What I Learned from Shopping Small
Big Lessons I’ve Learned from Shopping with Small Businesses
Shopping is always fun, and there’s something special about a small business. But what exactly gives us this warm feeling when we buy from someone who’s not a millionaire?
Maybe it’s the careful care we get from small business owners. Maybe it’s getting something different than what’s offered on the same aisle in every grocery store in the world. Maybe it’s feeling like we’re making a difference with our purchase. Or maybe it’s encouraging entrepreneurship and a growing economy.
Keep reading to find out what I’ve learned about the careful care small businesses take to provide for you, and the care that you’re giving the community when you support them.
Personalized Customer Service
One of the first things I noticed when I started shopping small was that people cared about who I was. A great example of this comes from the cliche of someone knowing your order when you walk into a restaurant. While this is unlikely at a bustling chain like McDonald’s, it happens all the time at locally owned restaurants like Main Street Cafes.
Big businesses don’t know who you are because they don’t have to, but small business owners often enjoy getting to know their customers and take pride in fitting products and services to their unique needs. Some small businesses even give you the opportunity to give direct feedback by becoming a product tester.
Small businesses also tend to act much quicker to resolve any issues. From damaged packaging to questions about product use, you can feel confident that all of your questions, comments, and concerns will be addressed in a timely manner.
Unique Products and Gifts
Have you ever bought someone the perfect birthday gift only to find out they have the exact same thing? Or worse, someone else at the party brought it too? It’s easy to make this mistake with mass produced gifts. Commercial brands mean that even someone on the other side of the country can find the same item on the same aisle of the grocery store.
This error is much less likely when shopping small. If it’s a local brand, your friends and family from out of town are certain not to have what they offer. If you’re shopping for someone who lives close by, you can still take advantage of local shops by picking up gifts when you travel. Even online stores that allow people to buy from small businesses located anywhere in the world aren’t as likely to have already been found by the recipient of your gift.
These unique products aren't just great gifts, they’re perfect for you too! Carefully crafted products from small businesses (like handwoven blankets or artisan soap bars) often serve their purpose better than their generic counterparts. Locally made products are also much better souvenirs than mass produced items that could probably be ordered online from your couch.
Supporting Small Builds Community
“Being your own boss” is often advertised as an easy way to prosper by managing your own income. People tend to assume that those starting small businesses must be swimming in money. The reality is that this is rarely true.
Even if someone started out with a lot of money, owning a business is expensive. Getting one off the ground takes a lot of sacrifices and some people have to invest everything they have. Many small business owners are struggling financially. When you shop small, you make a real difference in their lives.
Helping owners isn’t the only way you can give back when shopping small. Many small businesses are committed to giving back to the community by donating a portion of their profits or participating in and hosting local events.
Encouraging Entrepreneurship
It’s no secret that entrepreneurship fuels growth. Booming businesses shape the economy. Out-of-the-box ideas transform science. New solutions solve problems we didn’t even realize we had. And new ways to connect breathe life into modern communities.
Many of the world’s greatest ideas and inventions started out with someone who took a big risk even though people thought they were crazy. For example, consider Thomas Edison’s lightbulb or Jeff Bezos’s Amazon. What would have happened if no one decided to go out a limb and support them? Without Edison you probably wouldn’t be reading this, as we never could’ve advanced to the tiny LEDs inside your screen if we didn’t have his carbon filament lamp as a starting place.
When you decide to shop small, you could be supporting the next big idea. Even if that local business never becomes a Fortune 500 company, they might contribute to the transformation of an industry or community. You’re also showing young entrepreneurs that there are people who will support them and their crazy idea.
Small Businesses Drive the Economy
Even if your local business stays local, it’s still a major contributor to the national economy. You’re probably thinking I’m ridiculous for suggesting that the nail salon down the street could be what keeps the country running. Allow me to explain.
In the last thirty years alone, small businesses have generated eight million new jobs. No big deal, right? As the population and economy expand it’s natural that there are new jobs. Eight million probably pales in comparison to how many jobs big businesses have created… Or not. While small businesses have generated eight million new jobs, big businesses have cut four million old ones.
In addition to this crazy difference in job creation, you’ll probably be surprised by how much economic activity small businesses account for. While your neighborhood barber may not seem like he’s responsible for too much of the national economy, small businesses as a whole generate about 44% of U.S. economic activity.
Next time you have to choose between a big and small business, I hope you’ll keep these important lessons in mind. It could make a big difference for you and everyone involved.