Yet again, I’ve been caught cringing when someone extols the virtues of “buy local.”
If that hasn’t shocked a few of you, well…nothing will. For those of you on the floor, please take a deep breath, rally around, and hear me out. Pretty sure you’ll end up agreeing with me in a moment.
Back in the 1920’s, the fine folks at Kimberly-Clark stumbled upon across an idea that solved a problem. Their current foray into consumer products—Kotex® (okay gentleman, trust me…this isn’t going to get too girly or awkward)—wasn’t taking off. Women weren’t embracing the new feminine hygiene product as quickly as they’d hoped. Thanks to creativity and a female-focused R&D group, someone came up with the idea of using the same soft, absorbent paper-based material to wipe cold cream off one’s face, replacing nasty washcloths that were hanging in bathrooms from coast to coast.
Their idea took off like a rocket. Kleenex® was born.
Thanks to the hassles of hay fever, one of the Kimberly-Clark researchers had also been using Kleenex® to blow his nose, in place of his normal handkerchief. Huh. Next thing you know, they’re advertising the product as “tissue” to an even broader market—anyone who has a nose.
They saw possibilities. They saw the future. What they didn’t see coming was their name becoming a generic term. How many times have you heard the word “Kleenex®” used as someone was reaching for Puffs®? Angelsoft®? Scotties®? Seventh Generation®?
And that’s my problem with the term “buy local.” It’s too amorphous. Too ambiguous. Too undefined. Too “one size fits all.”
To a “locavore,” it means buying produce that’s grown locally. Or eating in only locally owned restaurants. Flip a coin.
To big boxes and chains, it means buying produce from local producers, then saying that you, as a consumer, are “buying local” if you shop with their national chain.
To some retailers, it means only selling product that’s produced in the area. To others, it means buying product that comes from companies based in the area, even if the product is manufactured internationally.
To consumers, it’s a phrase that’s become the Kleenex® of shopping.
(To those of you ready to remind me there’s another option, “Shop local” is no better. Ask anyone who owns a restaurant, dry cleaner, theater, or other venue that falls outside the definition of “shopping.”)
In a perfect world, there would have been different terms:
Source Local:
It was grown here. Made here. It has/had roots here.
Buy Independent:
The business is owned by someone here in town, and has no outside corporate support (whether by name or inventory-related advantage).
Everything else falls into the categories of “It’s not from here” and “the business has national/regional support.”
I’m not saying the concept of buying local is bad, or that purchasing from a big box or chain is bad (unless that’s the only place you spend, in which case I’d love to visit with you about the economic impact that has on your neighborhood). Just that the fuzzy nature of the catch all “Buy local” phrase has a lot of consumers picking up frozen pizzas at 7-Eleven, sincerely believing that’s “buying local” since they just walked down the street.
And now you get my drift.
Whaddaya say we start using the phrase “Buy independent” and see where it goes? I’m game if you are.
For information about The 3/50 Project, which strongly encourages support of locally owned, independent brick and mortar businesses, please click here or visit our Facebook page. You’ll like what you see.
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I love the term you use…”Buy Independent” is a great phrase, especially in a small suburban town like we are located in. The only chains we have in our town are Kroger and McDonald’s…we have a large assortment of “mom and pop” restaurants and shops, and if people would just realize what they are missing when they pass them by for the “mega chains.”
Thanks for letting me hop on my soap box!
Editor’s note: My pleasure, Gerald. I’m happy to scoot over a tad for a fellow fan of Mom and Pops.
Excellent point – well made.
Yes, I’m in for “source local” and “buy independent”….now how about some substitutes for “green” that appears on practically every product in the market! “Green” has come to mean ZIP!
Excellent observation – “buy local” is taking on the same meaning(lessness) as “organic” in many circles. It is important that we who believe in the social and economic value of independent producers/growers/merchants/providers make sure we walk the walk.
Isn’t ‘buy independent’ ambiguous too? I could find a really great shop in Paris that’s not part of a chain, order online, have it shipped by plane or boat, and incur all sorts of carbon debt on the purchase…
Editor’s note: Hmm. I think you’re missing the part about the purchase being “local;” Paris is a bit outside the neighborhood for most of us. Of course, if you’re commenting from a location in France, then the Parisian shop would be independent if they have no outside affiliation…they’d be local for you if you live in the same city.
Thanks for the “reboot” Cinda, I will add “independently owned” back into my conversations
Cinda….
Your point is well made but… Shop Local isn’t it, Buy Independent isn’t it! The idea behind the 3/50 Project is to support local independents and in turn build the local economy, which is a win win. It’s about the communities we live in and each and every one of us helping to keep them vibrant and alive. The tagline should be the simple result and benefit of doing it…. keep brainstorming! Shoppers are tired of being told to shop local, buy independent…. reward them with a tag line that makes them feel good about doing it!
Editor’s note: So far, our tag line “Saving the brick and mortars our nation is built on” has served us quite nicely. No plans to change it, but thanks for chiming into the conversation!
I wish people in my home state/city would make their gift purchases from me. As you state, it would help keep money within our own city, instead of sending it to HQ outside our state.
Interesting… what about franchise owners who live and work and essentially own their company and in many cases get co-op money from the parent company to spend locally. Your definition seems a little narrow.
Editor’s note: The definition of “independent” we use is one shared by most national “buy local” or “shop local” movements. For clarification about why we don’t consider franchises and chains “independent,” please visit the FAQ page of The 3/50 Project website (the350project.net).
I’m asking the same question as Theresa, we have a single location hardware store in a town with a year round population of about 600. But we’re a True Value. Does that “National Support” mean people should exclude us? Really, a hardware store can’t purchase competitively without affiliating itself with a national co-op. I imagine there are other types of stores, like grocery stores, that are in a similar situation. We aren’t really a “chain” or because True Value doesn’t own us, we own a piece of True Value. You may believe that we’ve got some great advantage, but without it, these six hundred people might not have a hardware store. At least not one that is able to serve their needs.
Editor’s note: David, if you visit The 3/50 Project website’s FAQ page, you’ll see we talk about balance in spending, going so far as to say it’s fine to continue doing business with big boxes and national brands (the latter of which True Value definitely is), as long as we don’t omit independent merchants along the way. Our message of balanced spending is unique in the local movement—not the typical all-or-nothing approach other organizations promote.
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