People do not realize the impact that shopping locally has on our economic world. There are many reasons I started to shop more locally than big-box stores. You should too. Below are ten reasons why you should shop local.

1. It has a vibe that you actually know people that work for their business.

You help the not-so-rich support their lives like kids, families, and dreams. Help your neighbor be successful too.

2. The customer service in smaller businesses is better because the owners and management take pride in what they do.

They care about you as a shopper. They may even be your best friend. It is a supportive community for the local business owners and vendors.

3. The small business owners care about the local economy and your community.

More money stays in your local economy. They may be the Pampered Chef sales people who are soccer moms and on a school board. They are regular members of a community. That sense of community is what is special to them rather than a retail company that only cares about profit.

4. They are more present at local events than large corporations.

They are the ones at the town hall meetings who represent what your town wants and needs. They may be an alderman who owns a small wine shop. They can be anyone in the community. The connection you have with people from small businesses is more genuine than ordering from a machine and having a machine do all the work. You get a coffee that someone actually makes from Sullivan Taylor with pumps of chocolate and hand-brewed. The snacks are baked by hand rather than bought in pre-made packaging ready to heat up and serve.

5. Small business owners like Mary Kay, Scentsy, Young Living or Thirty-One consultants know what it is like to start at the very bottom of a business and have to work on their own as hard as they want to level up in their business.

Retail companies select who they want to run their company. As a small business owner you get rewarded for how hard you work and you get promotions based off of that.

6. They are the reasons that flea markets, farmers’ markets, and food co-ops are still going on today.

They are the reason that nostalgia lives to buy handmade honey from a local farm. They may even be supporting the local homeless shelter from their garden of fruits and veggies.

7. They give jobs to people in your community and help each town form a culture.

The cute little boutiques in Macomb make it great. Places like Nostalgia have the cutest trinkets for your home that add class.

8. The connections help the business person adjust to what the customers want and needs are.

Whether you order the same sandwich from that small business for 20 years or you can’t eat eggs they are happier to adjust to your needs than a large chain restaurant would be.

9. The business they provide keep cultures alive and thriving.

They keep the people of Macomb satisfied so they don’t move away. They give back to charities and help maintain the culture of the town.

10. It is probably better for the planet than using big-box stores.

The cost of shipping retail goods around the country rather than shopping local is worse on emissions for the planet. The food locally is fresher so your peppers may have more shelf life rather than the retail store that you shopped at. The cost of the big chains to ship goods is expensive at a cost to our planet and could have an effect on global warming. Since about 30 percent of our global warming is from global warming emissions due to transportation.

Next time you go shopping look at the place you shop, workout, or roam to see how it is benefiting the local community. Without them some of our favorite gyms, restaurants, and shops would not be here. The small town USA would be dead. The gap between the rich and poor would get worse. Paying five more cents to shop at a small grocery store in town is helping your community more than saving five cents at a retail grocery store. Support your community and shop local.