Consider shopping local today.
Don’t carry your phone into the store with the Amazon app on it. You know, the one that checks prices and then offers to give you another $5 if you buy it from Amazon.
Will they help you pick the exact perfect gift for your mom? I don’t think so – they don’t even know her.
Will they let you return it and help you find something else? Oh maybe – but you’ll have to pay to ship it back, no one will pick up the phone to tell how to use it properly and no one will say “we’re sorry, let us help you with that”.
Will they hire people from your neighborhood to work in their store? Nope.
Will they pay the 1% local sales tax that goes to support your local schools? Not a chance. Just consider where your money goes — does any of it stay in the local community?
Think hard when you shop outside of where you live. It affects you too.
The picture is Steven During (my great nephew) and Dennis Carlson – owner of Carlson Tree Farm. Dennis held Steven up and then put his head in Mrs. Claus’ place – so we could take Steve’s picture. Let me see Amazon do that! We bought a tree and a wreath from them – and we petted the animals, and visited the barn and watched them make the wreaths and we visited their lodge where they had local vendors set up selling their wares. Yeah, let’s see Amazon do that.