With the holidays approaching local businesses count on your patronage to stay afloat; every transaction is precious to them. So, when deciding where to spend your hard-earned dollars on tonight’s dinner or a gift for a friend, consider the benefits of turning to local, independently owned businesses within your community. It isn’t always the easiest or most convenient option to visit a local independent business rather than a large national chain that might be down the street. However, there are plenty of ways you can help support your local economy in Springfield.
Here are my tips and tricks:
Purchase a birthday present at a local gift shop
Join a local gym
Visit a local nursery or hardware store for your lawn and garden needs or Christmas tree
Get your car serviced at a local mechanic
Purchase baked goods from the local bakery for your holiday party
Visit a farmer’s market to purchase the ingredients for your family dinner
Use cash if you’re able to when purchasing local, as a local business we are charged by processing companies to use credit cards and it can be an expensive payout each year.
The next time you need to run out for groceries or do a little shopping, seek out a local business and see what they have to offer. You could discover some great products and services while helping to build a strong and successful community around you.
Get to know the owner that stands behind service or product you might just find yourself making a new friend or customer.
Customer service is my business; I find myself to be a stickler for this because I want to be able to offer the best service to my customers and to be accommodating to their needs. They must come back for business but also, it’s important to me to build a relationship. We are not a 1-800 number we are local and most of the time you will speak to the owner or family member and I think that’s important.
I often find myself calling local businesses to make sure they have a product before I purchase online, I do this often because I want to make sure I am supporting Springfield as best as I can. One of my favorite things to do is encouraging friends and customers to check out what services businesses have to offer. Keep your community unique; local businesses give a community its flavor. We need to preserve our local economy.