How our shopping habits help predict the future of our community

1. How our shopping habits help predict the future of our community A UN—L Extension Community Lesson Diane C. Vigna, Ph.D. Associate Professor & Extension Specialist Rita M. Kean, Ph.D. Professor of Merchandising Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design University of Nebraska--Lincoln

2. Do you make it a point to shop in your local community whenever possible?

3. Do you value the ability to make most of your purchases at home?

4. Do you personally know the retailers in your community?

5. Can you remember a time when your community was better able to provide the goods and services you needed on a daily basis? 50’s ? 60’s ? ? 70’s ? ? 80’s

6. What would your ideal community look like today?

7. What would you most like your community to offer residents in the future?

8. Do you think your ideal community would fit most age groups?

9. Shopping Spree • Take a few minutes to jot down where you would go for the items listed on the shopping list.

10. Where did you go shopping?

11. Our shopping trends • What did we find out about our group’s shopping habits? • How do our habits help or hinder a healthy retail sector in our community? • What could we change to make things better?

12. Community Business Scan • Re-look at the shopping list • What did you buy out of town that you could have purchased locally? • Make a list of all the businesses in your community that provide goods or services. • How many businesses did you come up with? • Were most of the businesses represented on the group’s shopping lists the first time?

13. Community Business Scan Does your community Pull shoppers in, or Push them out?

14. Do the math • Mary travelled to Urbanville to purchase a $450.00 new computer, even though the local electronics shop had a similar computer for sale for $525.00. She wanted to save money. • Urbanville is 100 miles from her community. Before leaving town, she filled her car with gasoline that was $4.00 / gallon. Her car gets 20 miles per gallon. Did Mary really save money?

15. NO! T÷ A x F = Cost 200 ÷ 10 x 4 = $80 $450.00 + 80 = $530.00 Next time, Mary won’t have a choice, because her local electronics store just had their “going out of business after 48 years”sale.

16. Reasons to shop out of town Price Variety Convenient store hours To bedifferent Adventure Other???

17. Can’t Find It? Just Ask! • Don’t keep your needs/wishes a secret! Let your retailer know what you can’t find in his/her store!

18. Trends in Retail • Read the trends in your lesson • What surprised you? • What is keeping retail depressed in rural areas? • How can the trends be an advantage for your community or local trade area?

19. Dare to dream • What would your dream community look like? • Would it have more retail? • Would there be more forms of entertainment? • What is missing from your community? • Do you need more people?

20. Summary • It is important to shop locally to ensure that your community will thrive into the future. • You can make a difference by changing your out-shopping habits, and striving to shop for more of the goods and services you need locally. • Encourage others by your strong example!

21. Community Connections – helping communities connect with their local entrepreneurs. • Dr. Diane Vigna Associate Professor & Extension Specialist UNL Dept. of Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design • Dr. Rita Kean Professor UNL Dept. of Textiles, Merchandising & Fashion Design

22. Extension is a Division of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln cooperating with the Counties and the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Nebraska–Lincoln Extension educational programs abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and the United States Department of Agriculture.