Why You Need to Shop Local This Year
Small businesses have always had an uphill battle at this time of year. They just simply cannot compete with the crazy amount of money large corporations put into ads, marketing, and promotions over the holidays.
But this year, more than any other, we are calling on you to shop local and support small businesses who might otherwise be shutting their doors.
Maybe you are wondering why though. Why shop local right now? Well, here are some things to consider:
This year has been extremely turbulent for small businesses. Those that survived the initial shutdown are still struggling to recover and continue through the long-lasting and often-changing COVID-related regulations. By shopping local and supporting small businesses, you are giving a kickstart to your local economy and helping the businesses that make your community unique stay afloat.
Have you ever wished you could find something locally, but ended up just having to grab it off of Amazon? A lack of choice is a big issue even in larger cities, and it’s often because small businesses have not been able to compete. If you are wanting more choices in your community, then shopping local is a great way to achieve that and encourage it in your area.
When you shop local, you reduce your environmental impact because you are requiring less expenditure in your purchase! While we love online shopping too, there is a huge environmental cost. In fact, nearly a third of solid waste in the US comes from e-commerce packaging. That’s crazy!
If you are ready to support local and small this year, here are some ways to make it happen:
Commit to buying only small and local for your holiday gifts. Rutabaga’s Founder Krystal Cunillera and her family made a pact with each other to only buy small and local items this year.
“Although this is usually a (hard-to-reach) goal of mine, it can be done if you commit as a family. Yes, we won’t be able to afford as many ‘things’ as we would have if we bought from Amazon or other Big Box stores, but that’s OK! We’ve decided to plan ahead, buy with intention, and spend a bit more for a longer-lasting product.”Share the love on social media! Even if you are not able to support a particular business, a like, comment, or share on social media can go a long way. Reaching a new audience is especially hard during this week and your engagement on posts can help small businesses get the word out.
Write a review. Reviews on Yelp, Google, and other platforms can be extremely valuable for small businesses. It helps to build their credibility, tell people what it is like to shop at that business, and helps them gain more traction online. So, if you have some small businesses that you just love, take a moment to write a review about your experience!
While thinking through how this changes our usual gift giving, we realized that this adjustment is similar to how we think about toys at Rutabaga -- remove the pressure of consumerism, buy with intent, and focus on quality over quantity.
Shifting the way we think about gift giving for the holidays is very hard! But guess what?! Our kids are resilient, flexible, and willing to take on a challenge. Will you join us?