The Importance of Buying Local
Posted by
tgirsch
The Shepherd Express, Milwaukee’s indie paper, has a good article on the importance of buying local:
A 2002 Economic Impact Analysis in Austin, Texas, was one of the first major studies to examine the impact of shopping at local businesses versus national chains. It found that for every $100 spent at a local bookstore or CD store, $45 stayed in the local economy. For every $100 spent at Borders, however, the local economic impact was only $13. A study in Maine the following year yielded similar results: Shopping local kept three times more money in the local economy than shopping at chains.
[Emphasis mine]
Something to think about the next time you’re headed toward Barnes & Noble.
(Unless, of course, you’re a libertarian, in which case, screw the local economy and buy what’s cheapest. In fact, buy from somewhere out of state so you can skate on sales taxes, too…)
of course that also means no online purchasing..
Comment 11/29/2007
well, it only means no online purchasing if there is a local alternative. some places that can be reached by delivery services such as the USPS or UPS do not have the goods that can be ordered from Powells.com or wherever. yes: there are, in fact, towns without bookstores. i’ve driven through them. i haven’t stayed long.
Comment 11/29/2007
Actually, if you read the article, it means shifting as little as 10% of your spending to local businesses, to start to make a real impact. But otherwise, yes, I agree with r@d@r — shop local alternatives whenever possible.
My wife and I have done this with groceries for several years now. There are two local, independent grocery stores where we do the bulk of our shopping. We go to the chain places only for the stuff we can’t get at the local stores. It means an extra stop, yes, but it also means supporting local entrepreneurs and the local economy.
Sadly, I don’t have much choice with hardware. The nearest independent hardware store is almost 20 minutes away; they moved after a Home Depot opened in the neighborhood. All the more reason to support the local guys when possible.
Comment 11/29/2007
How about your neighbors who work at the chain stores? I suppose all of them should know not to work at a non-local store. However, they should spend their money they make at the chain stores at the local mom and pop store. Why are the people in your local area more important than those in another place? They need to support their families, too. I thought you liberals were more open-minded and caring for all humanity. It appears you are very narrowminded.
Comment 11/29/2007
Obviously the local alternative caveat is the same for national chains and online purchasing. Perhaps the best way to respond to that clarification would be… duh!
Another reason to buy local is it will, in general, reduce your carbon footprint since bulk transportation will be reduced. Of course this might not apply if “local” buying entails a 20 mile drive to the mom and pop instead of a 2 mile drive to the big box.
Comment 11/29/2007
So first buying stuff from other countries was evil.
Then buying from other states was evil.
Now buying from anyplace not within walking distance is evil.
Why don’t we just follow the “logic” to its conclusion and ban all trade. People can only use things they make for themselves.
Comment 11/29/2007
Who would have thought that giving a shit about your local economy would be so controversial? The conservative/libertarian types never cease to amaze…
Morris:
A few people giving preference to smaller shops is highly unlikely to drive the big box chains out of business, so your fat cat corporate interests can rest easy, and the ordinary folks who work for them haven’t go much to fear, either.
But it shouldn’t surprise me that you don’t care how much (or how little) of your spending dollar supports your own local economy. You conservatives just move whenever the neighborhood takes a turn for the worse, and sigh about what a shame it is, without ever pausing to consider how your own actions factor in.
Stormy:
I thought I already covered your point of view with the “screw the local economy” bit.
And, of course, only in the infantile mind of a libertarian can “show a preference toward buying from local purveyors” be construed as anti-trade Communist propaganda…
Comment 11/29/2007
Well, sadly my perfidious non-localism includes scandalous habit of screwing the local economy by passing of our domestically produced TV programming for British Comedies.
I’m unfortunately not capable of taking seriously a political movement that seems to have been inspired by Edward and Tubbs Tattysyrup.
Comment 11/30/2007
Another great momment in the Roysten Vasey ‘Buy Local’ movement as Edward and Tubbs single-handedly prevent an attempted screwing of the local economy.
Comment 11/30/2007
“But it shouldn’t surprise me that you don’t care how much (or how little) of your spending dollar supports your own local economy. You conservatives just move whenever the neighborhood takes a turn for the worse, and sigh about what a shame it is, without ever pausing to consider how your own actions factor in.”
LOL And you say I avoid serious discussions. Why don’t you answer my questions for once?
Comment 11/30/2007
Stormy:
I’m unfortunately not capable of taking seriously a political movement that seems to have been inspired by Edward and Tubbs Tattysyrup.
That’s rich, coming from a guy whose political movement was started by Ayn Rand…
Morris:
And you say I avoid serious discussions.
I don’t believe I’ve ever said that to anyone named “Morris.” I know I’ve said it to a long-since-departed troll named Fred…
In any case, I’m not sure what question I’ve failed to answer, unless it’s your straw man about people in the local area somehow being “more important” than people elsewhere. Nobody has argued any such thing, and it doesn’t logically follow from anything I’ve argued. It’s a simple matter of what you do and don’t have control over. By shopping locally, you’re exercising more control over where your money winds up. As a conservative, you of all people should be cognizant of keeping an eye on where your money goes.
Besides, there’s nothing wrong or in any way “anti-liberal” about taking care of your own house before you move on to somebody else’s.
Comment 11/30/2007