A new gift certificate that offered an extra $100 of each $100 certificate purchased called Blacksburg Bucks was designed to kick off the holiday season and offer a much-needed boost to local businesses. But they were sold out as soon as people started calling to order them on Friday. Apparently some did not read the fine print about the program, funded by the CARES Act.
The Town of Blacksburg apologized and issued this statement yesterday on its Facebook page: The first round of Blacksburg Bucks gift certificates ($200,000) sold out early Friday. Many people were disappointed to learn that the supply had run out so quickly. There was also some frustration about early orders on Thursday that contributed to the supply running out.
(from Town earlier on Facebook) The collaboration between the Town of Blacksburg, the Blacksburg Partnership, and Downtown Blacksburg Inc., Blacksburg Bucks is a double value gift certificate program designed to encourage and provide incentive to support Blacksburg businesses during these challenging times. Using CARES Act funding, the Town of Blacksburg will double the value of all Blacksburg Bucks purchased. If a customer purchases $100 in Blacksburg Bucks, they will receive an additional $100 in certificates, for a total of $200 to spend locally. Blacksburg Bucks are sold in $20 denominations.
