We all know local business tends to be much healthier than chain stores. We know this isn’t 100% all-the-time true — there are chain stores that promote health, and local stores that don’t — but it is generally accurate.
We also know that chain stores are growing business while local business is being put out of business by these chains (and in some markets by internet business to varying degrees). The reason: local businesses cannot compete when it comes to price with large chains due to economies of scale and other things large businesses have under their belt.
It is also the case that small businesses are increasingly taxed and regulated, making it harder for regular people to start them and run them. Because regular people can’t afford accountants and lawyers to take on this job, or spend the time to learn it and do it themselves because they are already too busy, its more reason there are less and less people able to do business on a small (or “regular”) scale.
This also means people who work in our communities have less and less money coming in each year, because their small businesses are doing worse or are folding, so they can afford to spend less in the community — including spending less on healthier food and living.
So we find ourselves in a downward spiral away from what is better for us and our communities, in order to save individually on commodity costs.
But some interesting math has been going around. In one community, this sign was put up.
Some related math, by Anthony Monshower II:
If 15% of the US Population spent $200 a year on local businesses, it’ll put $10,200,000,000.00 into local businesses and the local economy.
1,140,000,000.00 for Canada.