6 Benefits of Supporting a Small Business with Holiday Shopping

Just like that, the Christmas shopping season has arrived once again. Big box retailers and online giants like Amazon have commenced their annual advertising blitzkrieg about their holiday and Black Friday deals. Yet, it’s the small businesses that could really use the hand this year. Not sure why you’d want to shop small this year? Keep reading for six benefits of supporting small businesses with your holiday shopping dollars.

1- Your Money Stays Local

When you spend your money at a local business, it also means that your money stays local. Local business owners use a local bank and pay local residents to be their employees. They pay local taxes, which also benefits the community. Beyond that, local business owners shop in the area. While some of that money goes off to vendors and suppliers, a lot more of it stays in town than it does when you order gifts online.

2- Support Local Artists

People who specialize in handcrafted items often struggle to afford a commercial space of their own. Local business owners will often let them display their wares and even handle the sales transactions for them. You get a sweet, handcrafted gift item, and a local artist is one step closer to financial security.

3- Support Independent Farmers

So much of the food that everyone eats comes from some distant location in the country or even from outside the country. Shopping locally helps you support local farmers. Plus, eating locally grown food ensures you get fresher, healthier foods.

4- Better Customer Service

While you can get bad customer service almost anywhere, you’re much more likely to get good customer service when you shop locally. Local businesses understand that their continued existence depends on at least some goodwill from local residents.

5- They Give Back

Small businesses routinely make charitable donations out of their profits. Even better, around 66 percent of those donations go directly to local charities. While big businesses might give more, they almost always give it to national organizations. In other words, the better your local businesses do, the better your local charities do.

6- Help Create Jobs

When local businesses are busy, they take on more employees. By shopping locally, you can directly contribute to more local employment. Plus, more employment around Christmas is always a welcome thing. Historically, it’s a time when employment opportunities are harder to come by. Plus, a lot of people look for extra work around the holidays to help them pay for Christmas gifts.

Local shopping for the holidays benefits your community in a lot of ways. It keeps more money in the local economy through job creation and taxes. It can let you support local artists. You can snag fresher healthier food for your holiday meals. On top of all of that, you often enjoy a much better quality of customer service than you even hope to get in a big box store or through an online retailer.