As well as the benefits I mentioned that consumers can personally receive by shopping small (e.g. personalized attention, finding unique products, etc), there is truly an overall benefit to your neighborhood, the community and the economy.
Did you know that, according to the 3/50 Project, for every $100 spent in local, independently-owned stores, $68 returns to the community in the form of taxes, salaries, charitable contributions and more — in contrast with only $43 when consumers spend their money at a national chain?
As well as supporting the community, other benefits to shopping small include...
- Economic stability
- Community development
- Reduced environmental impact
- Better customer service
- A diverse product selection - independent stores tend to carry many of the high-quality, boutique and specialty products not typically found in big box stores
Have you ever taken a look around your community and thought about what it would be like without the small businesses? What if your local florist and baker weren't around? How would things be different if you had to bring your car in for repairs to someone other than the local mechanic? Where would my friends and I meet every month to chat and drink coffee if our local coffeehouse wasn't there?
Even though the suburb that we live in borders against a larger city, we still have a small downtown area that is filled with restaurants, boutiques, bakeries and more that not only bring character, but help bring the residents together.
When the weather is warm, you'll often find small festivals, fairs or even just sidewalk sales sponsored by the businesses and the streets are filled with residents who are talking, laughing, eating or shopping. We always make an effort to participate and attend when we can, as we not only end up having a great time, we walk away feeling good that we made a difference!
Be sure to mark your calendars for this Saturday, November 24th so that you won't miss out on celebrating all that is great about shopping locally, while supporting your community. Why not cross off a few people off of your list with items that you won't find elsewhere? Visit ShopSmall.com to find out where to Shop Small near you and Like the Small Business Saturday page on Facebook to learn even more.
I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for American Express. I received a promotional item as a thank-you for participating.
3 comments:
We support small businesses every day. My husband is the ones who gives loans to small businesses from the federal government!
I agree with the comment above and I fully intend to do some shopping on business saturday.
We have some small businesses that participate in Saturdays shopping event and we plan on going there, but we shop there all year round. Some places have the friendliest people and some items that the big box stores just don't carry!
Post a Comment