Holiday shopping by the numbers; $272 million sales leaks out of area

The numbers are both important to Du Quoin's economy and frightening at the same time as we approach the holiday shopping season.

The good news: In the last three months of 2014--during the height of the 2014 shopping season and traditionally three of the larger sales tax months during the year--the city received $345,781 in retail sales tax (paid during the first quarter of 2015. That doesn't include the home rule tax nor the school tax.

As the city works toward regaining its fiscal health, every dollar is important and shopping locally can help.

A University of Illinois Extension Service Community Development & Economic educator told Du Quoin and Pinckneyville chamber of commerce members late last year that $272 million a year in retail sales is "leaking" out of the area and going to neighboring states.

"When the money leaves, it's gone," said Susan L. Odum, MBA.

Last year Perry County sent $37 million more shopping dollars out of the county than it took in. Franklin County did the same thing. The only three counties in our immediate area with a shopping dollar "surplus" are Jackson County ($67 million) Jefferson County ($97 million) and Williamson County ($140 million) because of the shopping migration to Carbondale, Marion and Mount Vernon.

What's even more frightening, Southeast Missouri (Cape Girardeau and St. Louis) has a $1 billion dollar shopping dollar surplus.

The dollar drain to Paducah and Evansville is getting larger, as well.

"I don't think they (shoppers) do it intentionally; they just don't make the connection of how important it is to shop locally," Odum said.

"Insanity is doing the same thing over ad over and over again hoping for a different result," she said.

Until local residents understand how important it is to support local businesses--your local car dealer, lumber yard, clothing store, newspaper, restaurant, the banks, doctors, dentists and insurance agents--the local economy doesn't stand a chance.

She admitted quickly that, sometimes, there just isn't a product or a service that you need which available locally. "But, shop locally WHEN YOU CAN."

"I am passionate about this," she said."

She plays a game with chamber members called "Loyaltown" and "Drainville" and asked those attending to "pick a card, any card."

The cards from "Loyalton" pointed to people buying locally and helping businesses that, in turn, employ people in the community and give back to the community. Those businessess help local families, donate to schools and youth clubs, help fire victims and their tax monies help the community.

Those who live in "Drainville" don't worry about shopping out of town and out of state "and the money you spend outside your town never comes back," she said. "It may cost you a little more, but buying locally is key to the future of Southern Illinois," she said.

She said that in the long run not shopping locally will cost you more in terms of higher property taxes because the sales tax is no longer there to support municipal and county services. Towns in Illinois get one-cent of every dollar spent locally. The county gets a half-cent of very dollar.If the business is in an unincorporated area, the county gets one and one-half cent.