When You Should (and Shouldn't) Shop Local: Five Questions to Ask
People are PASSIONATE about shopping locally. And we get it (we are named Local Union, after all)! But what does shopping local actually mean for your community and when should we not shop local? We’ve curated five questions to ask yourself the next time you make a purchase.
Before we get to the questions, we want to talk about you and your community.
What do you think of when someone mentions your neighborhood or city? Nature, landscape, restaurants, shops?
Local Union believes small businesses literally shape our city: they make our towns unique and build a sense of culture, of identity. America’s most special cities, think Austin or Portland or Santa Fe or New Orleans, are globally known for their vibe, perpetuated by the business owners and residents. When a shop succeeds in the community, they provide more than just a product: they add local jobs, unique culture, charitable donations, and recirculate revenue back into the community (more on that later).
You have power with your purchases. Where you spend your money influences the economy you live in.
Recent studies have released incredible data on the impact of your money when spent locally versus online (say, at Amazon):
According to a Home Sweet Home study, local revenue returned to the community is 676% greater than Amazon. Averaged nationally, over 30% of a local shop’s revenue is returned to the community through labor, donations, procurement, etc. versus only 4% from Amazon. These numbers vary by state; Georgia is around the national average but Florida’s local return is over 1100% greater than Amazon. Wild!
Home Sweet Home: Locals vs. Amazon Study
Buy Locally, at a Chain, or Online? Five Questions to Ask Yourself
Because of tremendous benefits shopping locally produces, we typically default to “local is better.” However, we recognize there are times when making a purchase from a national retailer or an e-commerce giant makes sense.
Can I purchase the good I’m looking for locally? Is it sourced locally?
Some items are easy to find at your local shops. Others are more difficult. Ask yourself if an item can be physically be found locally and if so, is it sourced locally (original ingredients or products found near your community).
Every purchase you make can be evaluated, no matter how small or mundane. Brent needed a new dish sponge, which he usually bought from a grocery store. Yet our county is home to a large sponge dock and diving community so he visited a local gift shop to ask about their sponges. He bought local and even learned natural sponges are incredibly sustainable alternatives to synthetic grocery store sponges!
On the flip side, Maggie needed an internet router and no small business in our area had a quality selection. She turned to chain stores next (which return ~13% of revenue locally), searching Best Buy and Target.
Sometimes the biggest hurdle in shopping local is knowing what actually exists in your community. That’s why we are creating a one-stop online shop that hosts all your local Dunedin shops in one place - making it easier to buy local. Check it out here.
Is shopping local more expense than online or national stores?
Sometimes local has the product you’re looking for, but the price difference for the same products online is way cheaper. If you are extremely price sensitive, make the call.
We know supporting local tends to be a couple dollars higher (though one could argue the returned revenue in the community results in stronger economies, higher paying jobs, and more money in your pocket), but if the price difference is significant then make the call. We live in a free market after all and sometimes local just isn’t competitive enough.
Does the local product align with your values or quality standards?
Buying local doesn’t inherently mean the products are better. Consumer habits are unique to the individual and there are times where the product you’re seeking can be found locally; but the business values or quality standards aren’t a fit. For example, a local store may sell amazing candles but isn’t an inclusive place of business and you aren’t comfortable supporting them.
Fortunately we have the power as consumers to support and choose the businesses we purchase from. If a local shop has misaligned values or the quality isn’t up to your personal standards, take your business elsewhere.
If I can’t buy locally, are there any socially-responsible national brands I can support?
A great example of this exists in the cleaning supplies space. You can go to Target or Walmart and purchase Tide or any generic laundry detergent, but most local shops leave the cleaning supplies to the big players. On the national stage however, there are some great socially-responsible brands like Blueland who are interrupting what eco-friendly and sustainable cleaning looks like. Blueland is on a mission to reduce plastic and they sell cleaning tablets that deliver straight to your house (the tablets dissolve in water, saving shipping weight, emissions, and plastic bottles!).
Blueland’s mission: “Starting with cleaning products - items traditionally sold in disposable plastic bottles, we can eliminate over 100 billion single-use plastic bottles in the US alone because our cleaners live in reusable bottles.”
Blueland is a great example of a national brand filling the void in today’s market: cost effective, sustainable, and easily accessible! Check out our list of other national mission-based brands that are changing the way we live.
Do I need this item or are there any alternative options I could purchase instead?
Maggie has a rule: she finds a product she wants and then waits 24 hours before she buys it. If she still wants the item after the one full day, she feels confident the purchase will bring her joy and efficiency.
Still on the fence as to whether you need a specific purchase? Get a similar item at a thrift shop or second-hand from Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. You can test out the item for less money, more sustainably, and locally. Then if you really loved your purchase, upgrade later!
Many shops and companies let you try out products too. Whether they have 30-day guarantees or smaller samples to try, just ask!
Summed Up
Business owners are the backbone of our community culture and financially support our communities in a multitude of ways. Since we’ve started this endeavor, we’ve discovered incredible mission-based companies working in local communities to better their towns, cities, and culture. When in doubt, shop local.
At the same time, local is great but isn’t always better. Thinking about our daily routines and being conscientious is more important than the purchases themselves. Don’t forget that we all hold the economic power to influence the businesses that succeed. We encourage you to support places trying to make this world and the communities we live a better place for all.
What do you think? When should we shop local versus not? Comment below!