A little background...
When I started YellowJacket Racing in 1998 it was about bringing better and more diverse events to our community. I made the decision that profits made off the events would go back into new events and to support the local running community. I was fairly young and most likely dumb but it was important to me to put the money back into our community.
Then in 2004 we opened Fleet Feet Sports and it has been part of our mission statement from day one to support our community. We pour more money, services, and effort into local running events then most could imagine. Sure it is good for business but more importantly it is good for our city. We would like to think that we are helping make Rochester a better place to live.
Now I'm not so dumb as to believe that everyone buys local. Internet shopping is bigger then ever and everyone is looking for a deal. I'll try to explain why that is not necessarily a good thing.
Every so often I'll have someone tell me that they can find such and such a product online for less. They'll ask if I will match the price. 10 out of 10 times I'll say no, not just because it would be a bad business move but also because it devalues what we do.
So why should people shop local. Easy, because then their money stays local. Here are just three reasons supporting my point of view.
- When someone buys out of state online there is no sales tax being generated (at this time) That sales tax would have gone to pay for our schools, to upkeep our roads and to provide many social services. Lets be honest our state is going broke. If you are going to spend money wouldn't it make sense to have that sale also help support all the things that our taxes support. Trust me I am not a fan of how high our taxes are in NY (ask any business person how NY ranks in regards to business taxes) but I would rather my purchases support NY programs.
- As I already pointed out we pour an incredible amount of time and money into local events. Without the growth of our business we would not have been able to do this. That would have meant no Dirt Cheap series, No Duathlons or a Tri at Hamlin Beach, no Spring Forward or Lake Effect. In 2009 we'll be producing nearly 30 local events for the community to come out and play in. The more fun you can have the better. We are able to keep adding more and better events because our business is growing. If everyone just looked for the best deal online that wouldn't happen.
- All of our employees are local. We have 15 employees that live right here in Rochester. They all pay their taxes (at least they better) and they all spend their money right here in Rochester. They shop at Wegmans and the Public Market, they've bought houses in the city and the 'burbs, some go to local Colleges. the money that we are able to pay them goes right back into supporting the community we live in. Purchase from an online site and you are pumping money into that community, not the one you live in.
I could go and calculate how much money we pump back into the community but it would get crazy if I then trickled it down. Think about it, You come into the shop to get some shoes. Kim takes great care of you and then gets her paycheck on Friday. She then heads off to Wegmans to shop. The employee at Wegmans cashes Kim out. Wegmans then pays that employee, who then heads off to Jines on Park Ave for dinner. Peter at Jines has to have cooks and waiters to serve the meal. That waiter then gets paid and heads off to the Little to catch a movie. The little has to have someone to make the popcorn. I could keep going but I think you get the point. All those workers that got paid by each different company can thank you for buying your shoes locally.
Save a couple of bucks and make that purchase online and your purchase now goes to paying an employee in say California. They then shop at a store in Cali, and that tax goes to fund projects in Cali. None of your purchase goes towards helping the very city that you live in.
By making just a simple purchase local you are able to help support so many different local businesses. Local businesses that may appear "small" but when combined generate millions of dollars for our community.
Now you may say that you are only concerned with saving the few bucks. I can understand that as money doesn't grow on trees. My retort would be "and that is why our economy is where it is" Too many people only worried about themselves and not thinking about the bigger picture. We all have to think about what we can each do to help our community.
Maybe that $100 shoe can be found online for $85. At the same time maybe that extra $15 helps pay for that event that you did last month that was so much fun. Or maybe it went to an employee that is saving to buy a house right here in Rochester. Maybe it was used to host one of those fun free events that so many people like to attend.
My point is that if you spend your money locally it will stay local and that is very important for the health of our community. Just think about it the next time you need some gear.
I'll get off the soap box now.
Live FIT.
4 comments:
I completely agree with this. I was JUST talking to a friend about this and how, when I need to buy something, I ALWAYS buy local if it is available...I always want to support our local economy! Great post!
Thanks Jen - Too often people only think about saving the few bucks for themself. They don't consider how the first purchase trickles down to many other purchases in the same community. Small businesses are very important to the health of our communities. Go figure I did learn something as an Econ major.
My husband and I were just talking about this. We hate buying on line and losing the face to face customer service that we like (or maybe if a product breaks...we need).
But I gotta hand it to you and Ellen and the rest of your team. You really make that "extra $15" for shoes go a long way, and we really enjoy doing business with you!
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons to shop locally is to promote the idea of local experts in the community. For example, take a locally owned hardware store. The people here know about plumbing, electrical, etc... they can answer your questions and they can re-key your locks for five dollars a lock. If you go to Lowes or Home Depot, you wonder around the store, looking for someone who knows anything about what you are talking about! If you want to get your locks re-keyed, you will be lucky to find one employee who can do it - and you need to go to the store when they are working!
By buying locally, you keep the expertise and knowledge locally, too, which is far more valuable than saving 15 dollars on a pair of shoes.
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