You Are One Click Away From Choking The Life Out Of A Local Small Business

That’s right; one-click of your mouse.

One tap of your Smartphone…that’s all it’s going to take.

But you already know that.

Do You Buy Local?

My friend, Chris Brogan, consistently pisses me off.

That’s because he’s always writing thought-provoking posts, and I’m not always in the mood to think.

Thanks, Chris.

Here’s a snippet from a post he wrote on local small business:

“I went into a running store to pick up a windbreaker kind of thingy because evidently wearing a spring jacket means I will sweat like a prisoner. The guy who runs the shop remembered selling me my shoes (almost a year ago). That feeling, of being remembered, equals good to me. But maybe not to everyone.”

Chris Brogan’s post really got me thinking.

And then it got me aggravated.

Face To Face Purchases Are Disappearing

Pretty soon, seeing local hand to hand business transactions (the legal kind) are going to be about as common as seeing one of these cruising through your local park.

You…me… all of us, are not buying products and services from people who know us (in person) as much as we used to.

We can blame Jeff Bezos of Amazon, and Tony Hsieh of Zappos for that.

And the internets.

And, the credit card companies.

Choking The Life Out Of A Small Business Is Easy

It’s become waaaay too easy for us to buy stuff online.

And, because we don’t always have to pay sales tax on our purchases, it can be cheaper to buy online.

Unless The US House of Representatives passes this.

Now, easy is nice. Getting products and services cheaper is nice, too.

But, it’s not so nice for our local small business owners.

Amazon is choking the life out of them.

And, it’s not just local businesses that are hurting.

Or, extinct.

Border’s

I was really bummed out when Border’s closed.

I really liked it there. Good coffee. Good selection of books.

Good atmosphere.

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A short time later, another large bookstore in our area closed up shop.

That bummed me out even more.

Guess where I buy (and sell) my books, now?

Can We Ever Go Back?

Can the online shopping and buying trend be reversed?

Can we save local small businesses? Can we stop choking the life out of them?

Are you willing to?

Are you willing to drive all over town around the holidays to shop local?

Are you willing to leave your computer screen to drive into town-and buy a product or service from a local business owner?

Why?

Or, why not?

What Can Local Business Owner’s Do?

Is there anything that local business owners can do to curb our appetites for easy peasey?

Can franchise owners in your neighborhood come up with some cool ideas to combat online purchases?

Or, is our buying behavior been forever changed?

Let me know your thoughts.

I’ll be here.

Or, shopping over at Amazon.com

Check Out Chris Brogan’s cool programs by clicking the banner below. (Affiliate link)

Image #1 courtesy of pjen, on Flickr
Image #2 courtesy of bobosh_t on Flickr