I had an enjoyable conversation this weekend that eventually worked its way around to the relationship between the consumer and the seller. The discussion was unfortunately brief (my fault–I was far too tired) but did get me thinking about the effect “globalism” has had on the act of buying good s and services.
If a person lives in an area that is served by a single store then that person will, of necessity and familiarity, build a relationship between himself and the storekeeper. This was not so uncommon fifty or sixty years ago. I can remember my father telling me stories of the various corner stores of his youth. Even me, in younger days, can remember the store that was across from the school I attended and the store down the street from my home. Fast forward a decade or five and the landscape has changed from the captive consumer in a single-source world to worldwide selection laid out at the feet of consumers by sellers trying to be globally unique.
It is hard to have a personal relationship with a faceless supplier at the lowest price. My question (if, indeed, it is a meaningful question) is whether the relationship between buyer and seller matters beyond the financial advantages of having the relationship.
As an example, I buy quite a few books. I prefer to buy my books at a reasonably small (and I think great) bookstore in a strip mall in Cornwall. I like the guy who owns the store and he knows me well enough to suggest some books and occasionally have a chat about various and sundry topics. I buy a lot of books from him. I would like to buy all of my books from him but I do not because when I desire a book he does not have he must order it. He cannot order it cheaper than I can buy it at Chapters or Amazon. And I get discounts and rewards from the online sellers. They want my business too and try to make up for it by appealing to my sense of value. They also (facelessly) suggest books that I might like (often because other people similar to me like those books as well) and allow me to write reviews and lots of other activities that attempt to mimic the relationship I get from my local store. It does appear that some people are beginning to demand the perks of a long-term personal relationship with their sellers. Everybody wants to have the entire bar yell out “Norm” when he walks into his watering hole.
And there it is–the big guys try to be everything the little guys are and they are quite successful. Local stores contribute to the community … and so do large corporations. Indigo just donated large amounts of money to local schools–that has to be a good thing, right? So, what is the argument to “buy local”? Wait, don’t yell at the screen … it was rhetorical.
The problem with “buying local” is that for most commodities (be flexible with the word commodity, okay?) the immediate cost of buying local is higher than buying global. Buying books is an example of this. If you consider food to be a commodity (I do not but many do) then the cost of purchasing food at the Mega-Super-Food-Depot is cheaper and easier than trundling out to the Farmer’s Market early enough to get the limited supply of produce. Clothing is cheaper at Mega-Mart (as are many other things). Oil changes are very efficient at Super-Fast-Oil-Change-Place and so on.
If the immediate cost of buying local is higher (and I argue that the cost is higher, particularly when factoring in the convenience of purchase at a central location like the aforementioned Mega-Super-Food-Depot and Mega-Mart) then there must be some other argument for buying locally. Some of these arguments are also immediate: the food at the Farmer’s Market is of a higher quality and the experience of going to get it is very pleasant. Many of the arguments tend toward the longer-term and (ironically) global reasons.
Locally grown food does not have to be transported as far and the timeliness to market permits the food to ripen more fully. Food varieties not well suited for travel can be grown and brought to market without the worry of their destruction on a truck. Some of the techniques for producing goods in other countries may involve practises that a local consumer may find offencive. Safety standards, child labour, and pay rate come to mind. The aforementioned shipping of goods is becoming more expensive and the environmental cost is being recognized. With low cost being the overriding discriminator, the quality of goods will often suffer (in addition to the possible shady production methods). And all of this production can be done without the seller ever having to look into the face of the consumer and accept the judgement for a good or poor product.
For me, the reason to buy locally is the ability to have a seller be responsible for the product being sold. I like knowing that my money is staying in the region but I must admit that this is a secondary benefit. Similarly the ecological and moral benefits are secondary. I would like to take credit for having a wider view of the world but I, and I suspect many others, remain quite self-centred when it comes to buying goods and services. I believe I can get better quality when I am able to hold the provider accountable for a good or service. When quality and accountability do not matter (a generic good from a reputable provider) my decision to buy locally must be based on the secondary benefits of local purchase and often a choice between cost and secondary benefits must be made. I do not always choose the secondary benefits.
One reason I do buy locally when I have the option of buying something cheaper from elsewhere is the relationship I have established with a local supplier. Sometimes it is just worth it to buy locally just to ensure that the option to buy locally is around for later. I want my (and I consider it mine) bookstore to stay around because I want to be able to go there and buy good books. I want the Farmers Market to remain open because I want to buy good produce. In the end it is selfishness that makes me want to establish a personal relationship with the people from whom I purchase goods and services. I get accountability and responsibility from the seller and they get my gratitude and the possibility of referral business. Even if it costs me a little extra, it is a good trade.
