After a year when drought across the Bathurst region has impacted on spending throughout the whole community, the last week before Christmas is a time when local stores will hope to make up some of that lost ground.

Because it’s one of the realities of life in a regional centre that dry times do not just impact on farm spending.

When the rain stops, naturally it is the businesses that supply primary producers that are first to feel the impacts but as the drought goes on, those impacts quickly spread to the rest of town.

When money stops flowing in one sector of the local economy, it soon stops flowing in the others as well.

And now Bathurst shops that have had a tough year pin their hopes on customers opening their wallets and purses between now and December 25.

Recent rain has helped change the local mood a little and could not have come at a better time for retailers.

Confidence is a major factor in local spending and we might all be feeling just a little more confident than six months ago.

Another advantage for local retailers as the clock ticks down to Christmas is that many of their main competitors will quickly fall out of the race for the shopping dollar.

Australians’ online spending is increasing every year, meaning local retailers no longer have to compete only with the shop around the corner or even down the road in Orange or Sydney, but also retailers based overseas.

It’s rarely an even playing field and the local seller might struggle to compete on price – and that remains the main consideration for most shoppers.

But as Christmas gets closer time is running out for online orders to be delivered and the convenience of local retailers suddenly becomes irresistible.

It’s also a timely opportunity for us to consider the wider cost of each of us trying to save a few dollars online.

Local shops create local jobs, create local opportunities and support local schools and sporting clubs.

Online stores do none of that.

So while online shopping is here to stay and lure of a bargain is always hard to resist, we should also take the opportunity to buy local whenever we can.

And when better to start than the next seven days?