Black Friday 2012 and why I am shopping locally this weekend

[puppetmaker]

Black Friday is called such because the day after Thanksgiving was the day that many retail businesses when from red in their ledger (loss) to black (profit) and the sales in December were mostly profit. That business model doesn’t really work in the retail world of today but the name stuck.

For the past couple of years I have been supporting the “shop locally” drive that has been slated for Saturday. The idea is to buy goods and services from the smaller businesses and the locally owned businesses.

Personally I am taking Caroline shoe shopping because her flats are just about done for and I will do it at a family owned shoe shop we have been taking her to since she started wearing real shoes. They measure her foot and have a record it at the store. The sales people know Caroline by this point in fact she is the peer to some of their children and grandchildren. They know her likes and dislikes in terms of shoes and can always find something that she likes. And that personal touch can’t be duplicated in a big box store with personal overturn like there is a revolving employment door.

The interesting thing to me is that this idea of buying from a small business is not limited to just one local place. I consider some of the places I shop on the web as small businesses that are local to me especially artists I like and crafty people who make lovely goods.

After I finish posting this I am going to my local hardware store to pick up some replacement lights for the strands that just didn’t make it into this year. It may cost me 2 to 3 bucks more per box but I know the owner and his wife and his kids. I know a number of the people who work there as I run into to them at other places like the bowling alley and the library. Local people working for a local store and there is something of value in keeping local merchants around.

I am grateful for small business owners who work hard at making it easy to want to come shop at their store.

Comments

[hergrace.livejournal.com]

I love shopping locally, and as you know, the Atlanta area is full of great little shops. We're in Vermont this week, so our "shop local" has included the farm shop that sells produce, eggs, meat and cheese from the local farms, and going to the family-run cinema in Springfield. It's delightful to buy from and chat with the people who provide the goods and services themselves. I hope more people do what you're doing for their gift shopping this year.

[millysdaughter.livejournal.com]

We had a local family shoe store like that when the smallbear was very young and wore a 10EEE. The elderly brothers that owned it retired, however, and it became part of a generic chain of "fashion shoes" for women.