Shop Local – Shop with a Chamber Buck Card

The Greater Maryville Chamber of Commerce is encouraging consumers to do both with a campaign kicking off September 3.

The Chamber has refreshed its existing Chamber Buck program, replacing traditional paper checks with a new, improved Mastercard. Beginning September 3, Chamber Buck gift cards will be available for purchase at the Chamber of Commerce office at 408 North Market. Cards may be loaded with any value of $25 or more and are redeemable at over 80 participating Chamber member businesses. There is no additional cost or convenience fee to purchase the cards; the entire purchased value is loaded for spending.

Shopping locally using a Chamber Buck Card is a win-win for consumers and business owners. Since the cards are redeemable at so many locations, they are truly a gift of choice for consumers. Cards are expected to bring more money into the local economy. Research shows an average consumer spends 20 percent more than a gift card’s initial value when shopping and the percent of shoppers willing to pay full price for an item jumps from 16 to 40 percent when using a gift card.

“Buy a Chamber Buck gift card for a care package, stocking stuffer, birthday gift, or any other special occasion. Not only are you doing something nice for someone else, you are also doing something great for our local economy,” said Becky Albrecht, Chamber director. “When you give a Chamber Buck gift card, you are giving the gift of choice. Card recipients can use them anywhere they have a need because cards are accepted at a wide range of businesses – restaurants, retailers, and even many service providers.”

A complete list of participating businesses is available on the Chamber website. Also, look in store windows for bright yellow decals, donated by Rapid Elite, designating that location as a Chamber Buck gift card participant.