If you love them…
People often talk about buying local as if it’s something you should do to be charitable to your neighbours. It seems they believe there are “do-good” points you will win by going into the smaller shops instead of the corporate big-box stores.
The truth is, you should indeed do your Christmas shopping at local stores, but not for the reasons that might first come to mind. You shouldn’t shop locally because you’re helping local merchants keep their children clothed and fed. After all, wherever you spend your money, you will be helping someone to keep their children clothed and fed, so that argument seems irrelevant.
The real reason you should shop locally this holiday season is that the local shops offer more meaningful, personal items that the people you are giving to will enjoy. You can buy them a gift at the big-box stores, but chances are, a few hours after they unwrap your item, they’ll already have forgotten who gave it to them. The items you get from the vacuous, lonely aisles of the corporate stores are often impersonal and, over the long term, perhaps inconsequential to their lives – just more clutter in their homes that will be passed along or sold at next summer’s garage sales.
On the other hand, the unique, hand-crafted items and specialty wares found in the smaller shops of Squamish will have an impact on the person receiving them. They’re more likely to treasure and use the item – and remember that you took the time to carefully shop rather than tossing items in a shopping cart at the big-box store. They’re probably something that the recipient will truly savour and enjoy, and they will recall you took the time to find them something meaningful.
There are other reasons to shop locally, such as the fact that local retailers re-circulate 45 per cent of the revenue back into our community (as opposed to 17 per cent for chains, according to BC Buy Local). And local businesses are more likely to buy local services, stock local products and donate to your children’s school and your neighbour’s charity campaign.
But really, you should think of the people receiving the gifts – and you’ll know to buy local.
