Shop Local: 4 Ways to Save Money and Support Your Community
Shop Local: 4 Ways to Save Money and Support Your Community
How many times have you been disappointed by an online purchase? Maybe the color or fabric wasn’t right, or a piece was missing, or the product didn’t work. There’s a misconception that shopping online will always save you money and that shopping locally is more expensive, but that’s not true! There are several ways you can save money, put more back into your community and perhaps save some small-business person from the brink of bankruptcy.
Clearly, it’s not practical to purchase every item in your life locally, but we can all do a little better about supporting our friends and neighbors and spending less with multi-billion-dollar corporations. Here are some ideas to help your wallet and your local economy:
Buy produce at a farmer’s market.
Not only will you get high quality, in-season, produce much cheaper than your local supermarket, but you may score a discount on purchasing larger quantities. That’s something you won’t get at Safeway. Not only are you supporting a family farm, but those goods required less transportation to get to market which is great for the environment too!
Buy from friends and neighbors.
Invite your social media friends to share any side businesses they run so that you can all shop from one another. You may be surprised to find out how many friends and different businesses there are. Even if it’s not something you can use, you’ll be doing your friends a favor with a little free publicity and maybe some new customers or clients. They may even give you a referral bonus, gift or discount for any new business they receive.
Handmade, unique and hard-to-find gifts are cheaper locally.
Whether it’s jams, candles, wine, jewelry or whatever, you’ll probably find better deals locally than buying artisanal products online, especially if you purchase directly from the maker. Shop craft fairs, open-air markets, small stores and boutiques for great deals on handcrafted products.
You can ask for a discount.
Unlike big box stores, small businesses often have authority to offer discounts to customers, especially on hard-to-sell pieces or items that have been in the store for a while. In many cases you may be dealing directly with the owner. If you have your eye on something that’s been gathering dust or are making a large/bulk purchase, there’s no harm in asking if a discount is available! Just don’t expect one on hot-selling or new items.
At OrganiCann, MendoCann and Oakland Organics, you’ll be saving on top quality, Northern California cannabis and cannabis products. We don’t carry celebrity-owned brands or mass-produced cannabis.
Our budget-conscious clients don’t need to sacrifice quality. Our house line Chula and our wide selection of premium outdoor cannabis are wallet-friendly while still being flavorful and potent! All our flowers are double hand-trimmed so each purchase contains only chunky, resin-packed buds. You’ll find artisanal items like extracts, edibles, topicals and spa products plus a selection of originally designed NCC and High Art tees, hats, tanks, prints and more!
Have a local shopping tip to share? Let us know in the comments section!