5 Reasons to Shop Local… Even when the Pandemic (Eventually) Ends

The damage that COVID19 has wreaked upon us is not yet fully understood, but what is quite clear is that it has been detrimental to us in many ways. The damage to our health (both physical and mental) and to our economy are perhaps the most noticeable to us.

While the situation may seem grim, which it sadly is, for a lot of fellow Canadians, there are ways in which we can help our local economy roar back to life. One of these is by shopping locally, at small Markham-owned businesses. Why, you ask?

Here are some of the benefits of shopping locally:

1) Small Businesses Pay Their Taxes. Yes, the word tax may make some of us shudder. But, let’s face it, it is one of the reasons why Canada is the prosperous country that we see today. Many large corporations like Apple and GE are notorious for using many loopholes in order to avoid paying taxes. By shopping locally, more of your money is used to improve the quality of life of many other Canadians.

2) Create Local Jobs. By shopping locally, you help create new jobs for your economy, as well as help existing businesses continue to make a living by operating their businesses. With so many businesses shut down due to coronavirus, this means that a large number of business owners and employees in Markham have lost their jobs and are unemployed.

3) Help the Environment. By shopping locally, this would likely imply that the business you’re shopping from is relatively close to where you live. Thus, you might be able to get everything you needed simply by walking over, or riding your bike to the location you needed to get to. If you are driving, then you hopefully would have driven a much shorter distance. There are also many Markham-based businesses that operate completely online, with notably shorter delivery distances then retail giants like Amazon (because they aren’t being shipped to you from a completely different country)!

4) Money Circulates Within your Community. Many small business owners make fantastic contributions to the local economy. For instance, an independent milkshake shop within Markham might purchase their milk and fruits from a local Markham farmer. Furthermore, the owner of this independent shop may love hockey and financially support the local junior boy’s and girl’s teams. Many studies show that, when you shop local, much more of your money is recirculating within the local economy.

5) High Quality Products. Many local businesses take pride in the quality of the products that they produce. How many of you have had an experience where you ordered an item you thought looked amazing, only to find out it was a piece of junk that broke within a week of you opening it? While it might be a bit more expensive, I find that the quality of the product is usually superior compared to many products I have ordered online.

Not sure which businesses in Markham might have products or services you’re interested in? Take a look at this excellent list of local businesses you can support for the holidays!