STIMULATING THE LOCAL BUSINESS ECONOMY

When you make a purchase from a local business, that business owner will often make purchases locally. A locally owned business will typically purchase goods and services from other local businesses. In the case of chain stores, the management typically purchase product centrally, in a faraway city or country. Many of the outside business-related services such as advertising and computer services are sourced far away resulting in very little local economic impact.

MORE LOCAL INVESTMENT

When you shop locally you make an investment in your community. That is because local businesses are much more involved in the community both culturally and financially. Big corporations being run by a board of directors somewhere in another city have little motivation to become vested in the local community. Local business people are much more likely to be involved in local organizations and events, politics and are often property owners.

CREATE MORE LOCAL CHARACTER

Some people like to shop at the big corporate chains. They like the way that every store on the planet has every product in exactly the same place. Others of us like character. We shop locally so that the purchases that we make are more unique to us.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

When you shop locally the odds are that the merchant has sourced at least some of the products in the local community. Products that are produced locally have two benefits with regard to the environment. Firstly, the product does not have to be shipped as far as others. And, local producers are more likely than international companies to be concerned about their impact on pollution and energy use.

CONTINUALLY BUILDING COMMUNITY

This one is simple. When you personally know the merchant from whom you make a purchase you have a connection to that person. Connections to your neighbours make for community, and feeling connected to their community makes people feel good about their lives in general.

BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SATISFACTION

We all know that if you make a purchase at a local merchant that the business owner is typically close at hand and if there is a concern with the product or service that the owner will make it right. Local business owners have a lot at stake and they know that alienating a customer will have a huge impact on business. On the other hand, in a chain store, the person in charge is typically just a manager with little control over business policy. He or she can only do what the management at head office permits. In corporate chains, one customer is rarely a huge importance because there are thousands of other customers and locations where the company can make future sales.

ADD TO CULTURAL DIVERSITY

When you purchase a product from a chain store, the odds are that the purchasing department had a very narrow view of the products purchased. A big corporation can only have a limited number of products for sale so they must choose the most generic products hoping to appeal to the largest number of customers. When you shop locally, the business owner has the option of tailoring his or her product line toward any demographic they choose, and they often have the flexibility to source custom products for their customers quickly and easily.

SUPPORT FOR THE COMMUNITY

In addition to giving higher paying jobs to local citizens, small businesses often contribute much more to local charities and organizations. Local businesses often donate to charities, but they also sponsor local teams and they advertise in local publications and at area events. Big corporations donate to charities too, but the money often goes to huge organizations in faraway places, not to the local underprivileged