAT?
HOW DOES A POLITICIAN FIT
INTO THIS?
BUT I'M RECALLING GOVERNOR
RICHARDSON, HE WOULD MAKE A
BIG PUSH EVERY HOLIDAY
SEASON TO SHOP LOCAL, AND IT
WOULD BE FRUSTRATING BECAUSE
IT WOULD END AFTER
JANUARY 1ST.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
I'VE ALWAYS WONDERED WHY
POLITICIANS DON'T KEEP THAT
THEME UP ALL YEAR-ROUND.
>> WELL, YEAH.
A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE.
FIRST OF ALL, THE ECONOMY
STILL STINKS, SO PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO GO WHENEVER THEY
CAN GET THE BEST BARGAIN.
ALSO, I THINK THAT GENERALLY
SPEAKING, AND I'M A
LIBERTARIAN FREE-MARKET GUY,
BUT ALL THINGS BEING EQUAL,
I'LL GO TO THE LOCAL STORE,
IF ALL THINGS ARE BEING
EQUAL.
BUT THE FACT THAT TOM
MENTIONS THAT 16 STORES, YOU
KNOW, MAJOR CORPORATION
STORES, FINISHED HIGH ON
THAT LIST TELLS ME THAT
THEY'RE DOING A GOOD JOB OF
HAVING A GOOD SHOPPING
EXPERIENCE, AND THAT MAYBE
THE LOCAL STORES SHOULD TRY
MORE, OR AT LEAST TRY TO
MAKE THAT LOCAL CONNECTION A
LITTLE BIT BETTER.
>> I THINK THERE'S AN
ASSUMPTION THERE THAT PEOPLE
JUST AUTOMATICALLY FEEL,
JULIE ANN, THAT BUYING LOCAL
YOU'RE GOING TO GET BETTER
SERVICE, AND YOU HAVE TO
EARN EVERY DOLLAR IN THIS
BUSINESS.
I MEAN, I GREW UP IN A
HOUSEHOLD THAT HAD TO DO
THIS, TOO.
EVERY CUSTOMER IS CRITICAL,
YOU COULDN'T LET ANYBODY GET
AWAY.
BUT SANTA FE IS INTERESTING
TO ME WHEN YOU SHOP THERE.
YOU'VE GOT A LOT MORE
SMALLER STORES.
YOU FEEL THE LOCAL THING.
IT'S SO ON THE SURFACE.
>> YOU GO TO THE CARD SHOP
ON MARCY STREET, AND THE
HUSBAND AND WIFE THAT OWN
THAT SHOP, THEY RECOGNIZE
YOU BECAUSE YOU WORK ON THAT
STREET.
THERE ARE SEVERAL SHOPPING
DISTRICTS IN SANTA FE WHERE
IT IS VERY EASY TO PARK YOUR
CAR, GET OUT AND NEVER
REALLY ENCOUNTER ONE OF
THESE BIG RETAILERS THAT
MADE YOUR LIST.
SO I THINK WE ARE IN A GREAT
ENVIRONMENT UP THERE.
JUST A NOTE ABOUT
POLITICIANS, I THINK IT'S
INTERESTING THAT SOME OF THE
LOCAL POLITICIANS IN SANTA
FE REALLY DO LATCH ON TO
THIS.
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS,
THEY'VE HAD SOME KIND OF
CONTEST WHERE THE MAYOR,
LAST YEAR IT WAS
REPRESENTATIVE EGOLF, WHERE
THEY BOTH GO SHOPPING FOR
THE DAY, THEY SORT OF GET
FOLLOWED AROUND BY CAMERAS,
AND THEY MAKE A BIG SHOW OF
LIKE HOW MUCH THEY SPENT
LOCALLY.
AND I THINK EFFORTS LIKE
THAT DO SORT OF REALLY SET
AN EXAMPLE.
>> I HAVE NOT HEARD OF THAT.
I'LL LOOK THAT UP.
I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT.
TOM, WE HAVE ABOUT 30
SECONDS LEFT, WHAT'S THE
IMPORTANCE OF BUYING LOCAL?
>> IT IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE
A LOCAL DOLLAR TENDS TO STAY
LOCAL, WHEREAS A DOLLAR AT
THE FRANCHISE LEVEL GOES TO
A FRANCHISE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK
THE ONUS IS REALLY ON SMALL
BUSINESSES ON BLACK FRIDAY,
SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY, TO
REALLY SAY, HERE'S HOW WE
GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY,
TO NOT TAKE THEIR LOCAL
AUDIENCE FOR GRANTED AND TO
SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE CAN DO
FOR YOU BEYOND JUST
PROVIDING A QUALITY SERVICE.
>> BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT
JUST BLACK FRIDAY.
THIS IS A POLICY QUESTION
OF, YOU KNOW, BUYING NEW
MEXICO FIRST.
WHEN IT'S THE STATE
GOVERNMENT, WHEN IT'S OUR
LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS,
SHOULDN'T THEY BE USING
LOCAL FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
EVEN SENIOR CENTERS OR
COMMUNITY CENTERS, THEY CAN
USE THEIR BUDGET TO
ENCOURAGE LOCAL AGRICULTURE.
>> I'M SO GLAD YOU SAID
THAT.
>> IT'S SOMETHING WE NEED TO
DO.
>> I THINK THAT'S PART OF
THE ANSWER THAT JULIE ANN
WAS GETTING TO, AS WELL.
>> AND I THINK PEOPLE WANT
THAT, YOU KNOW.
WE CERTAINLY HAVE THAT.
SANTA FE'S PROCUREMENT CODE
HAS ALL OF THESE POINTS
BUILT IN FOR LOCAL
PREFERENCE.
AND WHEN CONTRACTS GO OUT OF
STATE, OR WHEN THEY MAKE
BULK PURCHASES OUT OF THE
CITY, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE REACT
TO THAT.
WELL, WHERE DID THIS COME
FROM?
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO
PEOPLE.
>> GOOD STUFF THERE.
NEXT UP, IT'S AN INTERVIEW
WITH THE BIOGRAPHER OF
MUPPET CREATOR JIM HENSON.