How do you guys feel about buying local

Please give an example of what items aren't available in big chains.

 

I buy local whenever I can, especially when it comes to food. I visit the Eastside farmers market every Saturday to get everything I can for the week to come. I only buy from chain stores when I have to.

 

for most day to day items - i tend to buy chain -target/costco etc because they generally have the same product for cheaper

when i do eat out i try my best to avoid chains (fast food or restaurant) as much as possible and go to local spots.

i usually go to farmers market to see what they have there is some stuff i would like to get but its generally too pricey but if i see something that isnt significantly more than the store I'll buy it at farmers market

 

Yes, I buy local but not for sustainability. I do it to rally against the market power of huge retailers.

 

I think HEB is in a marketing sweet-spot when it comes to local. They have and cultivate a reputation as a Texan grocer, and they do stock -- and are sure to tell you about -- foods from Texan farmers and producers (though they buy plenty from far-off places too). At the same time, they're big enough that the shopper isn't sacrificing anything in price, selection, or quality just for the sake of buying local. I don't think buying local is my motivation there; I go there because of the mix of price, quality, and shopping experience. It's more of a long-term brand management; that maybe I have more positive associations with them because of their approach (even if my aunt does think they are a small-town oppressor).

 

groceries are one thing... but regular non-food type items.. I'll go with online if the price is right and I don't need to get it right away. I used to buy local until I realized I was getting gouged. An example from this weekend.. a propellor for my trolling motor cost $24+ tax at the store.. online? 2 for 20. I can understand there is overhead (and don't mind paying a little more for the convienience) but now that online stores are charging tax, I don't feel they deserve to use it as an advantage anymore since online stores have to deal with shipping charges.

 

Is this you, by any chance?

http://www.npr.org/2012/06/26/155751293/app-helps-farmers-sell-meat

[rquoter]App Will Match Farmers With Meat Distributors
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And many people want to carve out a slice of the national meat market - that includes people who would like to sell you locally grown meat.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

A company from Kansas City - now, there's a city that knows meat - is developing an application, or app, for smartphones. Nathan Jones wants to help local farmers find distributors.

NATHAN JONES: You've got a lot of folks picking up the phone trying to find each other. And what we hear from both sides of the equation, surprisingly, is, you know, I'm really looking for more farms when we talk to distributors. And the farms say, you know, I'm really looking for more independent distributors, and I can't find them.

INSKEEP: The company Ag Local intends to bring them together, starting in New York and San Francisco.

MONTAGNE: Jones hopes eventually to get information to consumers, locavores who want to eat locally produced, sustainable food.

JONES: Surprisingly, there's a ton of these services on the Web right now for fruits and vegetables, for sustainability. But there isn't any marketplaces that actually support and connect the whole ecosystem around the way that meat is bought and sold.

MONTAGNE: When you buy local food, you aren't paying for long-distance shipping that uses a lot of energy, though when it comes to meat, the equation can get complicated.

INSKEEP: On this program a couple of months ago, the economist Tyler Cowan argued that if you want sustainable food, you might consider that raising meat takes a lot of energy.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED AUDIO)

TYLER COWAN: The way to make the world a better place through your eating is simply to eat a bit less meat. Local is sometimes good, sometimes bad. But even when it's good, it's environmental impact is relatively small compared to other possible improvements.

MONTAGNE: But Cowan went on to say he likes the taste of local food, and in Topeka, Kansas, he's likely to order a steak.

INSKEEP: In Kansas City, the founders of that startup company would like to make sure a local steak arrives when Cowan orders it.
[/rquoter]

 

I have a love/hate relationship with companies like Walmart. I don't like their business practices and don't like the way they destroyed Mom and Pop stores. With that said, they have a large inventory and they are cheap, which is why I will continue to go to the there.

Why go to a local hardware store when Home Depot has a higher percentage of having what I need and at a cheaper price.

I normally don't go into local dinners because local diners don't cater to my needs. As a vegetarian local diners rarely have vegetarian options unless they are a vegetarian restaurant. The chain restaurants have to keep multiple types of people happy and are more apt to have more choices. Plus they have a larger inventory.

Fruits and Vegetables are where I will go local. Fruits taste better when they are local as compared to larger companies that pick fruit before they are ripe because they are being transported longer distances.

 

Me buying local is simply because I can't by DISTANT. Cuz I have no car at the time

Its good ol' fashioned CLOSE PROXIMITY and restricted options like how its historically been at keeping local places relevant.

Online shopping is the other option. So can see how online with no tax can further kill the local places. Thats just how it is in a more mobile world unfortunately. You don't have to have a fond connection to the local neighborly stop.

Generally when I can get around, I do my regular shopping at the closest cheapest places with less lines and better service. If Satanic Surplus Store is offering the best deal and they don't give ME hassle, thats where I go.

For restaurants and fast food, lunch break stops I go local. Cuz I like an "honest cooked" meal. So thats where I throw the small guy a bone. And pubs, local dives and family owned are okay.

 

I believe in buying local, but I also believe in buying products for a the best combination of quality/service/price.

Outside of local restaurants, I don't do local very much. The local stores have nearly nothing to offer. There is no local grocery store. There is which big chain do you want. There are a few hardware stores, but their selection usually blows, and I get better service from Lowes.

I buy 95% of my stuff from Wal-Mart/Target/Amazon/Lowes/Kroger.

 

You're getting close to telling me what, exactly, you'd find at a local place that you would NOT find at a big chain retail store. Again, I'm not against you, I want to understand what you mean, but you're still not showing me an example. "home furnishing" could mean a bunch of things and "specialty items" is broad enough I can tell you "big stores offer that." Example, please.

I can see an advantage to "buying local", but it would be only for sustaining the local market's economy in SMALL TOWNS, nothing more.

 

If I can, I'll buy local. However, I wont take significant lower quality or higher prices just to buy local. This pertains to both Houston local and made in USA.

 

I usually buy big chains because I know what I am getting. For example:
I went to my "local" hardware store since Lowes is 20 minutes out of my way. I paid 40% more of the few pieces of lumber I needed (basic 2x4's) than if I went with Lowes. That was fine with me, as the cost of fuel would easily cover the difference. The nice gentleman had me drive it around even loaded it up for me. I get home and Im ready to start cutting and I discovered he gives me the 92" studs instead of the 96" that we specifically talked about. It wouldn't have been a big deal other than I needed at least 94".
This wouldn't have happened if I picked my own parts at Lowes. So now I have to take 30 minutes off from work and go in late since they are inconveniently only open the exact hours I work.
I accept this was a mistake. It wouldn't have been a big deal if I could simply ride up and exchange the materials an hour later when I realized the mistake...but now they are closed.