I loathe ‘Small Business Saturday.’ Shopping at locally owned retailers and restaurants shouldn’t be a once a year event. Why? Because local merchants serve local communities; while large publically traded retailers have a fiduciary responsibility to serve their stockholders. The result is national chains suck resources from a community while local merchants serve and invest in their community. For example: 1. Local merchants generally pay their employees better. 2. Profits stay in the local economy. 3. Salaries stay in the local economy. 4. Taxes go back to your community. 5. Unique selections chosen for your market and/or they define the point of view of the owner (not a team of buyers in some remote city). 6. They’re often more honest. Local merchants generally don’t artificially mark-up product to then mark-it-down just to make a sale. They’re your neighbor and they know they have to look you in the face when they see you at the grocery store or movie. 7. They don’t hold local government hostage for tax benefits or special waivers. 8. They support other local businesses and philanthropies. They do business with other kindred group members; Rotary, Kiwanis, church, BNI, Home Trust, etc. 9. Sustainability actually matters. For example, the owner and their family are drinking the same water you’re drinking and are breathing the same air. 10. They compete at a disadvantage. The fact that internet companies skirt state sales taxes should make everyone mad. 11. Local businesses support local philanthropies - twice the amount (on a per employee basis) than national chains. 12. They generally sell products based on quality rather than lowest price. 13. Do things because they believe they’re right for their community; they consider it part of their civic rent. On the other hand, local merchants: 1. Don’t pay millions to PR experts, advertising agencies and social media experts to convince you of things that don’t make pragmatic sense. So they may not have snazzy sayings or large signs to incent you to buy from them. 2. Don’t have lobbyists ensuring ‘lip service’ is given once a year to ‘Mom & Pop’ (a terribly derogatory term) stores. Although it may not always be obvious, in the long run it costs you more to ‘save’ at a national retailer. Perhaps, if nothing else, Small Business Saturday provides a platform once a year to promote the benefits. Local merchants have their heart and soul in their business, and their successes vested where you live. Please support local retailers and restaurants every day and all year because they support you in ways you’ll never know or understand – until they are gone. Chris Ramey affluentinsights
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 05:49:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015