[StBernard] Christmas Cash Back

[Westley Annis]

Westley,

I've read/heard that Walmart is supposed to reopen in April I think?  It
will be a smaller store, no grocery is what I've read.  

Did we ever really have an electronics store in SBP?

Even if they had an Anna's Linens like the one in Meraux before Katrina,
that would help so you don't have to drive to Slidell or Metairie or across
the river to get sheets, kitchen linens and similar items.

Does anybody have a definite idea as to what is going in at the refurbished
shopping center where the old cinema was?  What is going to go there?

JY






	
	-----------------------------------------------------
	Jer,
	
	I think you are expecting too much of a return. Several facts you
have
	 to
	remember about the cash back program:
	
	1) Residents had to come in person to an event. You lose 50-75% of
	respondents right there.
	
	2) The event was a particular time. How many people already had
other plans
	for that time frame?
	
	3) The barrier to entry was high. $100 in purchases to get a raffle
ticket.
	Look at the businesses that contributed to the prize pool. In only 3
or 4
	out of 11 could I see spending over $100. 
	
	I was in St. Bernard on Monday with some free time and drove down to
Meraux
	looking to see what was new since the last time I was down there.
Plenty of
	progress, but just like pre-Katrina, there is an abundance of dollar
stores.
	That is not going to entice the type of crowd that you want coming
into the
	parish.
	
	In these tough times, everyone wants to save a dollar here and
there, but
	there comes a time when you have to say "I have to buy quality and
not
	just
	the
	 cheapest I can find."
	
	I'm not a fan of box stores, but St. Bernard needs a real
electronics
	store,
	a real furniture store, and a real department store. It would be
nice to see
	WalMart reopen, but has any effort been made to invite Target
instead?
	
	We should applaud the EDC for its efforts and the businesses that
	contributed. With one under their belt, maybe next year can see a
bigger and
	better event.
	
	Westley