Are putting money in the pockets of billionaires? If yes, then no, you're not shopping local.
The dilemma is that small local businesses can't compete in pricing and most people struggle financially. One exception is buying produce directly from your local farmer, which probably is cheaper and fresher.
Edit: I'd like to add that even small businesses mostly offer products that are from megacorps anyways, so only a small percentage of the profit goes to the store.
You're not wrong and many people cannot afford to chose anything but the cheapest option.
I have this same question about Amazon and living in Seattle.
No publicly traded corporations count in the "shop local" concept
How much of their profits do the Waltons put back into the Bentonville economy?
What percentage of the money you spend in that Walmart will stay in Bentonville, versus money you spend in alternative local shops?
Showerthoughts
A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted clever little truths, hidden in daily life.
Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts:
- Both “200” and “160” are 2 minutes in microwave math
- When you’re a kid, you don’t realize you’re also watching your mom and dad grow up.
- More dreams have been destroyed by alarm clocks than anything else
Rules
- All posts must be showerthoughts
- The entire showerthought must be in the title
- No politics
- If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
- A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
- Posts must be original/unique
- Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct and the TOS
If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.
Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report, the message goes away and you never worry about it.