Retailers want you thinking locally
Retail Merchants Association president Nancy Thomas said the message is simple.
The Retail Merchants Association will begin a push next month to get shoppers focused on buying and supporting local merchants.
The campaign will include various ad components, store signage and a Web presence touting the message: Think. Shop. Buy. Local.
Nancy Thomas, president of the Richmond-based advocacy group, said the message is simple, but extremely important.
She said the push is a movement to get people thinking about how important it is to spend money in the community.
"This is not just another ad campaign to get a message out," she said.
The association has pushed "buy local" campaigns in the past, but this one is different because it's taking the concept further by getting both retailers and shoppers to actively participate.
It was inspired in part by the 3/50 Project.
The nationwide movement urges shoppers to imagine three local businesses they couldn't live without and then spend $50 each month at each of those businesses to support them.
Sarah Paxton, a Retail Merchants board member and co-owner of LaDifference, a downtown Richmond furniture store, participates in 3/50 and brought the program to Thomas' attention.
Thomas was already working on a buy-local campaign and tweaked it to incorporate some of the thinking behind the 3/50 Project, which includes a marketing push that helps create buzz.
Paxton sits on the marketing committee at the merchants association and is helping develop the new campaign, which should be unveiled early next month.
The association is developing a logo to place in ads as well as auxiliary materials for retailers to place in windows, in their advertising and to give shoppers. It has already signed up about 10 members to participate.
But the onus will also be on shoppers, who will be asked to sign a pledge that they will spend their money at locally owned businesses, whether they be independents or franchises.
Thomas said shoppers who sign the pledge will be given magnets pushing "buy local" to place on their cars.
"We want to spread the word that you should be supporting local businesses," she said.
Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or
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Reader Reactions
STP and awkennon just don’t get it. This article is available on-line which means I could be anywhere in the world reading it.
True, I work in Richmond, but I live somewhere else. I have never been to the Easter what-ever on Monument Ave., Friday Cheers is held each evening on my boat dock and I couldn’t find Brown’s Island with a GPS. Understand this, IT ISN’T ALWAYS ABOUT RICHMOND!
As for the awkennon’s “resources,staff and expertise” - not one staff person offered assistance even though it was obvious I wanted a jacket and had ready cash.
Folks need to get off their high horse around here and get in the real world.
STP,
Please stop with the Holier Than Thou attitude about local merchants. You ever been to the shops around Grove and Libbie? Check out their hours, most closed around 5:30 or 6. What are we supposed to do, rush their directly from work just so we can have the “honor” of shopping locally? Sorry, but that dog dont hunt.
Instead of supporting all these community events, maybe save that money and cut their prices so they can compete in the GLOBAL ECONOMY.
And with Obama’s pending tax increases on medical benefits, etc. and the increase in prime interest rates from his “stimulus spending”, you and your local merchants are probably in for a lot rougher time.
Racer2 is certainly entitled to shop as he/she sees fit.
I would merely ask that you realize that every time you attend a local event (i.e. Friday Cheers, Richmond Folk Festival, Easter Parade, Monument Ave 10K… I could go on), you consider the fact that it was paid for by local businesses.
That every time you visit a local museum, you realize that much of the funding is supported by local business.
That when your employer does not have work for you to perform, it is because local businesses have left Richmond.
We do not live in a vacuum or on an island.
Your views are selfish, unless you also choose not to use and enjoy any of the bi-products that supporting local business provides.
@ racer2 - that is exactly what will put us smaller/local retailers out of business. You use our resources, our staff’s time and expertise, all of which WE pay for, and go buy online anyway.
We know when customers do this, and truthfully, it STINKS.
A suggestion for everyone who says “just buy it online cheaper”: Ask your local retailer to price match. 99% of the time, if a customer comes to me before their purchase, with the identical item elsewhere, in-stock, ready to ship, I’ll price match. At least give us the chance to keep your business!!
I seldom buy from local merchants anymore. Two weeks ago I went to a store and tried on a few jackets, found the one I liked and the size I needed. I came home, went on line and found the exact same item for 20% less. With no sales tax to pay, the shipping cost were actually less than the sales tax would have been, I saved almost 22% over what the local guy had it for.
Someone mentioned Ukrop’s. Sure they do give money back to the community, but to me it seems kinda like the federal government. We send money up to D.C., they decide who gets what and how much and then send some of it back. Same thing at Ukrop’s. I pay more for products so they can afford to give money back, but they decide who gets it and how much. I’m just cutting out the middle men as much as possible.
I avoid shopping in Chesterfield County due to the 1% local option tax. I don’t agree with most of the things Chesterfield spends its money on, so I make a conscious decision to shop elsewhere.
Same with the state. I don’t hesitate to go to North Carolina for major purchases. It seems to me buying local is a real 50’s kind of idea. No where in this article did anyone make the case for buying local.
Whenever I’m in the market for an item, I prefer to purchase it locally, for several reasons. Price is seldom the factor. I consider sales knowledge, service after the sale, the store itself, availability of information, parts or repairs.
If it’s not available locally, then I will buy online. I do a lot of research online but in the end, I will buy 95% of the time locally. I prefer to feel or look at the item in person, rather than on a computer. In addition, if it’s ordered online, you will pay a shipping fee (and that’s no chump change, either), which is not the case if you purchase locally.
Whenever a purchase is made locally, even if it’s more than online, the extra money paid goes back to the community for a variety of philanthropic causes.
Ukrops may cost more than say Kroger or Food Lion, etc, for some items, but I know that extra money is folded back into the community in countless ways. Many of their philanthropic causes benefit citizens which would ordinarily require localities to increase taxes to raise revenue to support those causes. For example, the Golden Gift program which is designed to help non-profit organizations help a variety of organizations, especially in these hard economic times. Even though you many not need these services, it benefits us all, in the long run.
The local business has to provide a good value for the money. That does not necessarily mean the cheapest price, but may mean a higher level of customer service or knowlege. In the train example..visiting the local shop, you might get more information on the hobby trains and how they work etc.. Online.. you get just the train set. Now, is that worth the extra 100 bucks? Depends on the situation.
In these tight economic times, we do need to be budget concious.. but sometimes to low price supplier is providing a substandard product or reduced quality of service. This might not make a hill of beans difference buying a pair of the same brand shoes.. but in other situations the extra money might be worthwhile.
What people don’t realize is that retail prices are set according to a number of factors, including the cost of the item, plus overhead costs-the staff who is there to answer your questions, rent/utilities on the nice store you walk into, etc. Generally speaking, the local retailer isn’t trying to gouge the customer, just cover their costs. E-tailers don’t have to deal with must more in overhead than a warehouse and someone to pack the boxes for minimum wage.
Yes, I am a small retailer. Yes, I deal with online competition. And yes, I explain to my customers why my prices are sometimes higher than my online counterparts.
Valvano, I encourage you to check out the 3/50 website to see the impact each and every purchase (local and online) has on OUR community. And remember it when your teenager is looking for a part-time job but can’t find one because no one’s hiring, and no one’s hiring because our local customers are shopping online.
re: comments from Reverend and Valvano - you are correct, to a point.
Local retailers must be aware of pricing competition that is out there nationally; they cannot live in a vacuum. They can then make the decision of whether they can afford to compete or not (online retailers certainly do not have the rent & showroom costs that bricks & mortar stores have). Their end decision may be not to carry that item at all.
The ability to touch and feel and sample merchandise in person and the ability to get expert assistance and customer service before buying may deserve a higher price tag.
If you want personal service and the ability to ‘see in person’, you might want to help keep that store around… or all of your purchases will have to be online.
Frankly, it’s all about balance. There is nothing wrong with buying online or out of town on occasion. If a local merchant is losing your business for ANY reason, including price, LET THEM KNOW. They may not realize it, and you will help yourself in the end too. And, you can tell them IN PERSON, unlike that online retailer who may not have even posted a phone number.
If you TRY to support local business, you may find yourself surprised at how many affordable, easy, and much friendlier options are out there!
Valvano gives a good example. I would prefer to shop locally, but if the cost is too much, I have to stick to my budget by any means possible.
Including, going without. Or as my mother once said “You’re old enough for your wants not to hurt you.“
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