How Important Is It To You To Buy Local?

I shop at the local farmers open market every Friday given good weather. The produce is so cheap and fresh. It's important to buy what you can afford and buy what you need and want all the time. I shop at Walmart too for between sales they got the best prices usually. I love fresh fruits and veggies so I go to the open market from all the local farmers and other merchants selling their wares. I get what I can afford too, but sometimes it's not local. Local buying doesn't have everything too. I like to see different things from all over the world too so I can have a huge selection.

 

I do like buying from local vendors, but I don't often have the opportunity to do so. Farmers markets are far from where I live, but whenever I can I buy products like honey from them. The big merchandisers are more convenient since it seems they're everywhere and often the prices can't be beat, but it's nice to support the community and shop locally. Aside from food items, I like buying homemade jewelry and pottery. I guess that's not the same, but they're very unique and better quality than what you can get at a mass merchandiser.

 

I just buy whatever I feel provides most value or whichever is most practical regardless of where they came from. I would actually prefer it if our local products and services were given more incentive and assistance to thrive but I wouldn't say I go out of my way to support local products. I do buy a lot of local goods though but that's mostly only because I think they are the best purchases and I don't really factor in the fact that they are local to my reason for purchase.

 

Depends on numerous factors. Do you shop mostly online or offline? If you shop online and want the best deals then obviously it's unlikely you'll buy local as sites like Amazon often have better deals.

When shopping offline where you live also matters. If you live in a city then you'll get better deals in places like Walmart but if you live in a small town [like I do] you have no option but to buy local because stores like Walmart have no presence here.

 

For me it's all about distance and convenience, plus price too. I don't want to go to the supermarket when I'm just gonna buy a soda, even if it's cheaper there. I would just go to the convenience store and buy it there even if it's more expensive there because it's only walking distance to my house.

 

It's really hard to shop local all the time, particularly if you are trying to save a buck. Oftentimes, local places can't compete, especially with the "big box" stores like Wal-Mart and Target. However, even though I have an extremely tight budget, I still try to shop local whenever I can. One of the most prominent categories that I always shop local at is restaurants. I hate chain restaurants anyway. Local is unique and still generally competitively priced.

 

I shop local when I can, visit some smaller family owned businesses. There's actually two locally owned theaters (non-chain) that I visit for the majority of the movies I see. It's funny one of the two theaters was a higher end luxury theater, but their first location was bought out by a casino (to build a parking garage), so they moved their brand new seats, screens, and projectors, to an old dollar theater. So some of the best seats in town are only $2, sadly since it's discount there's a bit of a wait after release.

 

There is not need to feel guilty. Local businesses are also profit driven, not charity organizations. They should make up for something to stand against tough foreign competition, not by crying to lobby the central government and ask for protectionist practices - which are really harmful for a nation economy and only really benefit some local companies-.

 

It's important to me to buy as close to home as possible. The big industries may have price on their side, but quality is another thing all together. Yes, even if something looks super fresh and bright and colorful. The closer to home, the more nutrients and hopefully less unethical practices.. always look into where your food comes from.

 

I usually buy locally unless it is a big box store as I don't like all the people and standing in long lines. If it is something that can be bought using the internet, I will do that. The internet is convenient, easy, and allows me to browse and locate the best prices.

 

Being on a pretty tight budget (especially for things I want and don't need), I tend to shop at larger franchises than local shops. I do occasionally go to thrift stores, which are amazing for the days you aren't looking for anything in particular, but you have some extra cash to spend. On the other hand, I don't like consignment stores very much, mainly because even though most of their items have been worn/used previously, the prices are still ridiculously high. I'd rather just get myself a new one for the same price... I love stores like Forever 21, H&M, Wet Seal, etc. because I can usually find some great clothes/products on sale for a fairly cheap price. Despite popular belief, these stores actually have some really quality items! Although I do feel a bit guilty sometimes for not shopping at local businesses, they simply aren't in my budget at the moment.

 

Whether to shop local or not should be determined by the products you want to purchase so that you can choose the options wisely. For example, I would rather buy fruits and vegetables from local stores than imported ones. Not only are they affordable but they are also fresh. However, if I have disposable cash, I would prefer to buy local. I suppose I juggle between local and imported goods trying to assess the better option.

 

I buy whenever cost benefit is best, and by that I mean the best quality for the best price. I'm not going to lie, price plays a very important part, and local businesses are usually more expensive. So I tend to go to larger stores.

 

Very Important. It actually makes it less painful to go to other places to get products that are perfectly fine and at a reasonable distance from my house.

 

Somewhat important, but not very important. Ultimately I'm typically going to buy the best products I can for the cheaper price I can regardless of where or who is selling them. Don't get me wrong, I like support local businesses and making sure local people are employed and earning a living. But if their prices or service are not up to par, I'm not going to buy from them just out of the niceness of my heart. They have to earn my dollars just like any other business.

 

Same here, it's somewhat important in terms of supporting local businesses and boosting the economy. However, unless the quality's solid, I'm not prepared to just buy local for the sake of supporting local enterprise. If I find the local products can't stand up against imports, then I'll opt for the latter. I'm really only after good value for money.

 

I support local as much as I can and it also depends on what it is I'm shopping for. Now if I'm shopping for produce I try to support my local farmer's markets and you pick farms often.

 

I enjoy buying from local vendors such as small businesses or family-owned restaurants. I notice that more often than not, these small, community-oriented establishments seem to focus on quality over quantity. Places like McDonalds and Walmart focus on mass-producing products for worldwide consumption whereas I feel smaller businesses focus on pleasing and serving their community,

 

I prefer quality items and sometimes the local stores can't provide quality at an affordable price. I get that they put hard work into it and I know why they charge what they do for things like dresses and our local florist. We are paying for a service. I do support local businesses, but in reality, I probably wouldn't be able to afford much without big box stores.