TMCnet News
Buy local this holiday season [Capital (Annapolis, MD)](Capital (Annapolis, MD) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The holidays are upon us, and this year online retail king Amazon is making it easier than ever for you to compare prices and order items with your smartphone using their handy Amazon Mobile App. You can scan a barcode while you're standing in your local store, order on the spot, and your purchase will be delivered to your home or the recipient of your choice - no need to bother with standing in lines and juggling shopping bags. Don't take the bait! Shopping online may seem easy, but it's devastating to our local economy. For every dollar spent in an independently-owned local business, 68 cents stays in our community. If you spend that same dollar online, none of it does. How many employees from your online retailer work in our community? Do they pay property taxes here, supporting our schools and other government services? Do they buy ads in the programs for your children's school yearbooks and pay for uniforms for local sports teams? "Buy local" is more than just a slogan - it's quickly becoming the key to survival and for many of our local retailers and restaurants. How many of us of late have heard of a local store or restaurant that has closed its doors, only to think "I wish I'd stopped there more often?" Recognizing the challenge of encouraging people to spendmore in a declining economy, Cinda Baxter of Minneapolis, Minn. founded The 3/ 50 Project in March 2009. The premise is simple: Pick three independent businesses that you'd be sad to lose, and spend an extra $50 a month between them each month. If every employed person in America did that, we'd generate $42.6 billion annually in additional revenue - now that's a stimulus plan that Main Street can get behind, and it doesn't cost a dime of government money. The 3/50 Project isn't the only one acknowledging the role of small, independent businesses in America - American Express is leading the promotion of the second annual "Small Business Saturday" on Nov. 27. Strategically placed between "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday," American Express and its partners are asking shoppers to visit their local small businesses that Saturday, and share their favorites with friends on Facebook, a supporter of the promotion). How local is local? This question came up at a recent meeting of Chamber executives - and certainly we all encourage residents to shop the businesses closest to home first. Your local Chamber's website is a great place to start for a list of businesses who are contributing to the community. If what you're looking for isn't available in your immediate community, shop strategically. Anne Arundel County first, Maryland next, online as a last resort, if at all. Local businesses employ your neighbors, pay state and local taxes, purchase supplies and services from other area businesses, and contribute to community organizations. While national retailers, particularly "big box" stores, don't contribute as much economically as independents, they're still a better option than buying online, with between 13 and 43 cents remaining in the economy through payroll, sales and property taxes, and locally-purchased supplies. Again, thinking before you shop is the answer. Ordering flowers from your local florist instead of grabbing a bouquet at the grocery store will have a lot more impact on her bottom line, and they'll probably last longer. But for items you can't find in an independently owned store, better to buy from a "local" department store than order online and send your money out of state. In an effort to raise awareness about the importance of buying local, the West County Chamber is rolling out a new "Buy Local" decal for area businesses. There's no charge for participating, and you don't need to be a Chamber member. Just call the Chamber office at 410-672-3422 or email [email protected] and we'll be happy to send you one. Take the challenge this holiday season - buy local. Support the businesses who support our economy and our community. For more information on The 3/50 Project, visit www.the350project.net. For information on Small Business Saturday, visit www.smallbusinesssaturday.com. --- Claire Louder is the president and CEO of the West Anne Arundel County Chamber of Commerce. Email her at clouder@west countychamber.org Commerce. (c) 2011 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |