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A quarter of US shoppers have dumped favorite stores over political stances
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 19 Feb 2025
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Please if you have the opportunity to start buying from small businesses. It may be a bit more inconvenient and probably a bit more expensive but it is a great way to help out your neighbor.
Additionally the money you spend locally usually stays local and not go to a CEO or Chairman of the board that really doesn't need another vacation home in Italy or Aspen.
I struggle with this narrative, because it's just not that simple. This is pretty much just something that small business owners like to say to guilt people into buying their stuff. Small businesses still need to compete on price and quality.
Large retailers still employ local people, and your pension fund probably owns shares in them, or you can buy shares directly yourself.
Some small local retailers have very shady employment practices. I don't think employees are necessarily paid or treated better in small businesses. Some might be great, others are terrible.
Having said that, buying locally produced seasonal food directly from growers makes a lot of sense. Fresher, more nutritious, fewer food miles, less middle men.
Basically, local Butcher baker and green grocer.
It really is that simple. Sure the big box stores hire local but the money doesn't stay local if there are no smaller shops. Their paychecks go to other large corporations that have their big box stores in the area. So no money actually helps the businesses but instead just enriches a small group of people that really don't give a shit about the people of the town.
This isn't a guilt trip to get you to buy local, this is the truth. It's been happening since the 80's starting with Walmart.
Small business can't compete on price but a good business will compete and win on quality. It means that their products will be more expensive and I get that some people will not be able to afford it. But for those people that have the means its a win-win for the business and the consumer.
Some small businesses have shady employment practices, so do large corporations and every sized business in between. This isn't a good argument not to try to buy more locally, but it is a good argument for better labor laws.
So local butcher's, bakers and green grocers somehow get a pass on possibly having shady employment practices?
Aren't you advocating then that people are taking from the pension plans of large grocery stores by buying local ?
Settle down mate.
I don't think you really understand pension plans.
When you shop at a large conglomerate store, the profit goes to shareholders. Most people are shareholders.
A small business owner is just as likely to spend the profit on an overseas holiday.
The idea that buying local helps your local economy is reductive, and doesn't bear scrutiny. The only reason it's a popular idea is that local business owners like to say it.
This doesn't play out in the data. Analysis of the Fed data found that the lion’s share of these gains went to the richest 1 percent. This elite group owns 54 percent of public equity markets, up from 40 percent in 2002.
Most people that work these in these large big box shops are not making enough to invest significantly in the stock market. Who are are the owners of these big box stores.
Also this idea all small business owners are some large conglomerate of self-righteous all for me fuck you doesn't play out over the larger population. Sure some people are but you are also making sound bad that someone that was successful with their small business shouldn't travel?
What do you think the owners of these large companies like target and walmart are doing with their profit? Not all of that is going to pension plans.
Also, this idea that big conglomerate stores are some how the savior of the free market is a weird hill to die on.
Do you mean to tell me that wealthy people own most things? I'm shocked!
I didn't say mum and dad own Walmart. My point us simply that the "buy local" catch cry of small business owners isn't as simple as you're making out.
Again, I didn't say small business owners aren't allowed to go overseas. Merely that there's no guarantee that buying local means your money stays local.