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Editorial
All things considered, local shopping is a bargain
Friday, November 21, 2014
UPS, FedEx and the U.S. Postal Service are busier than ever delivering packages as Internet shopping become easier and more popular.
That package comes at the cost of knowing that anyone with a Wifi connection and a credit card can buy the same thing. And, with the knowledge that the dollars spent go into the pocket of some Internet billionaire or the Chinese government, which owns the factory where the gift was produced.
But there are many other disadvantages to hitting that "buy with 1 click" button you might not think of.
Do you enjoy unique shopping experiences?
Why not encourage your friends and neighbors to keep their local stores open by checking out their selections first. Maybe you'll find a gift produced by the craftsman down the street or the next town down the road.
Perhaps you'll help support a stay-at-home mom who is sharing her talents by creating hand-made craft items or foods.
Online shopping is a lonely business. There's nothing better to get you into the holiday spirit than a trip to the mom-and-pop store downtown, where you're more likely to encounter friends and neighbors you haven't seen in a while.
We're always hearing about how shopping locally helps build our local economy -- each dollar spent locally returns at least three times more money to local business people than money spent at a chain.
More and more online retailers are requiring shoppers to pay sales taxes, but buying from a local store channels a lot more money into local governments than any Internet sale. That helps keep your property and sales taxes lower and helps provide the schools, infrastructure and services that make our community an attractive place to live.
For sure, it's not always possible to find just the item we want or need from a local source at a price we can afford.
But we owe it to ourselves and our community to give our friends and neighbors at local businesses a chance to provide the items we need. Don't be surprised, once all the factors are considered, if that local purchase turns out to be a real bargain.