Another small business gone

goldrooster (69)in #life • 6 years ago (edited)

Today I headed to the small but well equiped local hardware store (4 km drive) only to find out that they are "out of business" and the last few items were being sold with a 70% discount.

With my new kitchen ready (see bottom) the only thing I still had to do myself is making the baseboards (plinths) for the kitchen and the ground floor. I ordered the material (EUR 400) online - so convenient - and only had to buy some tools (EUR 30) to execute the job. As said the local hardware shop is no longer able to help me.

These small shops disappear due to people like me!

I could have bought the plinths with the local shop as well. I could have driven there and discussed what I was planning to do and get some advice etc etc but I did not. Instead I ordered them online with lot's of choice and only headed for the local shop for the small stuff.

You recognize this?

Where I live we have zero shops left. We used to have a small grocery store but people only bought milk, cigarettes etc. and the bulk was bought elsewhere, where it was cheaper and quicker. Only a few loyal elderly people bought all their groceries in the local shop.
For me it means I have to drive further for my groceries and now also for a hardware store. Small towns are losing business in a fast pace. For the business owners it means looking for a payroll job with a larger company. We loose the middle class!

What to do ?

I am not an economist but I heard once that globalisation and cheap products being shipped around the globe is one of the reasons local manufacturers and shops disapppear elsewhere in a fast pace. Wealth is being transfered from Europe, USA and Japan to China and other upcoming countries. In the end the persons that bought these cheaper products will live in an empoverished country themselves with high unemployment rates etc. So turning back some of these globalisation effects might be good or at least slow down things.