I know I'm in the minority here, but... Amazon is just like Walmart in their quest to eliminate small businesses and get rid of local jobs. I think those of us who can afford it should support local businesses and jobs. I don't live in a bubble and I try to think of how my actions affect my neighbors, especially those in less privileged circumstances.
I've been a bit disappointed in the MMM community's lack of interest in being a part of the local community. I get the sense that's it all about looking out for #1, regardless of how it affects others. That mentality makes me sad.
Do you believe that there is value in having many local shops? Do you enjoy walking through those shops and buying items?
Many of us don't. I see Amazon and others helping to re-invent the modern city. Gas stations become charging stations, retailers (mostly) move online and their ugly buildings disappear. Local shops will succeed by providing a valuable service such as a tasty meal or a haircut. Basic retailers like Walmart really don't add much value,especially if I can get the same products delivered to my door.
I don't think of it as either/ or. I got into a bit of an argument on the MMM facebook page about the t-shirts. With a guy who thinks buying a $16 t-shirt is anti-mustachian. I pointed out that it's not if you need a t-shirt? "But the mustachian thing to do is buy a $5 shirt!" Um...not if you want one not made by children in a 3rd world sweatshop.
So. I think of it from both sides. On one hand, I like to support local business. Local businesses provide jobs. They add to the community. They donate to our local schools. On the other hand, I am frugal. I have friends who buy mostly local food - from the farmer's market, including meats and eggs and milk. And their annual grocery budget is close to $24,000. That's too much for me. I know other people, though maybe not locally, who keep their grocery budget super low, by buying whatever is cheapest, no matter where it comes from.
I do a combo:
- I have a weekly veggie box. It comes from local farmers, but is provided/gathered by a local company. Yes, I'm spending extra to have it boxed and delivered. But they are flexible and save me time. Also, it's not too much more expensive than if I went to the farmer's market myself, because they get bulk discounts that I would not get. Still, if I were to buy the same kinds of produce at the cheapest bargain stores, I could get the produce for $20 instead of $40 (it will not be close to the same quality). On the other hand, the box does not provide the total amount of produce that we eat. It is about 2/3 of our produce for the week. So, the other 1/3 I buy discount - 99 cent store, Costco, Trader Joe's.
- We eat out very rarely. But when we do I tend to choose local restaurants instead of chains. The pizza place that donates to our school. The smoothie place that did a fundraiser with us.
- I hate shopping. I love Amazon. What do I buy on Amazon? Diapers/ pull-ups (almost done with those), powdered peanut butter. Toys. The occasional kid's item. I like supporting local stores. I run a lot. I buy running shoes at the local running store, but man they are $160 a pair. So I buy 2 pairs a year. First pair, running store. Second pair, on-line, last year's model, for $40 less.
- Wine (and occasional beer). We live in wine country. Yes, I can go to Trader Joe's and buy a good bottle of wine for $7, (and I do), but MOST of the wine I buy is from a local winery or wineries.
- Books. Mostly I get books from our little free libraries or Amazon. But we have one really awesome local independent bookstore, and I pretty much buy a gift certificate from there for every kid birthday party I go to. They also do fundraising nights for all of the elementary schools.
There are a few other places that I'd like to support, but don't often. We prefer to bake our own cakes for birthdays, but sometimes will get cupcakes from the local bakery.
