Bob Jackman - LaValley Building Supply - November 21st 2024

Time to talk with Bob Jackman from the Valley Middleton Building Supply, and we have a cause and effect situation, involves holiday shopping. Yeah, and the cause and effect is really twofold. One is local, and the second is helping people. Now, I've held off as long as possible to acknowledge the fact that we are in holiday shopping season. We are, but, you know, we're not at that point where we want to hear jingle bells over and over again.

Right. But you got to remember that the retail, well, we call them the big box merchants. Oh, yes. Have been in Christmas mode for at least three weeks. Yes. And the only reason they weren't there sooner is because Halloween got away. Right.

So Black Friday has in fact changed to Black November. Or, nor it seems that way. Yeah. But whatever the world throws at us, this is a time of the year that I like to say is for family, friends, relatives, and the enjoyment of their company. Most likely somewhat different in years past. You know, we had COVID through that at us a few years ago, but you know what throws at us all the time? What's that? Is families getting bigger and older? Well,

And that's the nature of a family. It's going to change. Yeah. As your kids move out of the area and develop professional lives of their own, you're going to be doing things that are distanced, get used to it. Yep. Right or wrong, that's the way things are now. So how can we make this season more rewarding and beneficial to those same relatives, friends, and neighbors?

It is said that giving is more rewarding than receiving. So here's some tips that we've developed. I've developed. Go ahead, blame me if you think it's a problem. But for the season, here's number one. Guys, don't get mad at me. Try actually shopping. Look around until you find a gift that says, oh my God, that's perfect for John. That's right. See, how much better you feel after giving a gift like that? And that leads us to number two. I hate Christmas gift lists.

I don't like them either. There is a place for gift cards, gift registries, and Christmas gift lists. There is. Typically, I like to avoid them as much as possible. But if you have a niece that lives in Boulder, Colorado, and you need to come up with a gift for them, it's probably going to be a haul a lot easier to give them a gift card. It's the situation and how well you know the person. Yeah, that's really what it is.

If someone gives me a Christmas gift list, I want A, B, or C. Chances are you're going to get C at the best. So, use your imagination. Invent a gift even. Oh, yes. Now, I'm almost 74 years old, and one of the gifts that I got when I was

want to say eight or nine has never left my memory. And it came from an aunt, she didn't have two nickels to rub together. And she built each myself and my two brothers at that time, a kit in about an 11 by 17 box.

that she got, she got three of them from somewhere and she put in their crayons, magic markers, scissors, paper of all different colors, all kinds of things that you would use to make things and draw things. That's great. And you've got three wild brothers who spent all our time outside until we got those gifts and then we spent what I remember to be months and every rainy day working with those. Sure.

So don't be afraid to invent a gift. No, and sometimes it left such an impression that you're still talking about it all these years later. Yeah, I'm still talking about it 65 years later. And in this economy, let's not talk about that. Give things that you know are needed. Gifts that people will use daily. That's right. I still have and use a red and white lunchbox called lunchmate.

that my oldest son gave me after about the third time that he heard me screaming and yelling in the driveway on the way to work because my old lunch box came open and everything spilled out on the ground.

So Eastman, God knows how little on this thing, but it is a fantastic thing to have. And I still use it. Gotta be 30 years later. You means a lot to people. Yeah. And it's simple. Yeah. When I say go shopping, guys, I mean shop locally. I don't mean prints around on Amazon. You're gonna wind up there for some things anyway, but shop locally for out-of-box ideas, you know, different things.

and options that you wouldn't even consider. And remember, and this is my plug for local merchants. The money spent at a local merchant makes them strong, creates jobs, good jobs, and supports your family and friends. And it keeps the community vibrant. It does. And the ease of finding out information about products, getting useful instructions and merchants to stand behind what they sell is as simple as just asking a question. It is. And you're not going to get a recording.

No, not at all. You're going to be talking to a human on the other side of the counter. Right. And over 50% more of every dollar you spend locally stays in the community than if you spend it at a big box or on something like Amazon. It stays right in the community and helps. It helps.

Yeah, the comparison I read said that 68 cents of every dollar stays local. That's about right. Where if you do it on a national brand, it's 43%. So that's huge. It is.

I'm sorry if I sound like I'm preaching to the choir, but I really do believe in the community and the way of life we have around here, and I do what I can to preserve it. That's right. Now, two notes. Number one, synchrony financing. That's our same as cash option. Everybody has one. Typically, it's 12 months. It will be on sale next week, the 27th of November until the 11th of December for 18 months same as cash.

That's a pretty good bonus. Yeah, and if you're the type of person that makes money in lumps, and you're going to get a lump soon, and you want to do a project now, great option. It is. Pay very, very close attention to the rules. Make sure you pay it off before the 18-month rule. There you go. That's it.

and watch out because shop local Saturdays are starting. What a great idea. Take that Saturday and go to the local merchants and see what they have. In fact, there's a couple of local communities here where they have a shopping card.

Every time you spend a certain amount of money, they punch the card. And at the end of you spending all that in the season, you can enter to win something in a prize. A lot of places do that. And check it out and see what happens, because you might come out ahead. And a lot of places will sell a shopping cart ahead of time. And to me, the biggest value with those is take a look at those stores. Right. Go in there. If it's a store you don't go in often, go in there. Maybe you're going to find something that 10% offer $20 off your first order makes a difference.

Well, I'll even go one further. There's a lot of resale stores and places that have things that have been donated to them. Good things, useful things. Like our friends at the Lake Sonopee Region Visiting Nurse Association's Renaissance Shop, go there because you may find the ultimate, unusual, perfect gift for somebody at a fraction of the cost that helps out a charity in your business.

Absolutely. Now, I'll throw out a caveat there. Most of us like used things in certain categories. That's right. Automobiles being one. If you're a hunter or a gun collector, you would much rather have an older gun used and in good condition.

When it comes to furniture, we tend to think new. Why wouldn't you go to one of these places and just take a look at what they have? Right. And you're going to find, I guarantee you're going to find something that, oh my goodness, this is a great idea. Right. There you go. Shop local. Shop local. And as we always say, be an educated consumer and please stay safe out there. Absolutely Bob. Thanks and we'll see you next week. Thank you.