07/12/2024
A note from your friends at Bones-N-Scones
Unprecedented conditions have combined to form a near-perfect storm that spells struggle for your local merchants, especially our downtown merchants where business costs tend to be higher and this kind of heat can kill walk traffic.
Your city's character as a go-to destination for tourists and locals, as well as our reputation for eclectic tastes and diversities is put at risk when conditions make it this difficult for established businesses to make a living, and the attraction for new business is reduced by a simple appraisal of economic potency across the city.
Competition from online giants like Amazon & Walmart certainly create fair-market challenges. One specific example of how these challenges influence our local businesses is very easy to understand. Why would customers leave the house to shop locally when the thermometer reaches 120 degrees when Amazon or Walmart will deliver, often for free or for an already-paid fee, right to their door?
Here's the reality behind that logic: it's perfectly natural and understandable. Even though there's a horrific downside to it in that local dollars that will help local merchants substantially more than they will aid Amazon or Walmart are now diverted outside of our city, the reality is that's how free markets work and we support either local or not with our buying decisions.
So, how can Palm Springs' citizens help? We strongly encourage two things:
1) At Bones-N-Scones, we've added our own local delivery service to provide same-day delivery to local customers. But not every business can afford to do something like this. We encourage you to ask your city representatives to consider working with and through the Chamber of Commerce and the City's Office of Economic development to create initiatives that will allow local merchants to have their products delivered to local customers at rates that customers and small businesses can afford and that will compete with the giants' rates. This will engage the City in the provision of essential services necessary to compete with services that gigantic companies like Amazon and Walmart use to provide convenience to customers that smaller companies can't afford. While this won't help businesses that rely on walk-by traffic in this heat, it will help to level the playing field with respect to delivery options and convenience in weather conditions that tend to keep people at home.
2) Consider every purchase that you may contemplate buying from competing giants like Amazon and Walmart (Chewy?). Then, if the product can be provided by a local business, plan your trips to minimize discomfort and buy local whenever possible.
Thank you for taking the time to consider these things and may Palm Springs continue to flourish and prosper.
