Ah, the joy of shopping locally — the variety of high-quality products, all locally sourced and made. We can’t imagine anything better than that. But if shopping locally is as good as we’re making it seem, why don’t other people do it? We can’t speak for everyone, but we know everything has its pros and cons, so we can talk about objective reasons why they might choose to stay away from local businesses.
So, let’s assume that many people don’t know the positive impact shopping locally brings. They don’t know about environmental or economic changes that come with choosing local instead. We don’t blame them for that, mainly because people are accustomed to going to places that make life convenient. And we’re not saying shopping locally is an inconvenience, but it does have some drawbacks.
That’s why we want to talk to you about the pros and cons, so you can make an informed decision on whether you should shop locally or not.
The Pros
Since we’re passionate about supporting local businesses, we want to start with the pros. Trust us when we say that the list of pros can stretch forever, but we’ll try to include the most important ones. So, here are the pros of shopping locally:
- Environmental impact (fewer greenhouse gasses and other kinds of pollution)
- Supports the local and global economies
- Helps expand the local workforce
- Accelerates community growth and promotes prosperity
- Offers better customer service and overall experience
- Provides customers with higher-quality products
And that’s not where the list ends, but we believe we’ve covered the basics. Everyone wants our beautiful Earth to thrive, but we’re often accomplices in speeding up its deterioration. Unfortunately, most people aren’t even aware of how much pollution we produce daily, and our planet is returning the favor by giving us global warming. We’re not saying shopping locally will stop this from happening, but it will drastically change its course.
But that’s not all…
The impact shopping locally has on the economy and workforce can’t be ignored. How does it all happen? It’s pretty simple — since local businesses source everything from the USA, supporting them means you’re boosting the demand for all products and services involved in production. On the other hand, businesses must provide the supply when demand is high. And what do they do when they start having an overwhelming amount of work? They start offering new job opportunities to other locals.
Additionally, did you know that local businesses love to give back to the communities that supported them from the start? It’s true! They will volunteer their time and money to help communities thrive, and that begins a cycle of love and support we’re always excited to see.
And finally, if you’ve ever been to any local business, you’ll know how attentive and kind the customer service is. They’ll help you choose a high-quality product or even customize your order. Why? Because the sky’s the limit with these businesses!
The Cons
Of course, the grass can’t always be greener on the other side. As with anything in life, shopping locally sometimes comes with some cons. And these are the things that drive people away from supporting local businesses. Here’s the list:
- Products are usually limited in quantity and variety
- Services and products may simply be unaffordable to many
- Shopping locally can be time consuming
- Helps raise the unemployment rate
Now, let’s talk about these cons. For one, local businesses can’t offer many product varieties. Why? Because the production is smaller in size and they can’t source an infinite amount of materials needed. Since this kind of manufacturing yields higher quality products, the supplies they use have to be better quality, too. And that also means the price of individual products will be higher than usual. The same goes for the services local businesses offer.
Okay, the products are limited in quantity and, because they’re of higher quality, they’re also more expensive. That results in customers spending more time looking for the items and services they need. While that is an inconvenience, we don’t think it’s something that should drive people away from supporting the locals.
Lastly, some believe that shopping locally raises the unemployment rate by leaving those working in international companies jobless. For example, you don’t need your order delivered across the country, so truck drivers are left without a job. While that can be the case, we’re aiming for the kind of support for local businesses that will create job opportunities for everyone. If everything is made locally, there will be enough work for all.
Discovering the Locals
The additional problem people face with shopping locally is they’re not really sure which businesses are local. Sure, anyone can claim they’re whatever they want, but that doesn’t make it true. That’s how people end up receiving poorer quality goods than they were expecting. And guess what? There was no system in place to help the customers differentiate between real locals and those that are just pretending.
That’s why our founder came up with the USA Strong Verification system. This system is designed to let customers know who the real locals are. But what does it mean to be local, anyway? By our standards, it means that each part of the business is USA-made. We want businesses to be based in, source their supplies from, and even hire the US workforce.
This system helps us collect that kind of information from local businesses and lift it onto our STRONG Blockchain. That keeps the info bulletproof and lets all customers (yourself included) access it any time they want. We do want you to trust us, but we also know the importance of checking things out for yourself. That’s why we’re passionate about this kind of transparency and letting you be the judge.
So, next time you’re looking to support local businesses, look for a Verified Badge on our website and know that those brands are trustworthy.