EDITORIAL: During the recession, it looks like travelers

By: | Stafford County Sun
Published: November 14, 2009

Don’t look now, but gas prices are creeping up again.

Just as we had become accustomed to prices hanging around the low-to-mid $2 mark, they’re starting to creep, ever so slowly, back to the dreaded $3 range.

That may be part of the reason folks are deciding that staying home is a good idea this year.

With the country still trying to pull itself out of the throes of economic strife, many people in our informal online poll said they would be staying home this Thanksgiving.

We can’t blame them.

While traveling to visit family is nice, long trips just aren’t economically sound. By the time you shell out the bucks for gas, lodging, food and tolls, you could be looking at a modest dent in a house
payment or rent.

Here’s the silver lining: Staying home means any money you do spend helps businesses in our own community, instead of handing out hard-earned cash to other localities.

The coming of Thanksgiving also signals the beginning of the holiday shopping season and everyone’s favorite Friday, the “black” one. It will be interesting to see if consumers are as deal-hungry as they
were a year ago, and if retailers are willing to slash prices to draw in the crowds.

By staying home on Black Friday and spending money in Culpeper, it could mean a modest bump for local businesses. In that vein, we hope more people decide to stay home for the holidays, and
conversely spend money at home for the holiday season.

Now excuse us, we’ve got to go look for our bird - because most of us are staying put too.

— Richmond Times Dispatch