Tuesday Talk: Will You Buy Locally?
November 24th, 2009 at 7:25 am By Chris ShieldsAs the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season approaches this Friday, Minnesota 2020 is once again urging Minnesotans to think about how we spend our dollars. “Made in MN 2009: Homegrown Holidays,” illustrates how Minnesota would gain a $2 billion economic stimulus if Minnesotans targeted 25 percent of their holiday stopping to buying local.
Given the tough economy, what are your holiday shopping plans? Will you buy locally, but buy less? Will you hit a big box store instead?
LikeTags: Buy Local, Made in MN, Tuesday Talk
Will be looking for the best buy in terms of quality and price. Hopefully, I will find that combination when I look at the buy locally vendors. On the other hand, I won’t buy locally just for the sake of buying locally if the quality and price of other vendors is a better buy just as any prudent customer would do. If local producers/vendors can’t compete on the basis of price, then they can compete on the basis of quality, market differentiation of their products, and so on. It is not enough just to say buy locally to help the local economy as there are many producers/vendors in the state et al that depend upon foreign markets, i.e. non-Minnesota, for the sales of their locally made products. Kind of a quid pro quo here.
We will buy locally produced foods for gifts and to bring to special occasions, such as buffalo summer sausage from Caledonia, MN.
I haven’t finished scanning all the choices in your list of MN products, but I have to say that many seemed out of my range. I can afford Regina’s candy (which you don’t list) but not the incredibly decadent delicacies you suggested. I can buy locally and make up my own goodie baskets, but I can’t order the treats offered for shipment by MN vendors.
Honestly, now – do people pay to be on your list?
The list is based on people submitting items. We add them as our time allows, but we are a small organization. We do this as a service to our state’s economy. Nobody pays to be on.
Buy locally or not at all. Make this a Buy Nothing week. If you cannot afford the buy local goods, don’t buy at all.
Virginia, that’s harsh. I’m not doing much local buying this year, but many of the gifts I am buying are pre-owned, and I am making gifts. I just can’t afford much of “new” anything.
Buying local is socially responsible, but so are buying used, buying fair-trade and making things yourself.