Scratch me Back Blog

Scratch me Back and my "Buy Locally Owned" will now be just a hobby for me. I have made a career change and gone back teaching - at TAFE. I am currently teaching VCAL, Literacy, Computer Skills and Work related Skills.
I will still be running MyBuys for those keen to raise funds and shop local.
I am keen to develop my other hobby of photo slideshows, see below.

The whole buy local and support locally owned shops will still be an interest and happy to chat with folks keen on this area.

Well the list of chain stores who don't really care about the Shepparton local community continues to grow.
These stores either don't want to or can't support MyBuys, which is a local community fundraiser and costs nothing to join....
A fundraiser that encourages group members to shop at those stores!!
Target, K Mart, Aldi, Office Works, Bunnings, Sanity, Harvey Norman, Village Cinemas, Lincraft, Spotlight, KFC, Rivers, Athletes Foot, Video Ezy, Sports Co, Sportsmans Warehouse, Rebel Sports and so on.
Why then do we actively buy from such stores when they don't give back to the local community which feeds their bulging coffers? Sometimes we don't have too many choices.
Make a choice to buy from locally owned stores where you can.

A while ago I had cause to talk to most shoe shops in Shepparton about being part of a Buy Local Shopping Spree. They all declined and gave me the impression they did not need a boost in business.
Then into town comes a shoe shop that has 3 semi-trailer loads of shoes and cut-throat prices.
It does not pay to rest on your laurels as you don't know what's round the corner.
I took time out to catch up with the owner of The Shoe Gallery and he has plans to stick around. I hope he has a community spirit and will find ways to give back to the local community.
It will be interesting to see how much loyalty the locals have for the shoe shops who have been in town for a while.

Shepparton News:
"Tuesday, 25th September 2007

Shoes on show Shoe lovers can begin to salivate; The Shoe Gallery is beginning to fill its Shepparton store. The building, at the intersection of Corio and Vaughan Sts, is being transformed by a fresh lick of paint and a bounty of shoe boxes. Melbourne businessman George Fazzari is hoping to open the store - formerly K and D Warehouse Mitre 10 - on Friday, with an official opening on the first weekend of October. 'There'll be thousands of different styles and we're pretty confident that nothing will exceed $50,' he said. Earlier this month he estimated the site would house up to 250 000 pairs of shoes and be the biggest shoe store in Victoria. Mr Fazzari said 10 local people had already been employed full-time, but there was potential for 20 to 30 people to be employed on a full-time basis, as well as part-time and casual staff. He said the store would open seven days a week, and there were plans to convert an outdoor area into a children's playground. "

Made the effort to go to the Shepparton Sportsman's Warehouse to talk to the manager about my latest fundraising initiative. According to the staff member he was too busy in the storeroom to see me. I came back a couple more times over the next couple of weeks and got the same story and when asked what it was about was told they don't make the decisions locally, it had to go to head office.
Serious about sport is their logo. NOT SERIOUS about supporting the local community or common courtesy to talk to me.

I will note here that their competitors in Shepparton - Sportspower, Sportsco, Rebel and Athletes Foot, all had managers who gave me some time and were very interested in what I was trying to achieve. Funny thing is they will get my business ahead of NOT SERIOUS.

Congratulations to Harris Scarfe and their manager of the Shepparton store, Lurline Le Neuf.
It's not just that they are interested in my latest fundraising initiative but they returned phone calls, asked questions and generally enthusiastic about supporting the local community. What more can you ask?