It seems that the online sellers have created this big hoopla called “Cyber Monday” to drive shoppers away from local retailers. Though the phrase was coined as a reaction to a growing trend of e-commerce traffic on the Monday following Thanksgiving weekend, (see here) it has gotten lots of momentum push from the big online sellers. Companies like Amazon, eBay, Rakuten and Alibaba want you to stop going to local brick and mortar stores by pushing the idea that you will save if you buy from them. But that is not always the case.

I do admit that the convenience factor is big, especially in our modern economy. More and more people like to order things in the comfort of their own home and not venture out into the real world. But that real world is where your neighbors work. That is where the local business owner goes every day to try to provide goods and services to the community, people like you. That is where local jobs are created and how he or she plans to provide for their families.

Also local business owners are very likely to donate to local charities and give back to their communities either buy themselves or through organizations like Rotary and Exchange Clubs and other charitable organizations. Small business owners are usually the ones with the swim team or soccer team photo on their wall of the team that they sponsored. And for them it is a much larger percentage of their revenue to do things like this than it is for a wall mart.

So though it’s unreasonable to think that people will not be shopping online this “Cyber Monday,” did you go out and visit the small businesses in your neighborhood on “Small Business Saturday?” If not, and even if you did, remember to Shop Small. Stop buy your local retailers and give them your business too. We really appreciate it and that one sale means much more to us than it does to Walmart or Amazon.

The Pawn Box