Buy local, support your community

 

There are a lot of reasons to shop in Duluth at a big box store. There is a lot to choose from and everything is cheaper, right?

Or make your purchases online through Amazon Prime or any number of long-distance wholesale businesses. Buying online means you can shop from home, and the item(s) you select will probably be cheaper. And again, there is more selection.

So shop away, right?

Maybe. If you can’t buy what you need or want here, then shop away. Otherwise, consider what you gain when you shop locally.

Your dollars will stay in the community. The money you spend here will help support a local business and the employees, their families, people you know. How can you go wrong with that?

Buying from a person who made a ceramic bowl, painted a picture, harvested maple syrup, etc., personalizes your purchase. It feels good to look at something and know who created it.

Purchasing gift certificates from local restaurants, local stores, local gas stations and then giving them as presents allow the receiver of these gift certificates to pick out what they want or need without making a mad dash 110 miles away to pick something up. Plus, people don’t return gift certificates like they do the ugly sweater you might have bought for that special someone. Best intentions don’t always work with gift giving unless you give a fail-safe gift certificate as a present.

 

Purchasing locally helps saves the environment. You not only are saving on the wear and tear on your vehicle but also saving on the gas you will burn if you travel any distance to buy presents. Plus, it is safer to shop in-county than risk sparring with a deer—or worse—on a long drive to Duluth or beyond.

Last, if you can’t get something here in the county, there is no shame in buying something through Amazon or making the drive out of the county to shop. However, at this time, it might be best to stay put because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With numbers of positive coronavirus cases rising fast, shopping in a smaller, safer, controlled venue might be the way to go this year. Buying presents is fine, but not as fine as your presence is to your family and friends. Stay safe. Buy local.