Please Shop Local this Holiday Season!
I wanted to spread the word this season to think of your local businesses when your doing your holiday shopping.
This is something that is near and dear to me and my family. When I was growing up my father had a small local grocery store. This was around the time the big chains started rolling into town, he struggled for many years to compete. Slowly scaling back the offerings, then staying open later to try to re brand the store as more of a convenience store, for a while this worked and he managed well for a time especially doing VHS then DVD rentals, till this market was also cornered by the bigger players like the blockbusters. Eventually he had to give it all up, and just take a job with one of the big chains, but it really shaped my childhood and retail practices, much to the chagrin of my wife. We have a super Walmart with great prices only 15mins from home, but I make her do all our shopping at the local grocery store with higher prices and inconvenient store hours.
I try to do the same at the holiday season too. I'll shop at the small local stores, everyone has a local sporting good or outdoors store. There are lots of small boutique clothing stores if that's more what you looking for. These small stores are owned by members of your community and any profits they may make are being spent again locally, they aren't being sent away to corporate headquarters far away to help the next big city. Thus it helps the local economy much more. We need to try to ensure they maintain some market share against the super Walmarts. Small stores also employ more workers per dollar earned than the big stores. Thus the 500 employees at 50 small stores is more than the 300 employees at one super Walmart and they are all services the same customers and markets and many of these small stores are eventually put out of business.
I know it's likely a bit more expensive to shop local, but it gives you that feel good feeling that your doing something good for your community. And isn't that what the holiday's are all about, giving back to others.
Footer by @bearone
Agreed:) Bying local strengthen the economy and also strengthen the community. Win-win!
Ahaha i love the lettering choices on the support dealio there. Lmfao but yes shop local for legit quality food that actually contains some nutrients. Local honey is the way to go also plus you are stimulating local economy.
My belief is that if you live in a small community (and I do) then shop there and support your community.
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Hey @phelimint,
This is great, I just wrote a very similar article 2 days ago, so much money goes to huge retail stores, it's so much better keeping money in our communities and helping individual skilled people. It's so important to keep putting this message out there.
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I live in a rural town/village and love walking down Main Street, whether window shopping or actual shopping. I get tired of the crowds in BIG stores and can't handle the drama that goes along with the mass of people.
Local shopping is for me all the way