Why You Should Support Your Local Businesses

Sunday, February 17, 2019

Why You Should Support Your Local Businesses

In a world that's full of chain restaurants and retail giants, there's no better time than to start supporting your local eateries, green grocers, pharmacies and coffee shops. It's never been more difficult to set up shop and sustain a thriving business that has taken someone a lot of money, time and effort to establish. Especially in a time where huge chains are taking over and Brexit threatens to throw businesses into a precarious position. But I'm not here to talk about Brexit, we hear enough about that on the news don't we?

Instead, the aim of this post is to get as many people as possible to keep small and local shops in business. It's so important to keep them blossoming in small communities, particularly when retail giants and chain coffee shops threaten to rear their ugly heads. So here are some of the reasons why you should help to keep your independent shops progressing on your local highstreets.

Quirky Variety

A lot of independent shops and eateries have a wide variety of products that larger shops may not have. Among the variety may include some quirky bit and bobs, something more personalised and possibly better quality than the equivalents that can be found in chain stores and supermarkets. Often, independent shops can be very well stocked, catering for both their new and loyal customers.

Personalised Customer Service

Often, the main aim of a small business is to keep custom going. But this mustn't be confused with greed, in fact, it's quite the opposite. They want their customers to get as much out of their experience whilst shopping with them as possible. Word travels fast in small communities, especially with the inclusion of the Internet. The more people are impressed by the service they receive and the products they buy, the more likely positive feedback will get circled, resulting in sky rocketing custom.

Giving Back To The Community

Local businessmen and women are more likely to give back to their community. Perhaps donating food to a homeless charity instead of chucking it away, or holding monthly events such as bake sales and games nights where all money raised will go to charity. Believe it or not, they can be a lot more generous when it comes to giving back to their community than the big chains. They may even go to greater lengths to try and be environmentally friendly, swapping plastic bags for paper ones for example. Smaller businesses are better equipped to make those changes a lot faster and more effectively than a supermarket giant for example.