According to The Denver Post, the town of Crested Butte, CO has come up with a creative way to support local merchants–they issued their own money, a.k.a. scrip.
Consumers purchase Butte Bucks at a 20 percent discount at the Crested Butte Visitor’s Center, up to 100 a day for $80, until the supply runs out.
Participating merchants pay $30 to market the program and agree to accept Bucks as they would dollars. The merchants then redeem the Butte Bucks for U.S. currency at the Chamber of Commerce.
“It is the ultimate protectionist tool. You can only spend it where they say you can spend it,” said Frank Trotter, president of Everbank Direct, a Florida bank that specializes in foreign currency accounts.
I bring this to our attention because it occurs to me that this idea could be executed by any number of brands like McDonald’s, Target, Starbucks, etc.
