New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The City of New Bedford is reaching out to local businesses to participate in the “City of New Bedford Employee Discount Program”. Some business owners are looking at this as an opportunity to gain new customers, while others feel that paying taxes should be enough to satisfy the city.
City employees will be issued an official “Employee Discount Card” and participating local businesses will be giving about a 10% discount or more depending on how much the business would like to offer.
In the flyer being sent out to local businesses the city is pitching that, “In return, your business would be exposed to potentially 3,000 employees, which includes all New Bedford City and school employees.”
Personally, I understand how someone could look at this “pitch” in a negative manner, but I think this is a win win for business owners and city employees. This discount could be the difference that makes a city employee stop at a local coffee shop in the morning rather than a chain. This could make city employees sign up to a locally owned gym rather than a chain.
The city is by no means forcing businesses to give discounts, but this program does seem like an attempt to stimulate small businesses and I can get behind that movement.
City of New Bedford’s pitch to local businesses.
How does it stimulate business by requesting a 10% hit! And what about the businesses that can’t afford to? Capitalism should be allowed to run its course. The better businesses survive on merit, the way it has been, and the poorly managed ones fall. And on the darker side, does the city already support some of these businesses? Are some of the owners campaign contributors?
Most Cops get discounts. It’s called protection.
Our city employees deserve to be well tipped. It’s just another tax.
Do I have this right? You rub my back and I will rub yours. Quid pro quo.
It’s the only way to keep taxes down and for business owners to get the services they think they deserve, for the discount.