If not, you're just the customer local retailers hope to see coming into their shop over the next few days.

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

And what also makes the last few days before Christmas so vital for the local shops is that one of their major competitors - online shopping - is effectively taken out of the equation.

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.

Its 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.

Its 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 few days?