Local business gift vouchers are best local presents

A LOCAL gift voucher really is quite the best local present to give and to be given, especially during this year’s festive season.

Not only may the lucky receiver select whatever they like from any of the 38 Foster shops and businesses that cheerfully take part in the voucher scheme, but also the value of each voucher stays in the Corner Inlet district economy.

All of the businesses are members of the Foster Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc., and all recognise the clear benefit of encouraging residents and visitors to shop locally as much as possible.

And, the range of available products and services provided by those businesses is truly astonishing; meals, accommodation, all manner of foodstuffs, refreshments and groceries, homewares, hardware, giftware, hair care, car care, clothing, toys, furniture and manchester, accommodation, travel and holidays, second-hand treasures … 

Chamber treasurer Kate Pulham said one of the best aspects of the voucher scheme is the choices that both the person buying the voucher and the person who receives it have.

“People may purchase vouchers in any denomination, from a minimum of $10 up to a maximum of whatever they like!” she said.

“Then, each voucher can be redeemed at any one of our participating businesses.

“Should people want to give a voucher with a fairly high value, we suggest that they ask for several vouchers of lower value that together add up to the total amount they had in mind,” Kate said.

“This means that the recipient can spend their vouchers at a number of different places in and around Foster, exchanging the full value of each voucher for goods or services at the one business.

“Or they can pick something that’s worth the full amount they’ve been given from the one shop,” she said.

“Alternatively, people with a voucher to spend may settle on an item that’s worth more than the value of the voucher and then pay for the difference themselves.

“People also need to know that there are a couple of rules associated with the voucher scheme,” Kate said.

“The vouchers can’t be split; for example, spending part of one voucher in one shop and the rest in another is not allowed, just for simplicity’s sake.

“Also, the full amount of each voucher has to be discharged in the one transaction, for much the same reason, to keep things clear and easy for everyone.”

Kate said the vouchers “are a great idea if you don’t know what to buy for a particular person.

“It’s a win-win situation, really, because that individual gets to decide on what they want, and the money stays in our town, supporting local businesses and keeping Foster ticking,” she said.

“The voucher scheme has been available for quite some time, and it’s one of the Chamber’s ongoing promotions that’s designed to boost Foster as a whole all the year ‘round.”

Kate said the vouchers appear to have become increasingly popular among some of the larger local area employers, who are choosing them as Christmas gifts for their staff this year.

Foster Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. gift vouchers may be purchased from Chamber treasurer Kate Pulham of Pulhams Furniture and Carpets at 13 Main Street Foster, telephone 5682 2244.

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