Second Blog post in a row that's straying from the format but coming into Christmas i thought it was a good time put down on paper some opinions on the whole "shop local" thing.
I recently shared an image on Facebook (see below) imploring people to shop small and local and stay away from the mass produced tat.Fair to say that it was as close to trending as we have ever got. Nearly 400 people shared it and it reached over 30 thousand people. So this must tell a story right? Its something people believe in. But is it just something we all like to say but not actually do?
Social media is an odd thing at times. I think we've all been guilty of sharing the odd article or picture that makes us looks good. At least i know i have. We share and like things on Facebook that add to the profile we have built. Is it a fair reflection of who we are? I doubt it. But i suppose sharing an article on a serious subject matter isn't a bad thing. We have good intentions. But if you aren't totally invested in that subject then are you doing it a disservice. Would you be able to back up any reasoning behind it if challenged? Which brings me back to "Shop Local".
Its become a bit of a mantra, even a status symbol for some. It would be crazy to expect everyone to be able to afford to do this. I know growing up that we wouldn't have been buying an artisan loaf of bread and handmade soap from a shop in Byron Square because:
- A. It would be more expensive.
- B. In certain areas of every city you just don't have access to such things.
So my approach to shopping local is to do just that. But i don't really mind if its CO-OP, Spar or the local Butcher (Herds). I like to think that we can keep our areas of this city alive and kicking by spending money across the board - big, small and everything in between. We need variety for all tastes and budgets. I don't want to make anyone feel bad because they've used the big bad Amazon to buy their Christmas presents or whatnot. I'd be a hypocrite if i did.
But this year i will try to spend a little more money on the small ones where i can. I'll avoid the convenience that see me throwing Christmas cards from the supermarket into my trolley and seek out some nicer ones. I can't expect people to do the same with me if i'm not willing to do it. I've seen first hand what buying local and or small can really mean. If someone buys something from me they won't be waiting hours for an email if they have a question. They won't catch me doing anything to get a sale - i'd rather be truthful even if it loses the sale!
So yeah, go local and go small as much as you can. We're going to try.
