Shopping Locally

 In this day of online shopping and big-box stores, we often hear the cry "SHOP LOCALLY".

Post-quarantine we are urged to shop locally to support our local merchants and artisans who were affected by shut-downs and online shopping. The Saturday after Thanksgiving we are urged to shop locally for Small Business Saturday. And now we are urged to shop locally because shipping is still being affected by COVID-induced delays.

So this got me to thinking again about the meaning of "shop locally". 

During the season we shop the local farm store for fresh fruits and vegetables. We patronize locally-owned shops and restaurants for meals. Our pet supplies come from a nearby family-owned pet store or are bought from the rescue where we volunteer. This weekend I will patronize local craft shows. Our nearby historic district will be hustling and bustling with shoppers buying unique finds and delicious foods from mom-and-pop shops that were still recovering from flooding when the quarantine hit them. 

I have no doubt this is happening all over the country. 

Yet these small shops cannot provide everything I need for daily life. And quite honestly I cannot afford to buy handcrafted one-of-a-kind items all the time. 

Yet I do shop locally. Because I rarely shop more then three (3) miles from home. 

Many times I hear criticism of people who buy from national chain stores. Those critics say we are supporting big companies far away that don't care about our community.

So let's think for a moment about those purchases:

• I get my hair cut at a "chain salon" - yet my hairstylist lives only a few miles from me.
• I shop at the Target a mile from my home, and many of the people who work there live close by.
• My preferred grocery stores are also within 2 miles of home. Some of those clerks live in that area.
• There is a large chain pet store about a mile away - 2 of my neighbors work in its clinic. 
• We sometimes order from a restaurant that is part of a national chain, but that young man or woman who delivers our dinner lives in our community.

My point: even when we shop at national chain stores - large or small - we are still supporting our local economy and the people who live within our town, city, or county. Though the outside of the store beckons you to a national chain, the people inside are your neighbors:

• That kid who delivers your dinner may be trying to pay for college or his car insurance. He might attend your alma mater or the high school you drove by to get to the store.
• That "older lady" who was your cashier today is trying to pay her bills because Social Security just doesn't cover her needs. She could live in the same senior apartment complex as your aunt, or the one near your house.
• The manager who looks frazzled works hard to make sure everything runs smoothly while trying to make a living to support his wife and children who might go to school with your kids.. 

Yes - even when we shop at Target, WalMart, CVS, Costco or Lowe's we are supporting our local economy. When you patronize those stores, you are helping to pay their salaries, and they can in turn buy things - maybe from a local shop or artisan.

SO PLEASE - shop with local merchants any time you can. Buy from local farmers, artisans, and restaurateurs. Shop as locally as you can. Start with the independents, then with the close by chain stores, remembering that you are supporting neighbors and the local economy. When you do shop online, those products must be delivered to your door, so you are still supporting someone local: that delivery guy or the mail carrier is a local resident.

What are YOUR thoughts? How do YOU support your local economy?