Storefronts on Broadway in Uptown. Photo: Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL, United States / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
A discount card circulating in Uptown is meant to keep more spending inside the neighborhood. The Member 2 Member Discount Program, run by the local chamber of commerce, offers savings on goods and services at participating Uptown businesses.
Cardholders simply show the card at checkout. The program was built as a benefit for chamber members, but residents can join too. For $25 a year, a resident can sign up as a Friend of the Chamber and receive a card good for a year of discounts.
Shop local, by design
Programs like this are a common tool for neighborhood business districts competing with big-box stores and online retailers. The idea is to give residents a concrete reason to try a nearby salon, restaurant or service business, and to give those businesses a way to reach new customers without paying for advertising.
A list of participating businesses and their offers is published by the chamber.
Does it work?
Discount cards tend to succeed when enough businesses participate to make the card worth carrying. A card that saves a few dollars at one restaurant is easy to forget. One that works at a dry cleaner, a coffee shop and a florist on the same block gets used.
The program also gives businesses a small data point on whether neighbors are responding. Owners who see cardholders come through the door know the local network is reaching people.
Residents and businesses with questions about joining the program, or about adding an offer, can contact the chamber office.
Marcus Hadley covers business, transit and real estate in Uptown.
