Shopping locally will make a difference
I recently read that small business employs a whopping 97% of all employees. I’m not quite sure how they came up with this number, and you know what everyone says about statistics…that 48.7% of all of them are made up on the spot.
Yes, I made that one up.
The real fact, however, is that small biz is what this country was built on, long before the industrial revolution.
Today, it is what I look for when I shop. I support CSA, community supported agriculture. I actively seek out “mom and pop” shops for coffee, lunch, and other shopping endeavors.
Yes, I shop on the internet, and I do shop at the large chain stores from time to time. If I knew where to get these things without going on the internet or going to a Kohl’s or Target, then I would do so. I also recognize that sometimes you can’t get around finding what you need at a larger store.
What I’d really like to do, however, is to raise everyone’s awareness about shopping locally.
When you shop at a large department store approximately 17 cents of every dollar stays in your community (usually in the form of taxes). When you shop at a locally owned small biz, between 48 and 78 cents stays in the community.
That’s a HUGE difference.
A grass roots movement is afoot around the country to raise the awareness of people to this fact. The economic forecast is pretty grim. However, if we try to spend more of our money locally, we might just turn things around.
Let’s do our part. Shop locally. Encourage others to do the same.
If we can even persuade people to spend $50 to $100 locally this holiday season rather than at a large chain store or the internet, we will be making a significant change in our communities. Let me know what you’re doing to make a difference.
I welcome any and all comments.
SmallBizBits 