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There's been quite a debate in recent weeks on the Buy Bermuda Campaign, with local retailers understandably singing the blues on declining sales due to the economic climate.

One retailer said Bermudians have "lost a sense of community," so to speak, by opting to spend millions abroad. There's also the age old argument that when you factor in airfare, hotel accommodation and sales tax, Bermudians are not really saving money.

That may be true, but here's the thing - to hardworking Bermudians who plan their annual vacations around that Christmas shopping trip abroad, you could sing that tune until the cows come home. Your cries will continue to fall on deaf ears.

People work hard for their money, some with two and three jobs. Where they shop is their choice. They want variety on a larger scale and a vacation, albeit a shopping vacation, all at once.

Losing our sense of community - that's another story. Some of us would like to know from retailers and other local business stakeholders - 'how do you expect us to Buy Bermuda when a growing number of employers choose not to 'Hire Bermuda'?

More and more they use cheap labour to increase profits, which is their perogative. But consider what Bermuda's economy loses by way of wage earnings by guest workers who send millions of dollars out of the country to support their families and rightfully so.

You can't blame a man or woman from any country for trying to make a better living. But there must be a lot of money going out of here. Funny I don't hear the business sector, retail or otherwise moaning about that. I'm also wondering why the total figure isn't publicised, unlike the millions Bermudians declare in goods and services purchased abroad in the quarterly consumer price index. I'm willing to bet it is as much, if not more when you add it up.

How are the two related? Consider this; cheap labour in the construction industry has forced the hourly rate of pay earned by qualified veteran Bermudian masons down to a much lower rate. That mason is earning today what he was paid 20 years ago, but he's paying today's prices. Let's say he has three or four children, one or two in college abroad and has a partner working with him.

Away from the stress

Do you know what they do as a couple? They plan their vacation just before Christmas every year, with or with out a recession, and shop abroad. Does that mean they've lost their sense of community? I don't think so. They get a trip out of here, away from the stress of it all and they shop while doing it.

They don't count the cost of airfare and other expenses, and they never will.

Moving on, can someone explain to me why an Essence magazine costs close to ten dollars here when there's no import duty on printed material? And why does it cost three times as much for a book than it does in the U.S. or Canada? Is it shipping costs or greed? With the advent of the Nook, the latest reading device that allows readers to download entire books, why should I even bother buying them? If I use a debit card to avoid high interest credit card rates I save even more. As for foreign newspapers. I can read them online .

With the flick of an electronic switch and the click of the mouse, I avoid import duty and the hastle of parking in the city of Hamilton. And whenever someone I know goes away, I get them to bring back my favourite magazines with them. I refuse to pay $8 or more for a magazine here that sells for less than $4 abroad. The cost factor of running a business is not the consumer's issue.

I don't like to paint with a broad brush but I get the feeling in some local stores that I'm doing the staff a favour. And you feel like you're disturbing their in-house conversation when you ask for help.

The quickest way to lose me as a customer is to make me feel like my money doesn't matter.

Where's the sense of community in that?[[In-content Ad]]

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