Personal attention was the main topic at the Chamber of Commerce luncheon on June 21. Guest speaker and board member Faith Collins spoke on the importance of shopping Douglas first.
 Faith Collins speaking at the June 21 Chamber meeting on how important it is to shop Douglas first. Trisha Maldonado/Douglas Dispatch |
“The average shopper is not aware what sales tax goes to, it goes to our parks, fire department, police service, ambulance service and many other services that the City of Douglas provides for us,” said Collins.
Collins who lives in McNeal, has made the choice to shop in Douglas because of the personal attention she receives from local merchants.
Collins shared an experience she had with her mother when she brought her into Douglas to buy shoes.
“My mother was very reserved and as I like to put it would put on her ‘Queen Victoria hat’ as soon as she was approached by a new person,” she said. “I took her to Ortega’s and the person who helped her was very nice took his time to talk to her. By the time we were done she had removed her ‘Queen Victoria hat’. When we got to the car she said to me that was a very nice young man. It was the personal attention that made the difference.”
Wells Fargo Bank Manager, Raymond Rogers said, that about 80 percent if not more of our business comes from Agua Prieta.
Statistics show trade between U.S. and Mexico amount to $22 billion dollars per year and Mexican visitors to the U.S. spend around $2.6 billion in Arizona each year.
When you spend $100 in Arizona only $42 stays in Arizona, when you spend it in a national store only $13 stays in Arizona.
“We have to reach out to our entire customer base,” Collins said. “There are many ways to keep customers in Douglas,”
A few of the suggestions that Collins gave at the meeting were, a Red Tag Sale which means that all Chamber merchants would keep their stores open late on a Friday, giving the people of Douglas more time to shop.
Other ways she suggested to get more advertised for business was a coupon book.
“All we would need is a ream of paper and two coupons on each sheet from each business, we can put them together for you and hand them out at different locations,” Susan Kramer, board member, said.
What we want to do is promote our local businesses and the personal attention and customer service they provide, said Kramer.
The Chamber will also be participating in the 4th of July parade this year. They will be providing 8x10 size magnates for Chamber members to exhibited on the Chamber float.
There will be no July meeting, starting in August Chamber meetings have been changed from the third Thursday of the month to the first Thursday
Next Chamber meeting will be August 2 at the Douglas Unified School District administration building on 11th Street.
Any Chamber member wanting to participate in the Red Tag Sale, Coupon books or the magnates for the 4th of July parade contact the Douglas Chamber of Commerce at 520-364-2477 or email at infor@douglasazchamber.org.
Comments
call it like it is wrote on Jul 14, 2012 9:29 PM:
douglas citizen wrote on Jul 12, 2012 11:54 AM:
help us help you wrote on Jul 6, 2012 11:23 AM:
deb wrote on Jun 29, 2012 1:03 PM:
Me wrote on Jun 28, 2012 12:54 PM:
I would much rather spend a little more at a smaller store in Douglas and know that I helped out a family owned business that supports the community.
Douglas needs to support our real downtown on G ave not 5th street. Restore downtown buildings to their original condition and tourists will also visit Douglas after visiting Bisbee. People don't want modern looking buildings here but structures that remind us of when Douglas was grand. "