The following article was published in the the Iowa City Press- Citizen. The writer, Dave Parsons, is a friend and fellow member of the Independent Stationers Group www.isgroup.org. He & I, like so many members of the isgroup, are trying to show customers the advantages of buying locally, from Independently owned businesses, verses the chain stores. The advantages of local independent businesses go well beyond price. There are mentions of things in this article that do not pertain to our area but the message is clear. I'd like to thank Dave & the Iowa City Press-Citizen for permission to reprint here on ShopCharleroi.com. - Joe Williams THE LOST ART OF BUYING LOCALLY Here’s some advice about what to do with all of those mail-order catalogs - from greedy out-of-state merchants - that are filling your mailbox. Recycle them. It’s much better to be buying from greedy local merchants. None of us are kidding ourselves that we’re saving any money by buying out of most mail-order catalogs. Most of the time we’re paying retail price plus shipping. The catalog folks are relying on the fact that we’re either lazy, desperate, or both. As we approach the make-or-break (for many retailers) holiday shopping season, it’s time for a gentle reminder about what I like to call The Big Picture. This has a lot to do with the mind-boggling amount of money that will be spent over the next seven weeks, and where those dollars are ending up. I’d prefer you spent your money with any local business in preference to the mail-order folks. Even better would be to spend money with a locally owned small business in preference to a national chain. Every dollar spent with a locally owned business is a dollar that is not wire transferred to some corporate headquarters God knows where, faster than you can say “guaranteed low prices.” Not that I have anything against national chains. Their gift is also their curse – they have driven all possible costs out of the distribution process in a relentless pursuit of market share. Those of us who value higher quality merchandise, product expertise, individual attention or service after the sale should check out our local alternatives. And it won’t necessarily cost you more. Most independent small businesses belong to purchasing and marketing cooperatives that help them compete. Meanwhile, the huge retailers employ legions of experts that do nothing all day except dream up ways to manipulate the public’s perception. Usually, all this takes is a big advertising budget and a willingness to sell a hundred high-visibility items at or below cost. No problem – they also sell 10,000 other items that they can make money on. You won’t know which is which – the manufacturer’s retail price is rarely displayed for comparison. The chain grocery stores dreamed this pricing formula up years ago. They’re not making any money on the bread and milk, but watch out for the pickled okra. Shopping locally is a mindset foreign to many of us. We all know people who will drive to Cedar Rapids to save ten cents on a watermelon. They would buy clay pigeons from Adolf Hitler’s Ammo Dump if his price was $1.00 lower than Fin and Feather’s. By my way of thinking, if your choice comes down to purchasing an item on the Internet or from a mail-order house as opposed to a local business (even if it costs a little more), that should be a no-brainer in favor of the locals. The locally owned businesses are the ones that buy pancake breakfast tickets and advertise in high-school yearbooks. They take their daily receipts to their local account in their local bank that turns around and helps local people buy their local houses or expand their own local businesses. If this kind of community involvement is important to you, it’s something to think about. On a broader level, how many of us go out of our way to buy a toothbrush manufactured by our own Oral B, toothpaste manufactured by Procter and Gamble or even ice cream made by Blue Bunny in Le Mars? Sure, it’s easy to sit at home and order clothing that may or may not fit from a pleasant voice on the telephone or with a few keystrokes on a home computer. The sad fact is that our purchasing patterns are going to eventually give us what we deserve, which is probably not what we want. This appears to be where we’re all headed, but I don’t have to help. And neither do you. Dave Parsons Reprinted by permission of the Iowa City Press-Citizen