Border Towns Say Shoppers Spending Less This Holiday Season

Published: Wednesday, December 24, 2014 - 10:22am

Some Arizona border towns say shoppers are spending less money this holiday season, and there are two big reasons why.

Store owners in Nogales and Douglas blame the weak peso and long border crossing lines from Mexico to the U.S. for the lull. Both cities rely on Mexican shoppers for sales tax revenue.

In Douglas, 65 percent of the city’s revenue comes from that money. In the meantime, store owners in Nogales say customers have complained about waiting in line for hours to cross the border by foot.

A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection says the agency works hard to keep wait times low.