As the holiday season kicks off, San Mateo County and seven cities are calling on shoppers to support local small businesses, while launching a mobile app. Choose Local San Mateo County which rewards customer loyalty with points for discounts at participating locations.
The "Choose Local San Mateo County" program is a way for both shoppers and businesses to benefit while helping the post-pandemic economic recovery.
"COVID-19 has decimated too many small businesses in San Mateo County," said Board Chairman David J. Canepa.
"Supporting small businesses fuels our economic recovery. As residents plan their holiday shopping or return to business, we invite them to visit local businesses, many of which are minority and women-owned, and participate in our collective economic recovery ahead," added the local official.
The mobile application Choose Local San Mateo County is easy to use and allows shoppers to automatically earn rewards at hundreds of participating local businesses, including restaurants, cafes, spas, boutiques, yoga studios and more.
The initial launch includes participating businesses from seven pilot areas: Daly City, Half Moon Bay / Coastside, Millbrae, Redwood City and North Fair Oaks, San Carlos, San Mateo and South San Francisco, with plans to expand to other cities soon.
To date, more than 334 businesses are participating in the Choose Local San Mateo County program, and new businesses are joining daily, the county said in a statement.
It should be noted that each point equals one dollar, which can then be redeemed as cash rebates at selected businesses. All rewards are reimbursed by San Mateo County through American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) funds at no cost to small businesses or consumers.
"Local businesses are the foundation of a thriving community," said County Administrator Mike Callagy. "As the epicenter of innovation, San Mateo County and our city partners are bringing the latest technologies to the hardest-hit sector of our economy: small businesses. Simply put, we will not have an equitable recovery without an emphasis on small business recovery."
In this ongoing effort to support local businesses, San Mateo County partnered with Colu Technologies to develop the Choose Local San Mateo County application.
While many cities have launched similar initiatives, San Mateo County is the first jurisdiction to take a regional, countywide approach to economic recovery and leverage mobile app technology.
"Money that is spent locally will stay local and support a business that has survived the pandemic," said Rosanne Foust, president and CEO of the San Mateo County Economic Development Association (SAMCEDA).
"When consumers choose local retailers, studios or restaurants, they are also supporting the employees, suppliers, owners, delivery drivers and many others who depend on that business to succeed in San Mateo County. Choosing local businesses is about participating in our county's economic recovery," he said.
Choose Local San Mateo County is the latest initiative spearheaded by San Mateo County to jumpstart economic recovery in response to COVID-19. This work builds on previous initiatives to distribute more than $217.7 billion in COVID-19 relief funds to provide emergency support for small businesses, rental assistance, food support, child care and nonprofits, technology access, and immigrant assistance; along with ongoing workforce development efforts to train and place workers in available jobs.
How Choose Local San Mateo County works:
Download Choose Local for free from Google Play or the Apple store and securely link your credit cards, debit cards or prepaid debit cards to your account. The first 700 users to download and link a card will receive 10 SMC points!
Join the rewards offers and start shopping and dining locally, earning SMC points automatically through eligible purchases made with your linked cards at local businesses.
Redeem SMC points for cash discounts when redeeming at local businesses. Each SMC point is worth one dollar.
Encourage your favorite businesses to join Choose Local San Mateo County by registering hereFor more information about Choose Local San Mateo County, visit: www.chooselocalsmc.com.
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