By Albert B. Kelly
This past weekend, Black Friday and “Small Business Saturday” marked the official start to the 2013 holiday shopping season. One of the great appeals to “Small Business Saturday” is the message to shop local. For smaller communities, that message is more than just a marketing ploy for the holiday season; it’s a key part of economic and community revitalization.
I say that, because the way we do business; the way we shop and how we interact with the economy are markedly different now than even just a couple of decades ago. With the rise of the internet and the emergence of the multinational big box retailers, it’s easy to conclude that smaller brick and mortar stores are no longer relevant. But I think we need to be deliberate about how we shop and where spend our money.
At first glance, the decision about where to shop would likely be based on where consumers can get the best deal. That’s perfectly valid but I don’t think “price” should be the only consideration. At a time when residents are concerned about the health of their respective communities, shopping locally- in other words, making the decision to purchase something from a local small brick and mortar store is actually helping the community to grow economically.
Care as we might, it’s not enough to complain about the lack of growth in downtown along with the lack of jobs; yet every dollar we spend is away from the small business and into the pockets of the large big box retailers with stores on four continents and shareholders who need profit every quarter. If we want our downtown to grow, then we need to help keep our small businesses viable by spending money at these stores. If we want some job growth, then we need to spend some money with those small businesses who would be the job creators.
It’s part of being an educated shopper. This idea is not too far-fetched. Every day we make decisions about whether to pay a little more money for an organically grown product or an American-made product. We read labels about calories and sugar content and we can decide between low sodium and gluten-free; so we can include the decision to shop local as opposed to shopping large-in bulk- and for the lowest common denominator as well.
Having said that though, there’s something that needs to be said for the other side of this equation, the side controlled by the local merchant, and it’s along the lines of accessibility. What I mean to say is that many small businesses (local merchants) open at 9:00 am and close at 4:00pm or 5:00pm thereby limiting potential customers. Yet, most people work during the day and they do their shopping in the evenings from 5:00pm on.
If the small businesses are closed when these people are able to shop, that money is going to go to whoever is open. You will note that big box retailers in malls and chain stores stay open until 9:00pm or even 10:00pm and they get these retail dollars. If the small business owner wants a shot at competing for those dollars, they need to be available when people get off of work in the evening and do their shopping.
I realize it’s a lot like the question about the chicken and the egg. What comes first; the shoppers that justify staying open later or staying open later to attract the shoppers? I also realize that small businesses have a much smaller margin for error; but has closing earlier in the day worked in terms of boosting volume?
A change like this takes time, because aside from the later hours, there will be a need to advertise that fact and allow time enough for the shopping public to know you’re an option when they get done with the working part of the day. For our part, shoppers need to feel safe, so structuring police patrols and ensuring accessible parking is also part of the mix as well.
Beyond the obvious, when I think of small businesses and downtown, it hints at the theme from “Cheers” with the thought that “everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came”. It speaks to personal service and a relationship with the vendor, not just a brand.
The bottom line is that shopping local or “shopping small” is not just a marketing hit for a Saturday or a weekend once a year; it’s an economic development strategy that everyone can pursue together. It’s a choice that calls on residents to be deliberate in their shopping and merchants to be equally as deliberate in their approach to wooing these local retail dollars, while calling on local government to help ensure a safe and convenient environment. If we can do that this holiday season; then shopping small can turn out to be really big.