It was with a heavy heart I read the article about Overton Power District plans for an Online Shopping Discount Program (OPD To Offer Online Shopping Discount Program: Progress, Aug. 26, 2015). As a community member and business owner, I am disappointed that the board didn’t address the ‘real cost’ to our community.
Online shopping is inevitable in today’s environment. However, enticing local consumers to shop OPD’s featured stores to save a few cents on their power bill further drives local dollars out of the community, if not out of Nevada.
Consumers can be short-sited in chasing that small savings by driving out of town to shop, or choosing to shop on-line. Locally, this reduces selection, causes higher prices, until local businesses can no longer sustain themselves.
Everyone likes the convenience of local stores and restaurants when they decide to patronize them, but the reality is that businesses cannot survive on that occasional purchase.
I ask, is it really worth it OPD? Businesses are your consumers, too. Support your community in a way that sustains its vitality and YOURS.
Mary Kaye Washburn
