Butte Bucks return for the holidays with new twists

Longer buying season and business “buy in”

This December and January, holiday shoppers will once again have the chance to get a little more bang for their local buck. The Butte Bucks program kicks off on December 8, offering participants the opportunity to purchase $10 in Butte Bucks coins for $8, and then spend them at participating businesses. They will see some changes to the program, however, designed to make it more sustainable and bring outside dollars into the community.
According to Dave Ochs, executive director of the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce, the chamber will print more coins this year, give people longer to spend them, and reserve a set number of coins for tourists staying at local hotels and lodges. Participating businesses will also see participation fees waived in exchange for help in covering the shoppers’ discounts.

“We’re trying to realize a healthy system,” Ochs said. “In trying to acquire funding for the program there was concern about public funding going to subsidize locals as well as private businesses.”
The Butte Bucks program is funded by grants from Mt. Crested Butte and Crested Butte—the full amount for this year is yet to be determined—and the local governments and the chamber saw some problems with the ways that some people redeemed coins.
“People have really cheated the system,” Ochs said. In one instance, he added, a business owner had his employees buy Butte Bucks and then pooled them for a new pair of skis. That was not in line with the vision for the program and jeopardized funding.
The new goal is to expand the reach of the program to tourists and encourage them to shop locally. “If we can get the coins into tourist hands and get them to spend them in Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, now we are doing something beneficial for the community,” Ochs said.
To that end, the chamber will reserve 2,025 coins for visitors staying at local lodges and about 2,300 for locals (that number might change with the funding level). Ochs expects some people to hang on to their coins as souvenirs—when the chamber introduced the coins last year, about 12 percent were never spent. The money from the unspent coins will go into a reserve fund and will help build up a sustainable balance.
Participating businesses are also being asked to cover a portion of the 20 percent discount that shoppers receive on Butte Bucks. Chamber members will cover 8 percent, and non-members will cover 10 percent.
“The whole point is to get the businesses’ skin in the game, and put the success in their hands. They can market it, promote it, and get more ownership,” Ochs said. He admitted that the reaction from the business community has been split. Some support the goal of creating a sustainable program and others believe the towns should be helping the business community.
In the end, Ochs doesn’t see the changes as optional. Without them, he believes, financial support for the program would have dried up. Even this year, he said, Mt. Crested Butte did not want to support the program until the tourist component was added.
Now, Mt. Crested Butte is supporting the program, and it includes a special Mt. Crested Butte Shopping Night in conjunction with Light Up Night on Saturday, December 13. Holiday revelers can get their pictures taken with Santa, sing carols, roast marshmallows and enjoy the tree lighting, all the while spending Butte Bucks at Mt. Crested Butte participating businesses.
Ochs is optimistic about the changes. “We’re anticipating that in three years we won’t have to request public funds,” he said.
Here’s what you need to know in order to participate in the Butte Bucks Program:

Purchasing and Spending Coins
Butte Bucks go on sale at the Chamber of Commerce at the Four-way Stop on December 8. Coins will be available for purchase between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day until they run out. (This is different from last year. Coins will be sold only during that window of time.)
There is a limit of $100 coin value per person per day (purchase price $80). You must be 14 years old or older to purchase and sales are cash only. Coins can be redeemed at participating business between December 8 and January 19—almost a month and a half, compared to a couple of weeks last year.

Coins for Visitors
The chamber will give local lodges and hotels coupons that they can share with guests. Visitors can then present the coupons and purchase Butte Bucks at the chamber any time during normal operating hours between December 8 and January 19. The chamber also asks that locals support the need to bring in out-of-town dollars and grow a fund balance for the program by leaving these coupons for true tourists.

Participating Businesses
Local businesses can participate in Butte Bucks by contacting the chamber at (970) 349-6438 or by emailing [email protected]. In order to be listed, contact the chamber before December 8.
Businesses will be provided with a sign to put in the window of their establishments, letting consumers know they are Butte Bucks participants. But businesses are encouraged to promote the program through other avenues such as social media (and, of course, the local newspaper).