Shopping local -- only the burden of the end consumer?

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Here is something that has been nagging at me lately and I had an experience to illustrate the peeve. I’d like to hear what you feel about it.

Shopping local is something that has become a fairly common concept in my town – and rightly so! What I have observed though is that these small shops (lovely shops, btw) are really pushing the idea of shopping local – sort of profiting from the buy local trend - only, the don’t buy local themselves. You’ve got a “buy local” sign in the window of a South American import store and etc.

Just recently I was in a liquor store and the owner was complaining about “the evil empire” that is an only slightly larger store that I didn’t even know was a chain. But, as I looked around his shop, he didn’t sell any local booze, of which there is plenty.

So, there’s my rant. What do you all think about this?

[elanorh]

I think you're right, especially for food and drink establishments.

On the other hand, so much of our manufacturing has moved overseas, I think it's probably difficult sometimes for store owners to find sufficient quantities of locally-made items. Here in my town, we've got a local yarn producer and that's sold at both of the local yarn shops -- some of the boutiques carry locally-made small items that locals have peddled to them, and we do have an 'outlet' where people can buy booths and sell their items (kind of like a year 'round flea market).

We have a friend who has a sporting goods store. She can't purchase everything 'locally,' although she does buy as much as she can from nearby states (she has hats made in CO, etc.) - but she *does* do her best to buy Fair Trade items. I think if 'local/local' isn't possible, then organic/fair trade is the next best option.

[Noelle C.]

If they were selling things that can be made the same locally, you'd have a good point. You definitely do with that liquor store that doesn't even offer locally-made beers. However the store selling South American items that aren't made locally gets a pass on this one.

I'd much rather buy a poncho from a local shop that imported it from Mexico, an item not locally made at all, and have the tax money stay local and help that store keep someone employed, than to order it for the same price online, keeping the tax money out of the local system, and helping eliminate the job of the clerk who could have sold it to me.

For produce, I can go to the store and buy an avocado for $2 that was flown in from Brazil, or drive three minutes in the opposite direction and give a local farmer that $20 for an avocado grown about 20 yards from where I bought it. (Seriously! The local grocery store's avocados are from South America, despite there being avocado farms not even a full mile away.)

When items are produced locally, stores do need to make sure to provide those items, either in place of imports, as in the case of avocados, or alongside their other items (Sam Adams lager and a local lager are both lagers, but different flavors, so why not provide both?).

[IdentityCrisisMama]

I didn't know this ever got posted. I'm not used to the delay in posts for activism. Thanks for your replies.

I think you're right that it's a "do your best" sort of thing. I guess that, to me, you shouldn't be pushing the shop local idea as a local owner if you yourself don't shop local, yk?

OTOH, when I think of things like hardware stores (or outdoor stores and etc) that all get their supplies from the same place just about I do feel better about shopping local.

Hum...

Book stores too.

Maybe it's a matter of trying hard to stay competitive in the local market.

[calpurnia]

A shop just opened in my local market that sells only things (foodstuffs) from the local area. At the moment they include stuff purchased locally but their aim is to only sell stuff produced locally.

[laohaire]

I have totally mastered buying local foods, but not at all for other shopping. DH and I discuss it periodically. We don't have many choices in town; our local Walmart already ate them up some time ago. They are planning to build a Super Walmart now that will eat up the grocery stores in town next, and DH and I are going to be involved in the activism against that.

We think we'll follow a "buy small" guideline rather than "buy local" per se. So, if my only choices are WalMart and CVS (say, for a prescription), then CVS it is, even though it's a national chain itself. But more than that, by that guideline we would buy online from a WAHM over even buying the item locally from a chain store.

I think this guideline is in line with the ultimate goal - keeping our money from going to a monopoly. Yes, I would rather keep it in MY community, but if that's not feasible, I'm happy to send my money to another community, as long as it's some COMMUNITY I'm helping, and not a multinational empire.

But OP, you're right, the stores hopping on to the buy local movement need to make the same effort the consumers are. Not to mention that the localwashing should stop (I've heard some communities have, say, Target being listed as a "local store" - confusing less savvy people into thinking that the issue is shopping at your local brick and mortar big box over ordering from the same place online).

[morgainesmama]

I think businesses have a responsibility to think about sustainability and ethical business practices.

I sell a variety of products that I manufacture. One is not feasible to produce locally, and people carry it all over the world. Stores are happy to support my small business, and they know that I, in turn, support another small ethical business in my manufacturing.

Another product I make, however, is absolutely possible to keep local. So I make a huge effort to keep it local, the components local, the packaging local (though I'm sure it's not produced locally, I buy from a local company), etc. And again, sell it all over the world -- so that all over the world, people are supporting my New England business, which is, in turn, supporting other New England businesses.

Ideally, local stores should have a target of % of products to source locally. My youngest brother is opening a new Meat House in Saratoga Springs this week, and one thing I LOVE about the business model of the company is their emphasis on local supply chains, and on keeping a % of the brands they carry as local brands. I totally agree about liquor stores, for instance, supporting local breweries when possible, hardware stores seeking to keep a % of their supplies local, etc.

[mamatoablessing]

My husband and I own a small chain of health foods stores and do our best to buy products for our store that have been manufactured or grown locally. It's hard though. Many of our suppliers are in our state, which I do believe is considered local. When I buy our produce, I specifically look for items grown as close to us as possible. We make a huge effort to verify that our suppliers aren't manufacturing overseas, but we haven't been able to cease all buying from those who do. We also try very hard to support other local business. For example, we buy our business cards from a local printing shop. I could pay less for the same product on line, but its important to us to support other businesses the way we hope they support us.

Anyway, I'm not sure I added much but that's our take on it right now.