Wilson Roberts | opinion
Many people like to shop from national businesses, like Walmart or Best Buy. While this is an understandable choice – after all, these stores are convenient and familiar – we would benefit from doing more of our shopping from local businesses.
These businesses are good for the local community, and their success can bring us several benefits that might not be obvious at first.
One of the ways that these businesses are good for the community is that they keep local farmers and shop owners in business, which supports local economic opportunity. This is because these farmers and shop owners have to compete with well-established national chains, so supporting them helps them stay in business.
This means that they will be able to hire new employees for their businesses, which creates new job opportunities. Keeping these businesses in operation is also good for the community’s identity since the community won’t be completely dominated by McDonald’s and Walmart.
It’s true that what businesses are in a community is just one part of its identity, but it still shouldn’t be overlooked. Besides being good for the community’s economy and its identity, these businesses are also good for the climate.
This is because there will be fewer trucks and other vehicles driving long distances to deliver products to national businesses.
A key reason that people are hesitant to shop from these businesses is that they’re often more expensive to shop. This is a valid concern, although these businesses being more expensive does not mean we should avoid them completely.
You do not need to shop exclusively from them to have a positive impact, and not all local businesses are more expensive than national ones – in fact, they are sometimes less expensive. When you support local businesses, you are also supporting the local economy, the community’s identity, and the climate’s health.
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