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Archive for the ‘Shopping Local’ Category
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
It’s peak season for your local farmers’ market. Shop local, save big. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s RTownShopper.com’s tagline and one that we believe in.
Farmers’ market advocates believe the markets help farmers stay in business as well as preserve natural resources. They also provide an opportunity for farmers and people from urban communities to deal directly with each other rather than through third parties and to thereby get to know and learn from one another. Wholesale prices farmers get for their produce are very low, often near the cost of production. Farmers who sell direct to the public without going through a middle man get a better price. It can be shown that the preservation of farmland is important for the health of the environment and water supply. According to the American Farmland Trust, sustainable and managed farms conserve soil and clean water and provide a habitat for wildlife.
Farmers’ market produce is renowned for being locally grown and very fresh and often features naturally or organically grown produce. You’ll find the season’s best vegetables, fruits, flowers, and specialty products all produced in Wisconsin. Farmers’ markets often feature meats that are raised humanely on pasture, handmade cheeses, eggs, and free-range poultry. Produce is picked at peak times, preserving the nutritional content of fresh produce. Since locally grown produce doesn’t have to travel far, the difference in mileage saves fossil fuels.
Check out RTownShopper.com for 50% off gift certificates to local restaurants, hotels, golf courses, hair salons and more.
Tags: discount gift certificates, local, restaurant gift certificate
Posted in Activities, Events, Gift ideas, Restaurants, Shopping Local | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
A phrase we live by at RTownShopper.com is “Everything in moderation.” It seems to hold true for the businesses we work with as well as the consumers that shop on our site. At RTownShopper.com, “Everything in moderation” serves a dual purpose:
- To give you, (our customers) more discount gift certificates to choose from.
- To allow the businesses who participate on our site the opportunity to moderate the extreme discounts used to garner new customers.
When researching other discount certificate sites, we found that featuring one discount certificate a day created many problems for the business as well as the consumer. Imagine yourself as the owner of a nail salon and you employ 2 other estheticians. To drum up some business, you decide to sign up with a company that features your services, a manicure/pedicure on their site for $30 – normally priced at $60. Your company is the only feature for 24 hours. Within 24 hours, 2,000 people buy a discount gift certificate to your salon. That same day, one of your two employees has to cancel her afternoon appointments just to answer the phone. Nine hundred people call  that afternoon, many complaining that the line was busy for hours. You now find yourself overbooked and understaffed with half of your profit from the 2,000 certificates sold going to the service you used to promote this discount.
Over the next few weeks, customers complain because the service they receive is lacking. Your employees are overbooked and rushed which leads to an unfavorable costumer experience. Within a month, you have collected most of the discount gift certificates and business is starting to slow down. One of your employees comes across your Yelp.com reviews and there are over 150 from the past month, most of them unfavorable because of the rushed services your employees had to provide.
At RTownShopper.com, we want to give businesses more than just 15 minutes of fame. Most small businesses do not have the capacity to handle a major increase of customers in a short period of time. If that is the case, it will reflect negatively on your business and sour the experience for the customer. We want your customers to be happy and that’s why we offer many different discount gift certificates everyday on our site!
Tags: business owner, businesses, coupons, customer, discount, discount certificates, discount coupons, discount gift certificates, Health and beauty discounts, shopping, Wisconsin
Posted in Activities, Resources, Shopping Local | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009
Christmas is a time for gratitude, so we’d like to take the opportunity to thank you, our customers, for shopping RTownShopper.com.
We’re more than a discount gift certificate site. We’re striving to bring benefits to local communities, you and your families in other ways as well.
More time
Have more time for your family. There’s no clipping coupons, we offer immediate delivery right to your printer, and all of your favorite discount offers for Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay, and the Fox Cities can be found here in one place.
More money
More money in your pocket. Our discount gift certificates are at least 50% off on the value every day, and we offer loyal customer rewards with our points system for even more value to you.
Strong community
We hope you’ll discover your local merchants on our site, so you can shop local. We’ll help you find things to do in your local community by posting information on travel ideas and events in your town.
And speaking of community, we want to hear from you! What would you like to see on our site? Are there upcoming events in Wisconsin that we missed? What can we do better? And of course, we always love to hear back from you when you’re happy with us.
Even better coupon deals to come
What’s on our Christmas wish list? Simply help us spread the word. You can find us on Facebook – click on Suggest to friends to pass us along to your friends who like to save money. You can also follow us on Twitter. The more happy customers we have, the better coupon deals we can offer for you in the coming year.
Merry Christmas!
Tags: Appleton, coupon deals, discount gift certificates, discount offers, Fox Cities, gift certificates, Green Bay, Oshkosh, shop local, Wisconsin
Posted in Shopping Local | No Comments »
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Christmas gift shopping season is underway. Some of you enjoy the annual shopping trip to the big box store, waiting in line, elbowing out the competition for great holiday sales before they’re gone. We understand. It’s the thrill of the hunt for the best pre-Christmas sales. But we have an easier way to find the best holiday deals for Christmas.
Here at RTownShopper.com, we have our own Christmas gift ideas for you. How about a golfing gift certificate for a round of golf for your favorite golfer? Or give her a gift certificate for a weekend getaway – the one she’s always asked for. Or how about a discount ski vacation for the whole family?
Gift certificates are an eco-friendly gift idea—you buy an experience, not more stuff. You buy local, instead of waiting in line at the crowded big box chain store. Our discount gift certificates are to local businesses, owners you know right here in the Fox Valley and throughout Wisconsin. Just choose, buy, and print. There are no discount coupon codes to find, no free shipping to worry about, and they’re always 50% off.
Gift certificates are the perfect no clutter gift idea for everyone on your list, including the person who has everything. You can even customize the certificate with the recipient’s name. RTownShopper.com is open 24 hours, seven days a week. No crowds, no long lines and you don’t even need to change out of your comfy jammies. If you didn’t make it to Black Friday, it’s okay. We’ll be here with great Christmas deals all month long.
Tags: best holiday deals, buy local, Christmas gift shopping, Christmas online shopping, discount ski vacation, eco-friendly gift idea, golfing, no clutter gift idea, weekend getaway
Posted in Gift ideas, Shopping Local | No Comments »
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009
 Clipping paper coupons? You send email, read online news, and shop web sites, but when it comes to coupons, are you still clipping?
As a mom, you want to save money for your family, but getting the best coupon deals takes a lot of time. The truly dedicated – and you know who you are – scan advertisements for sales and save paper coupons until a special offer comes along. While this method works, some retailers won’t allow coupons to be applied to marked-down specials. There’s definitely an art to it. It takes a lot of time to save 25% to 30%.
Well mom, we make it easy. There are no papers to sort and organize, no books or fliers to page through, no envelopes of coupons to keep track of. It’s all right here on RTownShopper.com. Save time as you search only the categories that appeal to you. Looking for pizza for pizza night? Or how about family fun day? Maybe you and the hubby are going for a nice dinner for date night…or you are finally going to take time to pamper yourself.
Best of all, our time-saving internet coupons are always 50% off, or more!
As an eco-friendly bonus, you print only the discount gift certificates you buy, so there’s less paper waste. And you shop local – RtownShopper.com features retailers in your own community. Save time, save money, save a tree. Stop clipping and shop RTown!
Northeast Wisconsin Moms, have you saved time or money with RTownShopper? Tell us how!
Tags: Busy moms, coupons, date night, discount gift certificates, eco-friendly, family fun, internet coupons, kids activities, Northeast Wisconsin, pamper yourself, pizza
Posted in Restaurants, Shopping Local | No Comments »
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
Shopping at your town’s locally owned stores is something that just isn’t done by many people today, at least not on a regular basis. We, as Americans, like to go to our huge chain stores, where we can find everything we need, with one stop shopping and what appears to be lower prices. But what is this really doing for our community, and how are we really helping out our locally owned businesses?
Local businesses are crucial to the survival of our economy. On average, local businesses give back to their community 80% of each dollar, fueling growth and connectivity. They also employ about half of all our nation’s workers. Not only that, local businesses give more to the national economy than the big chain stores do, simply by way of the “trickle down effect.” When we shop locally, most of that money comes back to the community, which then trickles up to the national providers. Therefore, if we want our local and national environment to thrive, shopping locally is the way to go.
There is a program out there, called the 3/50 project, (check it out at www.the350project.net) that is all about supporting our local businesses. Plain and simple, it says that if we start spending more money at our own brick and mortar stores, good things will happen. RTownShopper does it’s own part to support the local mom and pop shops we all love. RTownShopper deals in what they call discount gift certificates. The local business gives these to RTownShopper to sell. This in itself is what the local business is charged for being on RTownShopper’s site. They work with the age old system of barter. No actual money ever exchanges hands between RTownShopper and the local business. When RTownShopper sells these gift certificates, which are at least 50% cheaper than average coupons, this brings in new clients, as well as revenue, to the store. RTownShopper also lets you print these gift certificates, instead of mailing them, which adds the incentive of efficiency to shopping local. Check out RTownShopper’s site to learn more about them.
So the next time you are looking for a good restaurants, retail stores, or hotels remember to support your community, and to always check out www.rtownshopper.com, because going local is the best way to go.
Tags: businesses, discounts, hotels, local, Restaurants, shopping
Posted in Shopping Local | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
As towns expand and populations grow, there is less of an attraction to keep your business local when the big-box stores have everything on your shopping list. The team at RTownShopper strongly believes that there is great benefit in growing and sustaining commerce at home. That’s reason the reason RTownShopper is your best resource for discount gift certificates to local retail shops, restaurants and recreation activities. Listed below are just a few simple reasons why they created a site for you to save money and enjoy visiting and shopping local in Northeast Wisconsin.
Fresher Products – When it comes to product freshness choosing quality usually trumps big-box store bulk alternatives. You can bet that the products you buy from your local pantry, bakery, and farmers market are freshly picked, placed and prepared.
Proximity – For many living in outlying communities the trip to a large retailer could take a serious investment of time and money. Why waste either of them and drive 20 or 30 miles when similar items can be picked up just blocks away?
Helping a Neighbor – Choosing your local bakery over the supercenter on the edge of town is more than just about dollars and cents. Many of the small retailers in your town have been in business for generations and it’s what they do best. Your exchange of cash for their goods gives them a reason to continue doing what they love.
Keeping the Cash At Home – After the sale is made, local businesses return almost 80% of earnings right back into the community where you live. Keeping that local commerce thriving generates jobs just like the large competitors do.
Strengthen Community Character – There is an appeal of a booming downtown on a Saturday afternoon and a self-sufficient community is one that can grow and prosper. Without local enterprises many of those buildings would stand abandoned and the appeal of launching a successful small business begins to diminish when there is limited local spending.
Tags: discount gift certificates, Northeast Wisconsin, Shopping Local
Posted in Shopping Local | No Comments »
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
In Northeast Wisconsin there is nothing like starting a sunny Saturday summer morning at the local famers market. A tradition that brings communities closer, the farmers market is the place to get fresh produce, fine meats, and fun knickknacks and crafts from your rural neighbors. With limited family budgets, shopping at a farmers market keeps your costs down while supporting your local community.
It doesn’t matter where you reside you can bet that you’ll be welcomed by friendly faces at any of Northeast Wisconsin’s farmers markets and you’ll probably be amazed at how unique each market’s atmosphere and offerings are.
Below is a listing of farmers markets in Northeast Wisconsin for you to plan a little adventure for the family and by picking a different location to visit throughout the summer. This will create opportunities to learn about new places and let you find items exclusive to that market. Also, before the plans are final, be sure to check RTownShopper’s discount gift certificates for things to do in the area.
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Algoma
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Legion Park
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Appleton
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College Ave. from Appleton St. to Durkee St. & Houdini Plaza
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Brillion
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Main St. Square
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Denmark
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Behind village offices, Main St.
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Door County
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Market Square (Michigan and 4th) in Sturgeon Bay
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Fond du Lac
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Western Ave. & Linden St.
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Green Bay
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Downtown on the parking lot just east of Monroe Ave.
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Kaukauna
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Parking lot located behind Second Street Shops
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Kewaunee
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Downtown on Highway 42, near harbor
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Manitowoc
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Eighth & Quay Streets
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Menasha
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Main Street
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Neenah
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Bank One parking lot Wisconsin & Commercial
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Oshkosh
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City Hall parking lot, 215 Church Ave.
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Shawano
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City Hall parking lot off Sawyer St.
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Two Rivers
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1710 W. Park St.
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Waupaca
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Public Square, East Fulton St.
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Tags: farmers market, local, shopping, Wisconsin
Posted in Shopping Local | No Comments »
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