Small to medium businesses make up 97% of all NZ businesses and employ one in three workers –yet it’s easy to drive past them directly to a megastore when you need cheap clothes or generic motor oil.  After all, megastores have everything under one climate-controlled roof.

A lot of us have double standards regarding megastores. We’ll criticise them in theory, and then go and ignore local businesses in order to shop at the megastores.  Everyone agrees supporting the local economy is essential, so why is it so many of us only give lip service to buying local?

We’re a modest-sized region of 150,000 and there isn’t oodles of money to go around, which is why I have a few reasons we must all look local:

1. Your local voice – if you talk to your local business on Facebook and post feedback, you will be treated with familiarity and respect. Try talking directly to a multinational corporation and see what happens...
2. Sponsorship opportunities – if we support local businesses enough, they can in turn sponsor all our sport, art and culture, producing yet more talent for our region to export.  
3. Local is different – chain stores are homogenised; Whangarei’s stores have unique character and design, and the store owner is never far away
4. Keeping our town centre uncluttered and pristine – Can you imagine the megastores of Okara Park plonked in our Town Basin?
5. For Us, By Us – local business owners contribute to the Chamber of Commerce, business association, fundraising, community events and local political decisions
6. Your Dollars Don’t Disappear Across the Ditch – local spending will mean local business owners have money to spend locally
7. Employment – Northland is experiencing a job shortage leading into summer. More retail employment is a must – meaning spending sponsors jobs.
8. Entrepreneurship –for small business owners: the world is yours. That magic can be lost in a career with a chain retailer.
9. Efficiency – small businesses take up a small space, make a small environmental dent and aren’t an eyesore.
10. Easy access – quality products can be found at small businesses for competitive prices in accessible places– local stores aren’t confined to intensive commercial parks or remote shopping malls

I could go on…

When making the decision to shop local versus buying corporate, think of the roll-on effect. Every dollar you spend locally will come back multiple times.