Earlier this week, I visited our local hardware store to pick up some paint. This wasn’t just a simple “pick out a color from the giant color wall” kind of project. I asked the poor soul helping me to color match our exterior house paint that wasn’t originally purchased through their store and had been subjected to about ten solid years of sun fading.
Good times.
I had dragged my three kids with me and before we left the store, we had to go and say hi to the owner.
The boys trekked to the back of the store with their 2-year old sister in tow and before I knew it, my quick trip to the hardware store was an all-out, hands-on learning experience.
The owner was working in front of a large tank of minnows. He invited them over for a look, and soon they were squealing with delight as the owner teased them about dunking them in the tank and the boys teased him back with fat little handfuls of squirming, flipping fish bait.
As I sat there holding my paint can, I couldn’t help but smile. In all of my online shopping experiences, even the best of them can’t compare to what I experienced in the back of our local hardware store.
The way in which we purchase goods and services is changing.
That is most certainly true.
A person only needs to listen to the news or turn to their primary source of information, Facebook, to read countless articles and posts sharing the doom and gloom fact that many retail companies across the country are closing their doors.
Many of these social media shares are written in an attempt to justify the choice to start and support online businesses, suggesting that online business is “where it’s at”.
Now, I can’t argue.
I, myself, have an online business and I’m grateful for the opportunity to network and serve far more people than only those residing in my immediate backyard.
But, I fear we may be forgetting the other players in this equation.
There are still many, many business owners that do have a brick and mortar presence or rely on local customers to make their business thrive.
From grocery stores and restaurants to service businesses, like plumbers and electricians, the importance of customer retention has never been more important for local businesses.
While I love the sight of an Amazon Prime box gracing my front doorstep as much as anyone else, I would hate to rely on getting everything delivered via the mail or because of my rural location, having to drive more than an hour to buy something I used to be able to purchase on Main Street in my community.
So, what’s a person to do?
Well, here are a few ideas…
As you’re reading this article, you may be nodding along, agreeing with the spirit of what I’m suggesting, all the while knowing you’d never in a million years give up online shopping.
Don’t confuse the issue, that’s not what I’m suggesting. After all, I get the convenience. The options. The savings.
But then I experience something I did in our hardware store that makes me question all that.
So I implore you.
Enjoy the ease, speed, and cost savings that often exists with shopping online. Just don’t for a minute take for granted the incredible gift of having local businesses in your community and the people who choose to run them.
Put your money where your heart is. Because I do know if we take local businesses for granted for too long, we’ll all lose.
2 Comments
Great article. I own Lakota Hardware and Lakota is in the same boat. Now we have a Dollar General locating in Lakota. I think it will hurt my store and the grocery store. I am emailing you to see if I can get permission to run your article in our local paper, the Lakota American? Thank you in advance.
Hi Ed! Thank you for your comment. Our community also got a Dollar General recently. Don’t worry. Everything I talked about in this article holds true. If you continue to go above and beyond for your customers, you’ll be just fine. And yes, by all means, feel free to use the article. Small towns need support! Thank you for commenting.