EDITORIAL: 'Tis finally the season to find bargains

Only 24 shopping days remain until Christmas.

If you were unsuccessful on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, chances are you’re like thousands of others in the Pee Dee between now and Dec. 24.

You’ll be looking for gifts feverishly for the next three-plus weeks.

Our suggestion for the holiday season involves stay-at-home shopping. By that, we mean spending your money with local retailers, who are working harder than ever to earn your business.

Look at the hundreds of bargains in your local newspaper and online. Then avoid the hassle, stress and expense of going to Columbia or Charlotte and buy with local merchants.

The thrill of driving to Columbia or Charlotte fades when you start looking at gas prices. A gallon is hovering in the $2.39-$2.69 range for regular unleaded in the Pee Dee, slightly lower than last holiday season.

Florence is a regional shopping destination. It nearly has every major store, and retailers are motivated to surpass last year’s holiday sales.

Meanwhile, Hartsville has one of the most charming shopping districts downtown in the state. McBee is home to McLeod Farms, which ships all over the world, and Lake City, Darlington, Dillon, Marion, Mullins, Bennettsville, Cheraw, Hemingway, to name a few, have unique stores and businesses worth your time and attention.

The holiday season often provides the difference between profit and loss for local businesses.

Instead of buying gifts out of the region, put your money back into your local economy, where everyone will benefit from the transaction.

The business makes a sale, you get a good deal, and the local economy receives a boost.

“Every year, we see more and more need to support the people who make it happen here in Florence,” Florence Chamber President Tom Marschel said. “But making it happen, I mean people who produce the services, goods and products that employ us locally. That means me, you and your neighbor.

“There’s a lot of hullabaloo about this Cyber Monday,” he said. “Those dollars, are easily spent and have no affect on our community.”

An Internet monitoring firm said online retailers were doing extremely well on Cyber Monday. The company, Akamai, said traffic was up nearly 43 percent compared to the same time last year. That can be good and bad news for local merchants. It’s good news because people are spending money. It’s bad news because it’s being spent with someone else.

However, we have been encouraged by the wave of shoppers since Black Friday. According to some estimates, the number of shoppers and the amount they spend will increase close to 1 percent compared to last year.

“We’re blessed in Florence because we’re the retail hub of the Pee Dee region,”Marschel said. “The only way sustain the hub is to support each and every local merchant.”

State and local governments depend on sales taxes of their revenue. Several road projects in Florence County have started because of the “One Cent Makes Sense” campaign.

Yes, we like bargains and going to fancy mega-malls as much as the next person. But if all factors are even, support your friends and neighbors in business.

Shopping locally makes a big difference in everyone’s bottom line. And it makes for a joyous holiday season.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper. Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), James Bennett (regional editor), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (news editor), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).