03-10-2010, 11:04 PM
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#31 (permalink)
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immoral minority
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I don't really want to bring up this again, but I got an ad in my mail about why buying from small local vendors is better for the community.
Quote:
10 Great Reasons To Shop Locally
1. Keep money in the neighborhood.
A recent study in Chicago showed that locally owned businesses recirculate 70% more money back into the local community than chain stores, per square foot occupied. A space filled with a local business rather than a chain puts more dollars back into YOUR neighborhood.
2. Embrace what makes us different.
The City of Akron and the surrounding suburbs makes us a city of neighborhoods - where we shop, where we eat and where we hang out. Chain business change the character of our neighborhoods. If we wanted to live someplace that looked like everywhere else, we wouldn’t be living in the Akron area.
3. Get better service.
In a local business, you know the person behind the counter and they know you. They have a deep understanding of the products they’re selling and they take time to service their customers.
4. Create and keep good jobs.
Small businesses are the largest employer nationally, and small businesses account for the vast majority of job growth. Locally owned businesses are far less
likely to pull up stakes and move operations to another city or country, taking their jobs with them.
5. Promote competition and diversity.
A multitude of small businesses, each selecting products based on the needs of their local customers and not on a national sales plan, guarantees a much broader range of product choices.
6. Help out the environment.
Locally owned businesses can make more local purchases, requiring less transportation, and they generally set up shop in commercial corridors rather than developing on the fringe. This means less sprawl, congestion, habitat loss and pollution.
7. Support community groups.
Non-profits receive an average 350% more support from local business owners than they do from non-locally owned
businesses.
8. Put your taxes to good use.
Local businesses in neighborhoods need comparatively less infrastructure investment and make more efficient use of public services as compared to nationally owned stores entering the community.
9. Vote with your dollars.
A study in Austin, TX showed that if each household redirected just $100 of planned holiday spending from chain stores to locally owned merchants, the local economic impact would reach approximately
$10 million.
10. Invest in the community.
Local businesses are owned by people who live here, work here and are invested in the community with much more than just their dollars.
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