It has been over a year since the coronavirus pandemic began, where we saw a major push to support local, smaller business through the emerging economic hardship of the pandemic. However, this hardship was not exclusive to business owners, and many of us were left wanting to support small businesses, but not having the funds to do so. Check out these tips that go beyond just buying items to help keep your favourite small business alive.
- Get Social
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One of easiest and most helpful ways to support a local business is to get sharing online. Hype them up! Share their posts on Instagram, Facebook, and anywhere else they sell their items. Like, comment, and save posts on Instagram. The more engagement a post gets, the more likely it will appear on other people’s feed and explore page.
- Tell your IRL friends
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When someone spoke about needing to buy something, I used to say ‘just go on Amazon!’ What a fool I was. Now, when someone mentions needing something that I know a local business can supply, I make sure to mention them. This is a simple swap, but I have definitely encouraged others to shop small by recommending shops like this, so it is worth doing.
- Don’t expect free things
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If you know someone who runs a business, do not ask for freebies or discounts. People work incredibly hard to create and sustain a business, and it simply isn’t fair to demand for free items and discounts. If you want to buy something from a friend’s business, you should be expecting to pay the normal price, especially as you should be wanting to support the people you love in any way that you can.
- Utilise gift cards
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People can be ridiculously difficult to buy for, and gift cards can be an excellent gift, while also taking the pressure off of yourself to get that perfect item. For me, my old friend Amazon was the go-to when I needed to gift something to someone and had completely run out of ideas. However, these days I like to think about a person’s interest and go on the hunt for small businesses that offer gift cards for their shops. This way, the recipient of the gift card still gets the independence to buy what they like, it is still a simple purchase for you, and you are helping out a small and independent business. It’s a win-win!
- Tip more than usual
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Money is by no means everything, but it can make a lot of difference to someone’s life, especially if they are struggling financially due to the pandemic. If you have the extra cash to spare, considering giving a tip to your local and independent businesses. This could work for shops and retailers, but is an especially thoughtful idea for the local restaurants that you might buy delivery from (especially when all of the restaurants are closed in a lockdown!).
No matter how you choose to support the local and independent businesses around you, make sure you are shopping small wherever possible.