Community Conscience

Parent Cafe
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<p>Just wondering if the parents on this board feel conscious about their respective communities and how you carry out a mission of community support.</p>

<p>Over the last few years, I’ve become very focused on supporting my neighborhood. I shop in local stores owned by local residents, belong to a co-op grocery program, support local events, eat in locally owned restaurants, send my children to local schools (albeit not public - yet), sweep my half of the BLOCK (not just the front of my house), etc, etc, etc.</p>

<p>Recently, someone told me I needed to venture out more - and do business in other communities. I don’t want to. Nor do I see any reason why I should. </p>

<p>I try not to buy from Home Depot, Borders, Acme, McDonald’s, Staples, Toys R Us, Starbucks, etc - and we have locally owner stores who sell what these chains offer. I believe many of my neighbors feel the same. Locally owned businesses thrive in this neighborhood. It’s nice. I wish I could cancel my Bally’s membership and join the new, locally owned gym - but I’ve spent too much on the Bally’s membership and paid for it already. </p>

<p>Do others practice some form of this? How do you encourage others to support your community?</p>

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<p>Yes-- I feel this way too-- I try to go to the local hardware & book stores, the local grocery; not the chains. I volunteer a lot in the community as well. I buy local & organic from the farmer’s market.</p>

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<p>Well isn’t this largely dependant on where you live? It seems to me this is more easily accomplished in some areas versus other areas, perhaps? :confused:</p>

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<p>Certainly locally owned busibesses have a place in a community, but I believe that the large chains do also. To me, their is no substitute for wandering the aisles of Home Depot or Lowes when looking for home improvement or maintenance ideas or parts. The local hardware store is OK for convenience, but the prices are atrocious and the selection is very bare bones. Same thing with many of the other national chains in other segments of the marketplace. </p>

<p>Also, don’t forget that the employees and managers of the chains are local people as well - and more than likely are paid better and have more benefits than can be offered by a mom & pop establishment.</p>

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<p>( If I told my husband that we were only going to shop at the recycled building materials store instead of home depot he would laugh in my face- I still go to other stores for paint- etc- but that is just as much because they are closer-and we do buy some wood from local lumber yards- but just for windowshopping- he sure likes to hang out at home depot :wink: )</p>

<p>It is certainly much easier to accomplish in some areas than others</p>

<p>We can see that by looking at colleges- while some schools kids may see others spending a great deal on clothing and accessories- some schools the girls even have a different designer bag for every day of the week- other schools that sort of conspicous consumption would be more difficult if not impossible to find.
Yes I realize you may find all types at any school- students choose schools for different reasons- but you must admit that it can be much more pleasant at times to be able to swim with the stream rather than against it.
Where I live we have a great many co-ops. I was shopping at a natural foods grocery- where you had to recycle your own milk bottles in 1976 they have now expanded across the city and into surrounding suburbs.</p>

<p>The increase in interest in Fairtrade and organic foods has led even big chains like QFC and Safeway to offer more organic and fresh foods.
We may not always be able to buy the best quality for the best price offered by the best company.
But we are able to affect the marketplace.
I do pay attention to businesses that have a reputation for promoting from within- for decent pay and who give back to the community.
I don’t use Microsoft products-( but that is mainly because I think they are badly written- thats not a bug its a feature! than any comment on their business practices) but I have been known to shop at Starbucks & Nordstroms - but not much-( of course all local businesses)
I buy lots of stuff from REI- which was recently rated as one of the best places to work- as was Costco.
I agree that even the local barnes and noble is managed by local people- however decisions that affect the company are made on a national level- I want to support local businesses- because I want a choice- I don’t like what I see when I travel- the same Blockbuster video- the same stores that I can see in Redmond, I can see in Tallahassee or South Bend.
I want a choice in where I shop, I want a choice what I watch on tv and I want a choice in what is available for me to read.</p>

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<p>I live in a small village (we don’t even rate the “town” designation) and do my best to shop locally. We have a grocery store, a pharmacy, and a hardware store that get my business regularly, an ice cream shop that gets way too much of my business :), and a used bookstore that comes in handy. I don’t use the local hair salon (way too much gossip for my taste plus my best friend owns a salon, so I go there), and I do travel to the next town (they’re bigger, so it really is a town) for occasional forays into K-Mart. I’ve never set foot in a Walmart and never will, and the Home Depot-type stores are for home improvements that aren’t going to happen until after my daughter graduates from college. I think that I am essentially every major retailers’ worst nightmare, and I haven’t figured out a reason to change that…so I won’t!</p>

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<p>My standards are different: I like to shop at stores that offer a living wage and health insurance. Starbucks and Costco are both locally owned, and I love that Costco, as one of their business services, offers reasonably priced health insurance for small businesses. We’ve been able to give our employees health insurance! </p>

<p>I love to shop at our local farmer’s market–today was the last Saturday until April, though :frowning: </p>

<p>Of course, I also buy a lot of books from Amazon (oh wait, that’s locally owner too).</p>

<p>I’m fairly careful not to shop at companies whose politics I disapprove of.</p>

8

<p>Let’s be fair about this – stores like Wal-mart, Borders, McDonalds, Staples, Office Depot, and all of the major companies do provide employment for many thousands of people in this country. If people don’t support these businesses, they may ultimately be supporting lots of people on unemployment/government assistance. I’m all for mom and pop stores, but they do not keep our economy running.</p>

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<p>so before we had huge international/national chain stores all these people were out of work?</p>

<p>The only choice is to work for less than full time- minimum wage or/& govt assitance?</p>

<p>If the people who work these jobs still qualify for govt assistance ( as I have heard some educators do) how are these companies doing anyone including nation a favor?</p>

<p>These are the benefits at our local hamburger joint. A small chain- inexpensive- very inexpensive- I assume that large companies can offer these benefits as well ? Do they?

</p>

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<p>I have no idea what benefits the large chains/corporations do or do not offer. Perhaps they could offer more – I don’t really know. While it sounds like a wonderful place to work, my point is- how many people does Dick’s actually employ? Now, if Dick’s became a national chain, they would be able to employ as many people as McDonalds. But then again, if they became a national chain, I guess people such as yourself would then be complaining about them as well. I don’t think there are any clear answers. Each has it’s own merits.</p>

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<p>Why are you commenting on the great service huge companies offer if you haven’t even researched their business practices?
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=108734[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=108734&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>My values are that I will support a company that provides a good product, that treats its employees fairly and the environment responsibly- if that company is a smaller company- not a national chain, then more power to them- because I believe in regional preferences, not mass marketing- one size fits all product.</p>

<p>The national companies could offer comparable benefits, they have less expenses because of economies of scale- but it seems unusual for them to do so</p>

<p>Heres a National company that tries to treat its workers right
<a href=“http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=80368[/url]”>http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=80368&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Well, my town is so small that my shopping options are the general store or “Daves barber shop and small engine repair”. Sometimes Dave get’s confused but usually he’ll wash the grease off his hands before he gives you a haircut.</p>

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<p>we have lots of small barber shops like that around here- one or two chairs- and sell fishing tackle & pie and give you the same haircut they used to give your dad.</p>

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<p>Which is great if you want to look like someone from your dad’s generation. ;-)</p>

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<p>I think it’s great that you are supporting your local small businesses but those businesses are not what keeps our economy running.</p>

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<p>Locally owned business do keep our economy running, while offering the added benefit of investing a larger amount back into the immediate community. I have no doubt that there will always be large numbers of consumers supporting chains. I’m just saying that I don’t want to be included in that - because I prefer to support locally. </p>

<p>When I write about locally owned businesses, that shouldn’t be translated into “mom and pop”. I never said these were small, mom and pop, or whatever. They’re not. Perhaps this is an example of what happens when a community focuses on local support - we get away from the “mom and pop” mentality when we think of locally owned. EKs examples seem to be quite different - a different flavor of locally owned business. This is interesting, as it sheds light on how “locally owned” can mean something different in another community. </p>

<p>Perhaps, as some have sugegsted, the view on this will depend on wnere we live. </p>

<p>My locally owned stores are often larger than the chains. My local coffee houses/cybe cafes are larger and more comfortable than our Starbucks. Just 2 weeks ago, someone opened a 2 story coffee shop just across the street from our local Starbucks…and we have another very popular cafe just a couple blocks down on the same same street - larger than Starbucks and with more food offerings and drawing more people. There’s an honor coffee bar where you may pour a cup of the day’s standard blends and leave your money in a cup, which sits next to the door. But, by no means is this a mom and pop place.</p>

<p>And the locally owned coffee houses offer more variety in coffee…I can get my Vietnamese coffee and kopi luwak there - not so at the Starbucks. Our video stores are larger than Blockbusters…and our has a very large selection of foreign films, which is a cater to the community desire.</p>

<p>Our favorite neighborhood realtor and property management company owner is the President of the neighborhood schools committee - and since he owns a few local restaurants, he hosts tons of fundraisers for the schools., while also hosting “free” events for the community (scarecrow making start at 2pm today). </p>

<p>Maybe if my local businesses were of the “mom and pop” type, I might understand the concern about not supporting the US economy - but, as far as I see, these local businesses are not hurting employment. </p>

<p>I’m not trying to put the chains out of business. They have their place and will always have supporters. I’m just looking for feedback from others with successful local economic outreach in place and some insight into how this plays out in other communities. </p>

<p>Just my expansion on the “Think Globally, Act Locally” concept.</p>

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<p>“so before we had huge international/national chain stores all these people were out of work?”</p>

<p>Exactly. If Home Depot goes out of buisness, will people stop needed home items? No. They’ll just have to shop at specialty stores - lumber yards for lumber, lighting stores for lighting, paint and wallpaper shops, etc…where plenty of people will be employed - just not under one massive employer. Those places may be locally owned, or not. I don’t see Home Depot employing more people than would be employed if those items were sold in various specialty stores with employees. The decision to shop in locally owned places is a conscious one.</p>

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<p>I try to support local businesses and it always helps to be reminded. My D worked at a locally owned pet store for her high school years and she brainwashed us into never stepping into Petco. The first time I needed to buy dogfood after she left I was in the shopping center with Petco and I walked in and couldn’t bring myself to buy the food. Got in the car and drove 10 extra minutes and paid a little more but i did feel better.
Though I like many in our town would love to have a Target.</p>

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<p>I am not saying that I never go into any chains- but I am concerned about selection becoming limited.
I worry about small start up companies not being able to produce at a rate that attracts the big box stores- I like being able to buy something that isnt’ Mattel or General Mills or that isn’t censored by the store</p>

<p>It is certainly their option not to offer certain books/cds/movies to the public- but I remember what rock and roll music went through when it was new.
Shouldnt people have a choice?
What if all the big box stores decided that someone was too controversial to carry - what if more artist like Garth Brooks decided to limit their distribution to one chain.
I think it is something to be concerned about</p>