Whether we like it or not, the countdown is on for Christmas shopping.

This is the season that can make or break a lot of Exeter and area shops. The economic climate has been such that people have started socking away extra cash instead of spending it - sensible, although not so good for our shops. But if anyone is going to spend on non-essentials, this is the season they will do it.

We can only hope, for the sake of our friends and neighbours in the local retail sector, they will do it close to home instead of heading out on a shopping junket to Toronto or Buffalo.

Too many of us have the mistaken belief that items bought in a big city shopping mall have to be a better deal. While a shopper may indeed save a couple of dollars on Rocky the Robot for Junior, or a stylish sweater for his teenaged sister, one also has to factor in travel costs, especially with gas hovering close to a dollar a litre.

Cheaper does not necessarily translate into a better deal. How good a deal is it if the guy who organizes the Santa Claus parade and a lot of other events has to close his store? Do your shopping hereValue added is one of the catch phrases of the new millennium. Sellers trying to make their product more attractive will add something extra - a money-off coupon, a free sample of another product, a chance at a prize.

Shopping locally shows the real meaning of value added. First, you get to keep that hockey coach in town instead of forcing him to take a job in Alberta.

Second, because his shop stays open, another merchant decides to open a business in an adjoining store. The downtown stays busy and vibrant, attracting out-of-town shoppers who know a good deal when they see it.

Third, you continue to enjoy the convenience of popping out on your lunch break to do a little gift buying. Your weekends are not devoted to white-knuckle driving through endless traffic jams - you have time to get together with friends for dinner and a movie, go for a long walk along our wonderful trails, take in a great local hockey game, or all of the above.

Fourth, you will probably discover the local merchant stocks much the same merchandise as the big box store - smaller quantities, to be sure, but the same gifts at surprisingly competitive prices, and along with them, some interesting, unique items made by local artisans at fantastic prices.

This Christmas, shop locally. It might turn out to be the smartest deal you ever made.

- from the Listowel Banner