Excuse Me How Many Birkshire's for the Automobile?

Are you familiar with a Berkshire for payment on goods and services, instead of the Dollar? Maybe so and maybe not, this is a program that started in Great Barrington, MA in the USA of course. The money is colorful ,valuable and for ninety five USA dollars one can have One Hundred Berkshire to be able to spend at local Restaurant’s, Doctors office’s about anything in town. They are a way to improve the local economy by using these instead of the Dollar.The Berkshire is of value to the people and to the businesses that use them in this community.

Unfamiliar money to this author until tonight, yet the Berkshire has been out for quite some time and its legal tender to use. There was a video on how the money was helping this community out by using local business, instead of stores that were chain related and saving money at the same venue. Your local Target, WalMart, or drive through McDonald’s will not take these in the MA area. Therefore keeping the small retail businesses open and thriving with more than usual customers because of the savings one gets by using the Berkshire money. Some retail establishments offer a ten to twenty percent discount for using these Berkshire forms of payment, in thus keeping the people happy and the local owner in business.

There are Five Banks in town that will gladly transfer your American Dollars for these Berkshire Bills, with over 13 Branches associated with the banks. These are just a discounted form of payment for the dollar. Very ingenious plan since 2006 this has been going on and with over 2.7 million Berkshire dollars flowing in and out of circulation since the opening of this program. This is an alternative economic future for their communities is what this monetary transaction is to stable an unstable economy. Over five hundred businesses have been included in this money economic plan put out by this community.

The future looks good for the Berkshire form of payment with ATM’s planned and loan Installment ideas and even check books using this rare form of inner city money.” The mission of BerkShares, Inc. is to strengthen the Berkshire regional economy” This is the Berkshares Inc. slogan, and goes on to say that through a local currency program and related pursuits we benefit our economy and support our own people through these banknotes with the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and energy. Of course there is a directory that the banks have printed out to show all locations one can use this sort of money and you will not find Burger King or Neiman Marcus on the list, nor do you need to. The list consist of good old home fashion retail shops like it used to be like before these giants came in and took over the small retail shops in our towns and cities.

What a system and it’s been working for a few years and seems to be adding to the growth of this farming community and to the essence of how times use to be before Target, Wall-Mart and the other chain infractions came into our lives. My opinion is I do not have one, I am curious as to what the other cities in America have to offer as well. Is the dollar sliding away, you can answer that one, is this an alternative, sure looks like a good one. If and where else does this take place? Please leave your comments; I stumbled onto this city, are there others? If it works why are we not doing it other places? Have we built too many Superstores and forgotten the small business man? Is it time for a change? So many questions and one town has the answers.

Christopher Hyer