JOHN BAILEY’S TUESDAY MORNING WVOX WHITE PLAINS REPORT FOR FEB. 9 ON-AIR THIS MORNING. | WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER SETS RECORD VISITS FOR YEAR 7,017,658 VISITS! 2,098,003 VISITORS MADE 6 VISITS A DAY EVERY DAY. 63,330 UNIQUE VISITORS MADE 133,730 VISITS IN DECEMBER. WPCNR AVERAGED 17,284 VISITORS A WEEK, VISITING 31,270 TIMES.

JOHN BAILEY

The Old CitizeNetReporter at the WVOX mircrophone

Appears weekly on WVOX at 7:50 AM with the White Plains Report a feature of the nicest people on the radio, Dennis Nardone and Tonny on Good Morning Westchester at WVOX 1460 AM AND WVOX.COM. Here is a transcript of today’s report.

“Good morning from White Plains NY USA.

February is fitness month through February 28, featuring special offers from 18 diverse fitness spas in White Plains. To learn all about the sweet 18 go to wpbid.com, to find a list of the great deals.

Take advantage of everything from virtual workouts, free trial classes, new member deals and workout bundles to get your body in beach shape.

Next month will be beauty month and all you ladies and hipsters of an interesting age will be eligible for special offers from White Plains beauty salons, nail artists, stylists and trainers and well we’ll keep you posted at wpbid.com

You know Dennis, Everybody says it is the internet sales causing us to be down combined with covid but the internet has been killing street retail in Westchester for three years.

**Westchester County Electronic and Mail Order Sales based on New York State Department of Taxation and Finance Data Base.** *Chart created by Brenda Starr of The Flash*

Since 2018 Westchester County internet sales (Electronic and mail order businesses) have soared from $175 million to $475 million – that’s 270%, folks.

In the last 8 years internet electronic and mail order sales have gone from $100 million just to under $500 million, 500%.

What Westchester County Businesses are being affected most?

**WESTCHESTER COUNTY TAXABLE SALES 2013-14 THROUGH 2020-21 COMPILED BY WPCNR FROM THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE.** *Chart created by Brenda Starr of The Flash*

Department stores and clothing stores lagged behind electronic shopping and mail order for 8 years not just the year 2020.

Department store growth has been stagnant. It is no wonder Sears and now Macy’s are leaving White Plains. Department Stores have not grown their market share in 7 years. They have been at a steady $600 million for 7 of the last 8 years and the bottom dropped out in 2020.

Department Stores dropped sharply to $200 milliion in 2020. Electronic sales and mail order business has devoured the market going from $400 million in 2013-14 eight years ago to $1.3 billion through 2020 325% GROWTH in 8 years.

**WESTCHESTER AVERAGE TAXABLE SALES PER QUARTER, SELECTED CATEGORIES FROM THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE DATABASE.** *Chart created by Brenda Starr of The Flash*

How about Westchester restaurants and bars? They were going great in 2019 when Westchester restaurants peaked at $40 billion and starting in March 2020 they have plummeted 40% to $25 billion.

Grocery stores have remained steady.

Can the White Plains Common Council count on a big comeback in the spring sales tax receipts? what do you think? they need to start thinking of solutions for various deficits they have now.

Brittany Brandwein of the White Plains Bid told me yesterday that restaurants with safe social distancing, table spacing and cleaning procedures, gloved and masked servers are doing ok. Larger restaurants in town need to do better.

The city ended the first six months of 20-21 fiscal year down $5,063,506 . It was the sixth consecutive month of declining sales tax revenues for white plains.

We look forward to the January sales tax receipts coming out February 19. The city expressed concern at last week’s council meeting about our revenues. They have tough choices to make, bet the spring will come back as strong as last spring and they are still down $5 million. If sales tax dollars continue down is they will have a bigger deficit by June 30, requiring cuts and perhaps a tax increase.

So long for now.