Go Local For A Greener And Richer Community!

A few days ago, I needed a pair of shoes badly and was contemplating a good buy. The posh store selling international brands next door flaunts of some really awesome footwear. I am tempted to buy my new pair from there but nowhere else. But then, the present day altruistic movement of encouraging local business for a number of community benefits is coaxing my ethical senses. Therefore I want to weigh the pros and cons of making local purchases. Here are some reasons that seem to surface when you compare a local purchase with a non-local purchase.

Why I should make a local purchase:

• Coming to the quality of products, local markets have pulled up very much in their standards. If not better, you can expect local made products as not bad. Of course, in no way they come close to branded products in terms of their features or make but in no way they are bad. In any case, these days even branded products don’t last you a lifetime, if you’re thinking about durability. Yes, when it comes to fashion wear, there’s nothing better than those glitzy ones on the shelves of those international retail outlets. So you make your pick based on these factors.
• In the present times, buying in the local market is encouraged for a number of reasons towards community welfare. By buying local products you are letting more of your money circulate within your town rather than let it go outside. This helps in building up the economic stamina of your town which can become self sufficient and save you a lot of hassles.
• Buying local products benefits the non-profit organizations of the community as they profit more than two and a half times from small local businesses than the larger national or international businesses.
• A local self sufficient unit attracts a lot of tourist attention too. Imagine; if your town were a tourist spot where tourists can get everything unique for the place from A-Z you can expect people to be satisfied.
• Pro-environmental movements might have already educated you on why they are so eager to promote local purchase by you. It saves environment from getting polluted with the exhaust fumes and noise of transports. But I believe this does not make much of a difference because in the local market, some commodities might be dirty and polluted. Think about vegetables like potatoes that come straight from the farms. They have soil, dust and grime on them.
• By purchasing local products you are encouraging the small business owners to grow their businesses and employ more people than they previously did. Now in this way you are the cause of creating job opportunities for people who would have not got a chance to earn their livelihood.
• If you want to be treated like a special customer with all your needs taken care of, you can buy local. The local merchants will have better knowledge of your exact requirements. Moreover, they will produce only those things that you want. Maybe in a supermarket you may not get an item specific for your region. I wanted a traditional variety of tea that I failed to get in a supermarket but got readily in a local market.
• As a local market is set up by permanent residents of your community by purchasing their products you are building up the community by winning their goodwill.
• A local business does not need a lot of investment. You can also set up a small unit of yours if you want to and use public utility services more than big national businesses.
• Local businesses can be built up on products that are specifically required in a particular community. So, you get a chance to buy things that are unique to your community. But if you were to buy from a standardized departmental store you might not get exactly what you want. In this sense, the local market offers you more variety than the supermarket.
• Buy encouraging local business you are actually helping in the development of a community with its own unique identity. Your community can develop products that other people might find only in your community. This will enhance your business further.

Though there are a lot of advantages of going local, it does not seem that non-local businesses are going to wind up soon. We are so very accustomed to buying non-local products from the supermarket that quite a few of us will not be convinced into buying things from the local market.