[Southsider2k12]

I have seen a couple of times now where it has been mentioned about contracts and work being sent out of MC by various organizations. The two that jump out at me are the library contract that was just handed out, and the MCAS school board choosing to hire a law firm out of Indianapolis.

For discussion's sake, I am curious what peoples opinions are on this stuff. How much of an effort to you make to support local business, if at all? How big of a price difference does it take to change your mind from local to national chain? Are their specific types of local business you support over others, such as restaraunts, retail, for example? Plus I would be curious to hear other people's thoughts on the subject.

[Ang]

I'll start

Of course you all know that I don't live in MC anymore, but when I did...

At first it didn't mean much to me where I shopped, but when I started working for MCAS I began to see the importance of supporting local businesses. So, food was bought at Al's or K&M (I would do a little shopping at Aldi), I chose Meijer over Wal-Mart because Meijer-while it is a chain-is more local than Wal-Mart. King Richards is my fav for party supplies, I would eat at locally owned restaurants like Dinos, Lindos, Holly's etc, etc. National chains come and go, but the mom & pop stores are the heartbeat of America. A community that supports their local establishments shows that they have a strong sense of community. So, yes, even though I spend a little more money, spending it at locally owned establishments is more important to me than saving a couple bucks to support corporate America.

[Max Main]

I thought there was soe discussion of this a while ago. At any rate, it is important to support local businesses. Personally, I am willing to pay a premium to do so, but being the frugal type that I am, that premium is not a burden. The fractional difference is nearly always verry small. If it is significant, that is, a large fraction of a higher-priced item, then I may have to consider a chain alternative. I am not locked in to buying local, but I prefer to and try to. Also, I do try to buy goods and products that are made in the States. That is another reason I dislike Walmart so much. They avoid it. They are anti-worker. www.watchwalmart.com

Now that the farmers market is gonna open , I will get my veg there as long as they are actually locally grown and not just repackaging other growers' stuff. It happens, you have to ask. keeps them honest.

So I would say that the more perishable the item, the higher the probability I will buy it from a local source. Local restaurants will get more of my money than chains.