It’s so easy to do. Let’s face it we’ve all been there. “Stupid job”, “I’m off to Dublin, there are no good shops here”, and so on.
It’s easy to take things for granted when everything is going well. And let’s face it, we’ve had it good for a long time. It’s crazy to think how much has changed in such a short time. BR (Before Recession ) a job was a job. If you didn’t like it you hopped, skipped, and jumped your way to a nicer, better paid one. We all seemed to have lots of lovely disposable income, and if you didn’t own your home - you were at least on the way.
But oh how things have changed. You’ll be quickly scorned if you are heard complaining about your job, for at least you have one. And don’t even think of pulling up to your house is brand new shiny car. You can forget about that Caribbean cruise while you’re at it.
All those things you took for granted a few months ago are gone, more or less.
And those little luxuries and indulgences that haven’t been pulled from under us, we are hanging on to by a thin thread.
In this week’s paper we highlight the importance of shopping local. Travelling up North seems to be the flavour of the month at the moment. Of course I can see why. A nice little day trip, plus cheap food and goods. With the exchange rate the way it is at the moment it may seem like the smartest thing you’ve ever done.
But that’s just a short term solution to your economic woes. In the long term, travelling away from your community to save a few euros could have devastating effects on your local economy.
It’s so easy to take your local neighbourhood shop for granted. You use it every week, simply to pick up some milk, or a paper, and probably don’t think much of it. But I bet if that shop had to close down you’d be quick to notice.
Shopping local is vital for our communities in order to keep and create jobs, attract visitors, and keep investment in the area. Having a town full of amenities and services is going to make it look much more attractive to outside investment. And in order to keep our communities enticing we need to show that we are supporting ourselves.
But it’s not just them on the shopper’s head to support local businesses. It is also vital that local businesses do their best to offer their customers the best possible service they can.
You can’t expect customers to stay with you if you are over charging them or not treating them with respect. Long gone are the days where businesses were in so much demand they had the luxury of turning away custom.
If businesses want to keep running they must provide us with quality and value for money. Likewise customers must show support and loyalty.
You might not miss your local newsagent or boutique now. But surely if services are taken away from the area you so won’t be long feeling isolated.
It’s all good and well taking things for granted while we have them, but if we want to keep our community growing strong we must all support each other.
Be local, buy local.
