Stores Notice Dip in Business after Adios McAllen Campaign
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MCALLEN – “Adiós McAllen” is the social media campaign trending out of Mexico. The campaign calls for Mexican shoppers to avoid McAllen businesses. Businesses in McAllen said they’ve noticed the decrease in clientele.
Parking in the downtown area isn’t a hassle. Workers said their largest consumer demographic isn’t showing up.
“And they’ll say once again, it’s not the peso, it’s not. Because it’s been decreasing in value for the past four years, not just in the last three weeks,” Benny Dominguez said.
Dominguez is an employee at one of the downtown shops. He said the Adios McAllen campaign out of Reynosa diverts Mexican nationals from shopping in McAllen.
He worries he won’t meet sales goals this month due to the dip in business.
Another downtown employee, Roberto Holden, travels daily from Reynosa to McAllen for work. He said friends and family support the campaign.
McAllen Mayor Jim Darling said there’s resentment fueling this campaign.
“Sometimes you pick on family because you’re mad and we’re the closest to them. We’re closer in McAllen than they are to Washington and so I think if you look at the campaign, the Adiós McAllen campaign, it has elements of that,” he explained.
Dominguez said Adios McAllen has taken a domino effect.
“It’s hurting our customers who want to come over here, but they feel they don’t have a need to because they don’t want to make their friends like they’re supporting us in some way by giving us business,” he said.
Both workers said their hours were cut back.
The men said they will continue waiting eagerly for customers to show up in the coming days. They both hope the people behind the campaign realize that those impacted are people just trying to make a living.
Dominguez and Holden said they’ll continue doing everything they can to drive sales.
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