Shop Local Or Shop More Economically?

​Dear Mongoose,
I run a small business here in the county and I try to shop local as much as I can. Also, living in Edmonson County I know everybody and they know me. I have a couple friends that run businesses here but honestly, some of the places in Bowling Green and Leitchfield do better at it than they do and offer better prices. Am I supposed to pay higher prices or get less of a product simply because they expect me to buy from them?

​Dear Locally Owned and Broke,
Capitalism is one of my favorite things to talk about, not the letters but the economic system.  The beauty of it, in theory at least, is ithat it rewards those that work the hardest while motivating all to work harder-- meanwhile making goods and services more affordable across the board. Capitalism tries to make everyone winners unlike socialism that  tries to bring everyone down to the loser’s level.  

I try my best to support local businesses as often as I can to a certain  degree.  I don’t mind paying for convenience but I assign the amount I’m willing to pay for the convenience within myself. 

Humility and appreciation go hand in hand, if a business, local or not, appreciates my patronage, I will reward them by continuing to patron them. If I stop doing business because I’m not being appreciated others will most likely follow suit. Said business will either learn humility and change or run off all the customers and cease to exist.  

“So Mongoose you’re saying teach them a lesson and don’t do business?”, No, I’m saying let capitalism work.  

Decide for yourself how much more you’re willing to pay, how much less service you’re willing to receive, how much you are willing to be belittled and make your own decisions. Once a business decides it’s owed your business, we as consumers lose the advantages, addressed in the first paragraph, capitalism has afforded us.  

On a side note, “shop local” does benefit the community, no question there, but think of this, the big chains stores also benefit the community by employing a larger number of community members and offering goods cheaper due to volume buying etc..  

As much as I hate The Walmarts and don’t  shop there,  they are the largest employer in the U.S. and looking at “The People of Walmart” website is pretty dang funny.