Over the last few years, you may have seen the hashtag #supportlocal pop up everywhere. Consumers are now slowly transitioning from large retailers to supporting their own communities by purchasing from smaller local shops. So why would a consumer support their local businesses? Well, there are benefits we just can’t possibly get from shopping at large retailers. Here are some of our top reasons to support your local entrepreneurs.
Buying locally grown food has numerous health benefits for you and your family! When you buy from local farmers, you have access to fruits and vegetables that you know are free of pesticides, as well as grass-fed meats, free range eggs, and dairy from grass-fed cows. These foods can help with food sensitivities since locally grown foods are free of hormones, and any other preservatives and additives. You mind can be at ease knowing exactly where your food came from, and how it was grown.
When a consumer buys local, more of that money stays in the community. We want to keep money in our city, don’t we?
Local business owners often support other local businesses, which allows developing relationships for both business and personal reasons. Chain businesses, on the other hand, tend to get their supplies from corporations and have employees working for them that are less invested in supporting the local economy.
Vibe check! Personally knowing the people behind the businesses where you’re buying from feels good. You can enjoy a connection you would not otherwise have. Along with the rest of the community, you celebrate when a favourite local business succeeds because you have established a meaningful relationship. This personal connection isn’t present with larger chain corporations.
Having the owner nearby also means that the owner knows his customers. He knows the products you buy or the services you request on a regular basis and can tailor services to make your experience better. A local gardening shop owner may learn about a new product on the market that can help you with a pest control problem you mentioned on one of your visits, for instance, and can order that product as part of his selections.
Buying local has benefits beyond mere convenience. When you support local business owners, you get a better level of service, as well as helping make your community a better place to live. This is in addition to the health benefits and access to unique products that you usually can’t find with chain locations.
Local businesses give a community its unique character. Cities across Canada have similar chain restaurants, grocery and department stores but that diner down the street where you have breakfast every Saturday morning is one-of-a-kind. The combined presence of your town’s many local businesses makes it different from every other city in the world. By supporting those businesses instead of chains, you ensure that uniqueness is preserved as a part of your community.
If you’ve ever dealt with a large corporation, you know getting help can be a nightmare. You’ll call a 1-800 number, only to be transferred seven times and put on hold. Has anyone else experienced this? Even when you speak to a customer service representative, that person is so far removed from the decision-making process, there’s little to no concern that they will lose you as a customer.
When you shop local, the business owner is usually directly connected to every employee in the store. That leads to a personal approach that often means any problem you have is taken seriously. You can’t say no to that.
Take action today! You can start small like buying eggs and vegetables from your local grocery store or farmers market instead of the large chain supermarkets.
