SHOP LOCAL FOR THE HOLIDAYS | GET INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT
ART BY LOCAL ARTIST RONNI HARRIS
Local
matters
HERE’S WHY
It’s easy to forget that shopping local helps your community and state in
many, many ways. From tax dollars to supporting mom-and-pop businesses, the
benefits are myriad.
Spend local and more stays local
Numerous studies have analyzed the way money recirculates, and most
agree that money spent locally has a much higher chance of staying in the
community.
A study commissioned by the British Columbia division of the Canadian
Union of Public Employees found that for every $1 million in sales,
independent retail stores generate $450,000 in local economic activity,
compared to just $170,000 for chains. Among restaurants, the figures are
$650,000 for independents and $300,000 for chains.
Across both sectors, this translates into about 2.6 times as many local jobs
created when spending is directed to independent businesses instead of chains.
The study concludes that a shift of just 10 percent of the market from chains to
independents would produce 31,000 jobs paying $940 million in annual wages
to workers.
More stable jobs
Economists at Yale University and the University of Bristol found that in
times of high unemployment, small businesses both retain and create more jobs
than large firms. During the recession of March 2008 to March 2009, the
employment growth rate of large employers fell 1.65 percent more than the
growth rate of small employers, compared with the previous year. In every
other recession and recovery period in the study’s sample, large firms took
years to recover relative to small firms.
It’s better for the community
A study by a professor at Baylor University found strong positive
relationships between local ownership, firm size and employee loyalty, which
they refer to as organizational commitment.
Using data from a nationally representative public opinion survey, the study
found that 57.2 percent of small firm workers scored in the highest commitment
category, compared to 40.5 percent of large firm workers. They found a similar
relationship for ownership, with 56 percent of workers at locally owned firms
having high commitment scores, compared with just 38.7 percent of workers
at non-locally owned firms.
When the researchers plotted the scores on a 16-point commitment scale,
the authors found that, together, the two civic measures accounted for as much
as a 1.7 point increase in organizational commitment, effects.
12 • HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS 2017 • WWW.DAILYASTORIAN.COM
GREAT DEALS
CUSTOMER SERVICE
Businesses everywhere are offering sales and specials to
attract shoppers as the economy continues to recover. That’s
especially true for small, locally owned mom-and-pop stores in
your community.
Browse the The Daily Astorian for ads from stores on the
North Coast to see what kind of deals they’re offering. Not only
will it help you save money, but it can also give you ideas for what
gifts to buy for people on your shopping list.
Some businesses seem to have lost the art of pleasing
customers.
When you shop at businesses in your own community,
though especially the locally owned stores that have built their
reputations on good, old-fashioned personal care – you’re much
more likely to get a great shopping experience.
COMMUNITY
The idea of shopping somewhere with managers and
employees who actually know their customers on a personal basis
may seem foreign, but that personal touch still exists in every city
in America.
One of the great things about shopping locally is getting to
know people on a personal level.
By spending your money in your own community, you’re
helping your friends and neighbors who live in town and work at
small businesses.
You’re not dealing with out-of-town strangers who you’ll
never meet again. Instead, you’re more likely to recognize
familiar faces you’ve seen before at the grocery store, at church
or at your workplace.
PEOPLE WHO CARE
THE WHOLE CITY BENEFITS
Where you choose to shop this Christmas doesn’t only matter
to you and the shopkeeper. It also matters to your whole city.
You can bring a big win to your community by spending your
money locally, which supports the services we enjoy all year long.