Small Businesses Fight Recession with Buy-Local Campaigns
According to a BusinessWeek article by John Tozzi last Friday, small businesses have had some success fighting this recession with buy-local campaigns. In cities across the nation independents have encouraged consumers to buy locally with cooperation from members, local government, and media, and although buy-local is not brand new, there is evidence that it’s contributing to a lesser decline in sales recently. According to the BusinessWeek article and a survey by the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis, independent retailers in cities with buy-local campaigns saw holiday sales fall 3.2% from the prior year, while those in cities with no such movements recorded a 5.6% drop.
Buy-local campaigns begin with educating people about the value of supporting independent businesses. Then through advertising, coupon books, buy-local days or weeks, and other efforts, members jointly promote shopping at their businesses. According to the article and Big-Box Swindle author Stacey Mitchell, at least 130 of these groups have been founded since 1998.
The argument for buying locally is three-fold. The first is an economic argument; campaigns argue that supporting local independent business will return money and jobs to the community, rather than to chains with headquarters and suppliers elsewhere. The second is a green argument that is increasingly embraced by consumers wishing to reduce carbon emissions associated with shipping goods long distances. And the third argument is one of aesthetics and customer service. How can you put a price on the character and charm that a variety of smaller unique businesses bring to a community and its shopping experience?
