I see a lot of push towards shopping local and supporting the local economy. However, the large national brands provide the same product for cheaper and provide more jobs than your local producer. Why should I pay more for an essentially equivilant product?
In: Economics
Firstly, it cuts down on carbon emissions. If you’re getting locally grown produce or locally made items, less pollution is created, because those items won’t need to be shipped across the country or imported. Secondly, by supporting Walmart and Amazon, you’re killing local businesses. Eventually, those businesses will no longer exist, and then the national chain will be free to raise prices because there is no competition. In the very long run, many of these national businesses will have invested enough in R&D to automate most of the low paying jobs, meaning many small towns will not only have no option but to shop at chain stores, but they will also be a wasteland for jobs.
Latest Answers