'Tis the season to shop locally
Chamber of Commerce unveils new campaign
Shawn Giilck
Northern News Services
Published Thursday, December 4, 2014
INUVIK
The president of Inuvik's Chamber of Commerce knows what he wants to see under the Christmas tree this year.
Bright Lubansa, the president of the Inuvik Chamber of Commerce, wants people to shop local, particularly during the Christmas season. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo
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Bright Lubansa and the organization have launched a "shop local" campaign on the premise the greatest gift an Inuvik business owner could ask for is "keep the money in town."
"We survive on local businesses," Lubansa said during an interview Nov. 26. "So we wanted to start an educational program that lists the top reasons to shop local.
"It creates jobs here in Inuvik," he added. "It's an investment in the community. And local businesses do so much to sponsor events in the community."
Lubansa said many local businesses are being damaged by people turning to online shopping and heading to far-off locales such as Whitehorse rather than spending their money with local merchants.
The chamber is making an appeal to the social consciences of residents, as well as to their environmental sensibilities, in a pitch to increase local shopping.
Lubansa said it doesn't make fiscal sense for people to drive to Whitehorse to shop for items they can find here in town.
He noted it's a "16-hour drive" to the Yukon capital, which is the most readily-accessible city from Inuvik, when you factor in the time, the wear-and-tear on a vehicle, and the fuel costs.
"How much is your time worth?" Lubansa asked rhetorically.
He argued that even if you thought your time was worth $10 an hour, it's hard to justify that driving to Whitehorse saves you any money unless you're buying in considerable volume.
"If you're buying chicken, for instance, that cost $10 in Whitehorse, and $20 here in Inuvik, it doesn't make a lot of sense to go to Whitehorse to buy it," he said.
Tack on considerations such as the increased maintenance demands from taking the Dempster Highway and greenhouse gas emissions and Lubansa said it makes even less sense.
Lubansa also said that Inuvik businesses have almost any product a person could want.
"We have a wide range of products available," he said. "And we are providing quality services."
He stood by that stance, even when asked about shoppers who prefer to go online to buy products.
He blamed "public misconceptions" for fuelling that interest.
"Changing people's perceptions that they are getting a better deal elsewhere is a big challenge," he said. "But the idea here is to get people thinking."
He acknowledged there could be problems with that message, particularly with promoting the idea that money spent locally stays in town considering that one of the major retail business in town is part of the large commercial empire of the North West Company.
Many people have the idea that local profits wind up being sent to the head office in Winnipeg, but Lubansa said that's not necessarily the case. More profits locally at NorthMart means more people are hired and have money to spend in town, he added.
"And we don't want to concentrate on just one company," he said. "We want to look at the overall picture."
The campaign, which launched a day or two before the Nov. 27 interview, is using social media and advertising to get its message across.
It's a bit low-key at the moment, Lubansa said, but will run through Jan. 31.
The chamber is still looking at fleshing it out with some events and promotions, but no firm decisions have been made.
