My radio station launched an initiative as a response to the American Black Friday. Called Shop Local (yeah, grammatically it ought to have been locally, I know) Blackburn Radio created Blackburn Thursday and Friday. Our announcers blanketed the city and broadcast live from dozens of local businesses.
The idea was simple: to persuade listeners to keep their shopping dollars at home rather than cross the border. We did vignettes about how your money stays here, creates and keeps jobs and feeds local families. And it inspired some great discussions among the staff at Free-FM. Just how far does one take the Shop Local theme?
Is it only shopping locally if whatever you buy is made locally? Does it have to be made in Canada? Does the store have to be locally owned and not a franchise? And what about Walmart? Is it exempt even though it employs local people whose families depend on that income?
In my local grocery store this week there were two stands, side-by-side, of sweet potatoes. One said Product of Canada, the other Product of the USA, both $1.49 a pound. The US yams were piled in a perfect peak while the Canadian ones were on the move. Presented in that way with the exact same price tag, shoppers didn’t hesitate to buy Canadian. Unfortunately it’s not all that simple. You have to be a forensic auditor to find out where some things are made and sometimes, frankly, when time is at a premium and life is busy, you just buy the damn thing and hope for the best. But for me, where and when I can, I’ll always support a Mom and Pop shop over a big box store.