All across the country, savvy consumers are choosing to boost their local economies by choosing small, local shops instead of national chains. The movement takes several different forms, like farm-to-table restaurants, craft breweries and a resurgence of farmer’s markets. Small Business Saturday promotes buying local on the day after Black Friday. Cash mobs are like flash mobs, but instead of singing and dancing the cash mob targets a local business and gathers to patronize their neighbor. It’s more than just a trend; it’s a wise decision that offers benefits on several different levels.
Shopping small and local dramatically increases the likelihood that you will be satisfied with your experience as a customer. Why? If small businesses do not excel they do not survive. In a national chain with branch offices all over, you will find that customer service can be hit or miss because the name recognition and national advertising will help cover over some of the customer service flaws, but that is not so with smaller local businesses. The deck is stacked against smaller local shops from the beginning, and most of them do not survive. If you find one that has been around for a few years, you can be sure that they have been doing something right to earn customer loyalty and word-of-mouth advertising.
Shopping small and local is actually one way to promote and support your own community. Studies show that when you buy from a local shop, approximately three-fourths of the money you spend ends up staying in the community. On the other hand, when you buy from a national chain, less than half of every dollar stays in the community. Finally, shopping small and local has an aesthetically pleasing feel. Rather than “feeding the monster” of corporate conglomerates, it feels like you have an opportunity to support and sponsor a neighbor whose skills are useful to you.
Cassels Garage in West Melbourne, Florida is a family-owned shop that is well equipped to perform major repairs or provide routine maintenance on your car. The team at Cassels has been serving Brevard County since 1966.
