Why you should support your local shops

by | Nov 20, 2020 | 0 comments

Would you like to pay less, get better services from shopping locally, and at the same time, help local businesses during this challenging time? Let’s first go through why we should shop local and then figure out how to support regional employers while saving your money in this pandemic.

Why should you use more local services? The first reason is that your purchase supports the local economy and community. The money you’re paying in the local stores ensures the welfare of local people in the area. This is because small retailers and local businesses employ more than 60 per cent of the UK population and are the bloodline to the economy. Therefore, we will help local jobs and the local economy by shopping local.

 

In addition, supporting local companies and keeping their businesses afloat helps the economy avoid price dominance and monopolistic power from big chain stores. Such competition leads to more affordable costs, higher quality items, and a better shopping experience.

Lastly, local stores are having a tough time. Many local services had to shut their door during the summer, which is the busiest season for many. While they must follow the lockdown policy, they still have to pay for several fixed expenses such as rents and overheads. They are suffering even harder because these local business owners do not have the resources to immediately offer online shopping facilities. At the same time, business rates for local shops such as spas, salons, cinemas, and bars have been cut in several cities. Many are now at the edge of facing bankruptcy as the government advises that citizens stay home and shop online.

Across the country, people have started to shop local more. For example, as Belfast prepares to light up for the Christmas season, Belfast Lord Mayor Alderman Frank McCoubrey has urged people to buy local businesses while continuing to shop safely. People in Northern Ireland also help local companies because, in the Covid-19 emergency, these local services keep people in jobs.

If you’re ready to help local shops, you may wonder how to find good local deals near you in this period? Typically, you can get steep discounts with big brands on sale occasions as these larger companies can afford to slash prices. Meanwhile, local services don’t often offer many discounts because they are pretty small. Even if they do, such deals are often not well promoted. Most independent businesses are run by locals and regular everyday people with a limited marketing budget.

Buying on SAPI is your answer. SAPI specialises in helping small local businesses to get bulk-buy purchases from their local shoppers like yourself. First, local shops list their bulk-buy deals on SAPI. A customer like you will buy these deals and later redeem your orders in the local shop. There are multiple local goods and services to choose from: hair/nails salon, coffee shop, dry cleaner, groceries, dentist, and pet services.

Getting the most affordable price from the shops you already buy from, with excellent service, is as easy as 1,2,3. The first step is typing your location and searching for good deals in your area. The second step is choosing the one you like and paying for it. The last step is to go in-store to redeem and enjoy the service.

On behalf of local shop owners, we’re here at SAPI thankful that you’ve decided to shop local!

 

About the Author

Mai Le

I love helping businesses to succeed. A maximalist. Serial entrepreneur. Co-founder of SAPI.

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