You see when most people say "shop local" what they are really saying is "only buy stuff at small businesses in your own town vacinity". "Shop local" NEVER means "do your groceries at Walmart" or a big chain store. Well, why the hell not? They employ my community! I have a teenage boy to feed on my husband's single, good income (And we are fortunate and blessed that he's still working). If I can buy my son shoes, my husband undershorts, and bacon for cheaper in one store, then I'm going to and I'm not going to let anyone who "only shops local" make me feel like I don't support my community, because my family kitchen comes first. If someone else has the luxury of additional income to always shop at local small businesses that's wonderful! Truly, don't get me wrong. I love my local small businesses and if I could support them affordably I would. They have to eat too! Its not like their prices are so outrageous that they're getting rich of it. Not at all, but...and this is a big but...my family's needs come before yours.
If I can get my liquid iron supplement at Superstore for $10 a bottle cheaper than I can at my local (small business) natural food store, then, I'm sorry, I'm going to buy it at Superstore. For the $10 I'm saving I can also buy milk, eggs, & bread while I'm there. And...And...I'm NOT going to feel bad about it. I'm going to feel awesome about it, because I got myself something that keeps me healthy and I provided additional food for my massively tall teenage boy who eats like he's preparing for the big fight with Rocky Balboa.
Now, again, before people jump down my throat for suggesting "Shop Local" is bad, I will say this one more time for the people in the back....MY FAMILY COMES FIRST!
Feeding my own comes before supporting you so you can feed yours. That means that, although I LOVE our small local pet stores, I will continue to buy my dog food at Costco...its half the price of comparable dog food anywhere else. It means that I will buy my travel trailer parts from up north, because its the same part for less money than the RV dealerships in my area. I love the people who own these local businesses and I'm blessed to call some of them my friends, but they don't put food on my table eventhough they love me back.
Lets put this in perspective. If I shop at ten different local small businesses and each item costs me between $5-$10 more (and rightfully so, there's more overhead costs for small businesses) than at a larger chain store that's anywhere between $50-$100 more if I only buy 1 item at each place. That means I have to do more with less food or necessities by a large margin. I don't know about yours, but my family can't afford to have $50-$100 less in our fridge. And we have a good single income. I definitely couldn't afford it when we used to be poor!
People assume A LOT! People assume that, because we live in a nice house and have 2 vehicles that we have a six figure income. We don't! We are careful with the money we have and we spend it very wisely. We stretch our dollars and save anywhere we can so we can get everything we need and have a little left over for camping, hunting, & fishing. We don't rely on credit to get us by. Cradit is a tool, not an income. We live off the money we have and that money has to do a lot of things as well as feed us and our pets.
Please, shop where you can afford to shop and be proud that you're providing for your family. Sometimes shopping affordable means buying a local farmers eggs and other times it means getting everything at No Frills or Co-op, because that's who has what you need on sale this week. All those options have just as much value, because you put food on the table. You provided! Our responsibility to our communities is important, but it has to start at home.
When I was a kid, my family lived in a small prairie town. The local grocers and shopkeepers were always bitching that people would drive 30 miles to a nearby city to buy groceries and everything else instead of shopping local in our town. But people did (including my family) for precisely the reasons you state! It's pure economics of scale and common sense. Only the truly financially privileged can afford to "shop local" for everything. Good for them, that's great, but most of us are simply not in that boat.
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