Shop Local

"Shop Local" they say:  I think that they mean "Shop Locally".

I am trying to do so.  I want my dollars to stay in the local community and not to be siphoned off to some other place at home or abroad.

Many Americans are familiar with "Ace Hardware".  I think (and hope) that it is a franchise.

So I try to use my local Ace Hardware (rather than the Big Box and understaffed place up on Fruitville, its name begins with an "L" not with "H.D." )

I was at Ace a few years ago looking for an item which I knew by the British name "Rawplug" - in truth that's brand name not an item name but I did not know the item name here.  I described its function.  "Oh" said the super Clerk, "you are looking for a fastener", and he took me to the right aisle.   That would not have happened at the "Big Box", even if I'd been able to find a clerk.

Similarly when I was recently shopping for Mulch I used my locally owned store.

Farm and Garden, Beneva Rd.

Maybe the mulch was a wee bit more expensive than at the "Big Box", but the service was terrific.  A bright and cheerful young man loaded the ten bags of mulch into my car, with a grin on his face. (Of course I tipped him!).

Many Sarasota friends know that I am not very fond of the near-monopolistic Supermarket chain "Publix". I think that they are a bit pricey, and I am vexed at their over use of plastic (who needs to buy three Zucchini Squashes which rest on a styrofoam tray, and are covered with cling wrap?)  Not I.

And although I am a fan of Trader Joe's (they have great cheeses and good wines at reasonable prices),T.J's is Plastics Central. Not good for the Planet!

So I increasingly find myself at the locally owned Detwiler's where the prices are good and the fresh produce is touchable!

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Shopping locally can be good!

My four or five year old vaccum cleaner went belly-up the other day.  It was a Hoover upright with no cord, and rechargeable batteries.

My first thought was to junk it and buy a new one at my local "Target".

My second and better  thought was to see if it could be repaired so I took myself here (in Sarasota's wonderful Gulf Gate area).

The owner/operator tested my Hoover, then looked up repair options (they were not cheap, I would had to have  bought a whole new power unit - not inexpensive).

Then, he showed me the many options for a new Vaccum cleaner with their prices from low to high.

He did not pressure me to buy the most expensive.  Most importantly, he knew my needs (mostly tiled floors, but with a dog who sheds), and he knew the features of all the products he sold.

I bought a mid-range Canister vac (sadly not cordless). I was so pleased to be dealing with a local owner who is familiar with the products he sells, rather than making my own decision at the Big Box store where the prices are good but the staff have no idea of the plusses and minusses of products on display.

SHOP LOCALLY!