Small Business Saturday – Shop Local and Enjoy the Perks

Today is Small Business Saturday and I encourage you to give the hardworking people in small business a shot at some of your money. Most small businesses are working hard to give you a more personalized level of customer service along with providing you a lot of value for your money. They care about their community more then you can imagine. Stop by, get to know the employees of your local businesses. Most of them love talking to their customers and learning from them.

When thinking about a purchase I encourage you to consider the total cost and the value of your time. Often your overall cost is not less when buying the cheapest item. Your small business are experts in their fields and they can save you hours in research and know what works best in the local area. In many cases you can “see it feel it and test” at your local business. Maybe even take one for a demo. At the end you are much more likely to end up with the right item for your needs the first time. Your purchase will be delivered as an item that has been tested to make sure it works as it is suppose to. The local business will be there for your future support needs should they arise. Often local businesses provide add on services and little to no additional charge. You’ll avoid the hassle of returns, long periods of time on hold waiting for customer service and extra time doing your own trouble shooting. All of this will free you up to spend more time enjoying your purchase and spending time in other areas of your life.

 Local Businesses

Local businesses reinvest in your local economy and generate sales tax revenue and other tax revenue. Money spent at large corporations or on-line generally take the majority of money out of your local economy. Why is this important? Well much of the middle class jobs are jobs that support business in your local economy. The accountants, lawyers, bookkeepers, bankers, insurance agents and the list goes on. As local businesses closes, whether it is retail or service oriented, not only do those jobs go away but there becomes less demand for the companies/jobs that support those companies. A ripple affect starts to build.

It is these local businesses and business owners who support their local communities outside of their business areas. They are donating goods, services and time to the community. Have you every been to a fund-raiser? Where did most of those donations come from? Local businesses. Spend a September in a local business and you’ll soon know may of the hard working volunteers of all the local schools and sports clubs as they reach out for donations. Have you ever seen a donation from Amazon there? Doubt it. Now some larger corporations work hard to support local fund-raisers. This is the exception not the rule generally.

Our system of commerce is changing at a rapid rate. Our economy is adapting slowly. (in my opinion) Our workforce is certainly not changing at a fast enough speed. It is an exciting time if you are in retail currently.

Most of us like to save money and it is smart to stretch your dollars as far as you can. I get it, and like many of us you probably have areas where you invest more because it is something you love to do (likely your hobbies) and other areas where it is more about the functionality of the item. Yet it is important to think about how and where you spend your money. Of course there is the convenience of on-line shopping but when you shop there your money leaves the local economy and thus affects your local economy and local jobs.

Want more? Here is a post that provides a little more information: http://pedalations.com/my-thoughts/small-business-saturday/

Still want more? Some sales tax info: http://pedalations.com/my-thoughts/sales-tax-why-it-is-important/