Over the last month or so, I feel like instagram in particular has been bombarded with posts saying "shop small this christmas" from well meaning small businesses. They're right, of course: A purchase from a small business owner means a lot more than a purchase from a bigbox corporation, and it would be great if our money went to support the livelihoods of small businesses.
I get it, but something has felt wrong to me the whole time, but I've been struggling to put my finger on exactly what it is that felt weird until now. And, unfortunately, it's complicated.
The problem is that not everyone can afford to shop small.
Products purchased through small businesses often cost more than products bought through large organisations. This is correct also, and sensible, as there is no economy of scale to reduce prices, things are often handmade at great effort and great time cost, and these products absolutely SHOULD cost what they are worth. This is not a call for small businesses to lower their prices.
This is just a statement that money is fucking tight. The reason small businesses are mentioning that a sale means a lot to them, is because money is fucking tight. But unfortunately, the problem is that money is also tight for the consumers doing the shopping.
Sure, it would be nice to say that someone should just buy one product from a small business instead of many little things from a big business. But what if they don't have any cash flow at all?
Judging people, or shaming people, who do the majority of their christmas shopping at a big business is not a very festive feeling. Cash is tight, reductions and savings are being made as much as possible, but sometimes the savings you can get from buying big are necessary in order to fit a budget.
Yes, small businesses are struggling. Yes, consumers are struggling.
Everyone is struggling except the people who have created the fucking problem, which is the billionaires, millionaires, executives etc that own these big businesses. They're the ones who are benefitting from the cowardly (or downright stupid) government policies, and we're all the ones who are suffering.
I do agree: conscious shopping is the far more ethical choice. Of course it is. If someone has the budget to buy nice things, they should buy those nice things from a small business. Of course they should, and it would be great if they actually did!
In my experience, it is the people with less money who are more considerate with how they spend it, because it matters more to them. They're the people who are struggling, just like us, and they are the ones being guilted by the constant bombardment of 'shop small' messaging.
I told you it was complicated, and I don't have a solution. I'm not an economist, I'm just a lil guy, an expert in SEO for small creative businesses. I guess, just be kind to everyone? Except billionaires who are fucking us over with their endless and unsatisfying greed. If someone can't afford to buy a £60 hand-poured candle or a £30 luxury notebook or £40 handmade earrings as part of their holiday present shopping, then we need to not be angry at them, or guilt them, for buying the £6 alternative from Tescos. These are not specific examples from the messaging I have seen, just an example to make a point.
TL;DR: Shop small if you can afford to, but don't feel bad if you can't afford to.
PS/ Direct your guilt and anger to those causing the problems of wealth disparity.
