Why Shop Local (NYC)

Shopping local isn’t just a feel-good slogan – it delivers real benefits for our economy, communities, and even the environment. In a city like New York, where 183,000 small businesses are operating – more than ever in NYC’s history (EDC.NYC press release) – choosing to spend at neighborhood shops can have outsized impacts. This post will explore why shopping local matters in the U.S. (with a special focus on NYC), backed by credible statistics and studies. We’ll look at the economic boost of keeping money circulating locally, the positive effects on small community businesses, the social and emotional perks of in-person shopping, and the environmental advantages of reducing excessive packaging and shipping. “buying local” is the key to thriving neighborhoods, happier shoppers, and a healthier planet.

Boosting the Local Economy: Your Dollar Goes Further at Home

One of the biggest reasons to shop local is the economic benefit for your community. When you spend money at a locally owned store or restaurant, a significantly higher percentage of that dollar stays and recirculates in the local economy compared to shopping at a big-box chain or online giant. Studies show a striking difference: for example, about $68 of every $100 spent at a local business stays in the community, whereas only about $43 remains local when spent at a chain retailer (Fundera). In other words, your local purchase generates roughly 1.6 times more local economic activity than the same purchase at a non-local business. This is often called the local multiplier effect – meaning more dollars get spent again by businesses on local wages, suppliers and services. 52.9% of purchases at local businesses are recirculated compared to 13.6% at chain stores. Creating a virtuous cycle of economic benefit.

The impact on jobs is substantial as well. Small businesses employ nearly half of all U.S. employees and have generated about two-thirds of new jobs in the past 25 years. In fact, businesses with fewer than 500 employees make up 99.9% of all U.S. businesses (SBMON). This means that supporting small firms is directly supporting the main engine of American job growth. Buying local helps these employers stay in business and possibly expand, leading to more stable employment opportunities in your town or city. By contrast, spending with a large out-of-town corporation often means profits are siphoned to distant headquarters or shareholders, with little direct return to your community. (Think of an online order from Amazon – almost none of that sale will fund local wages or local taxes in your neighborhood, aside from perhaps the delivery logistics.)

Local spending also bolsters public services. Small businesses typically pay local property taxes, sales taxes, and other fees that fund schools, parks, police, and fire departments. According to data compiled by SCORE, small businesses donate 250% more to local nonprofits and community causes than larger businesses do. They are often the businesses sponsoring the little league team, contributing to community fundraisers, or investing in neighborhood improvements. When your money stays local, it helps sustain this cycle of community reinvestment.

Strengthening Community and Small Business Resilience

Beyond dollars and cents, shopping local strengthens the social fabric of the community. Small businesses are run by our neighbors – the people who know us and our town. Supporting these businesses helps them survive and thrive, which keeps our neighborhoods diverse, unique, and vibrant. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams noted that “when small businesses thrive, we all thrive,” highlighting that local shops “give our city its character and drive our economy” (EDC.NYC). Every New Yorker can recognize this truth: it’s the cozy bookstore, the family-owned bodega, or the corner café that makes each block feel like home rather than a generic stretches of chain stores.

Brooklyn corner stores and local shops add unique character to neighborhoods. Supporting these independent businesses helps preserve the vibrant, unique character of neighborhoods (e.g., on Bedford Ave, Brooklyn). (Small Business List). Strong local businesses attract more foot traffic and other enterprises to the area, creating a positive spillover effect. A bustling main street with thriving small shops is linked to safer, more engaged communities. People are out and about, interacting with each other, and keeping an eye on the neighborhood, which fosters a sense of mutual care and safety.

Healthy local businesses also mean more community support during hard times. We saw during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic that small businesses often stepped up for their neighborhoods – whether by donating meals to frontline workers or adapting quickly to serve local needs. However, those times also showed how vulnerable small businesses can be without community patronage. By choosing to buy local (i.e. ordering takeout directly from a neighborhood restaurant instead of a delivery app that takes a big cut, or buying a gift from a local boutique), you help ensure these businesses remain viable. That resilience pays off for everyone: local shops provide essential services and goods close to home, and they’re the ones who might stay open late to help a neighbor or adjust offerings for community needs. In NYC, we now have more small businesses than ever, even after the pandemic slump, a sign of entrepreneurial resilience and community support. We can keep that momentum going by consciously directing our spending toward local establishments.

The Social and Emotional Perks of In-Person Shopping

Shopping isn’t only about the transaction – it’s an experience, one that can be enjoyable and socially fulfilling when done in person. In the age of instant online orders, we risk losing the human interactions that come with browsing a store, chatting with a shopkeeper, or running into a neighbor at the farmers market. These small moments of connection can have outsized emotional benefits. In-store shopping remains a preference for many consumers (Raydiant). A big reason is that they “enjoy the experience.” In fact, the allure of the in-store experience – seeing, touching, and trying out products, and engaging with real people – remains a primary driver for many shoppers. No website can replicate the sensory satisfaction of picking up an item or the personalized service of a friendly sales associate who knows your name.

Local businesses often provide a warm, personalized customer service that big-box retailers struggle to match. Think of the barista who starts making your “usual” as soon as you walk in, or the boutique owner who calls you when an item you might like comes in. This personal touch not only makes shopping more enjoyable, but it fosters relationships and a sense of belonging. Over time, these interactions build trust and even empathy – you see the people behind the business and recognize the effort and passion that go into their work. It’s a far cry from the anonymous, one-click shopping cart.

Shopping in person also encourages exploration and serendipity. Strolling through a local market or street of shops, you might discover a handmade craft or a new favorite snack that you’d never search for online. Those discoveries bring joy and keep life interesting. A survey of shoppers found that 61% choose small and local retailers because they offer unique products not found elsewhere (Fundera). In the same survey, 40% said a key reason they shop local is to support the community and small businesses – illustrating that many people inherently value the community connection that comes with local shopping.

Finally, in-person shopping can simply be a cure for isolation or stress. After long periods of remote work and online everything, taking a walk to local stores gets us moving and interacting again. These human touches can brighten your day and contribute to mental well-being in subtle ways. The empathy gained from face-to-face interactions – seeing the challenges and smiles of real people – can make us more compassionate as a community.

Environmental Advantages: Less Waste, Lower Carbon Footprint

It’s easy to overlook the environmental impact of our shopping habits, but they are significant. Local shopping tends to be much more eco-friendly than ordering from far-flung online warehouses. A big reason is the drastic reduction in packaging and shipping emissions. When you buy an item in a store, you usually just take the product (perhaps in a single paper bag at most). In contrast, online purchases often come swaddled in layers of cardboard, plastic air pillows, bubble wrap, and more – not to mention the emissions from delivery trucks or air freight.

A recent report found that online shopping generates nearly 5 times more packaging waste than local in-person shopping on average (PackagingEurope.com). All those boxes and padding materials add up: billions of pounds of cardboard and plastic are used for e-commerce shipments each year, much of which ends up in landfills. The same report highlighted that the surge in product returns from e-commerce – which happen at a much higher rate than in-store purchases – is driving up waste and carbon emissions dramatically. Often, returned items can’t be resold as new and end up discarded, and the back-and-forth shipping means up to 24 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually just from handling returns.

Shopping at local farmers markets and stores can significantly cut down on packaging waste and transportation emissions. Fresh produce at a NYC greenmarket, for example, comes with minimal or no plastic, unlike individually wrapped online deliveries. Plus, buying in person often means one trip for many items, rather than many individual deliveries. Local shopping also consolidates transportation. Instead of each household receiving separate delivery trucks for individual online orders (sometimes multiple times a day), a community benefits when people make a single trip to a store to purchase multiple items. Fewer vehicle miles traveled per item means fewer emissions. If you walk, bike, or take public transit to shop (very feasible in NYC and many towns), the carbon footprint of your purchases drops even further. Compare that to expedited shipping, which prioritizes speed over efficiency: delivery vans rushing to meet 2-day or same-day delivery windows often travel half-empty or take inefficient routes, leading to higher pollution. Environmental researchers note that “when consumers opt for fast delivery, the emissions far exceed those generated from in-person shopping” (Earth.org).

In fact, the convenience of one-click buying has contributed to such a rise in delivery traffic that it’s worsening urban congestion and emissions. It is projected by 2030, the number of delivery vehicles in cities will increase by 36%, raising CO2 emissions by millions of tons and slowing traffic by over 20% (Earth.org).

Additionally, local businesses often have a smaller carbon footprint in their operations. They might source products from local or regional suppliers more often than big chains that ship from massive central warehouses. Many independent shops and markets also embrace sustainability practices – for example, 59% of local independent makers say they use recycled materials in their products at least occasionally (Fundera). Farmers markets bring regionally grown food that didn’t need to be flown across the world or trucked thousands of miles. All these factors mean that choosing local can reduce the energy and resources used to get goods into your hands.

Finally, there’s the issue of overconsumption. Online shopping, with its convenience and constant recommendations, can encourage impulse buying and over-ordering (often with the intent to return unwanted items). This cycle creates waste. For a really eye-opening look into online consumption over-ordering check out the Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy Netflix documentary. Shopping local, especially when you go with a purpose, tends to be more intentional. You see the item before buying, which means you’re likely to be satisfied with it and not return it. The result: less wasted product, and you buy what you truly need or love. In sustainability terms, that’s a big win.

Technology and Feedback: Helping Local Businesses Thrive

It’s clear that shopping local has numerous benefits, and now new tools are emerging to make the local shopping experience even better for both customers and businesses. One crucial aspect is feedback and communication. Unlike faceless corporations, local business owners are often eager to hear from their customers and adjust to serve them better. Modern technology platforms are facilitating this exchange. For instance, businesses can use apps and services to gather customer feedback and insights in real time – this is exactly the mission of companies like ShopperTrail, which helps local businesses learn from customer feedback to improve their service and offerings.

This creates a virtuous cycle: shoppers feel heard and see their suggestions implemented, which encourages them to keep supporting the business, and the business in turn becomes more attuned to community needs. The key is that these platforms amplify the community’s voice in local business. Small businesses typically don’t have huge market research departments, so direct input from patrons is invaluable. ShopperTrail's mission is to be a link in this vital feedback loop. Delivering consumer opinions and preferences directly to small store owners, keeping negative reviews off of other online platforms which disproportionately damage reputation. ShopperTrail is coming soon! Support a world where we prioritize communication to help the beloved shops on our blocks thrive. The whole community wins – better services, more of what you love available nearby, and the satisfaction of co-creating the kind of neighborhood you want to live in. It’s a modern twist on the age-old relationship between a shopkeeper and their patrons, now powered by technology to be faster and more data-driven.

Conclusion: Think Global, Shop Local

In an era of global online marketplaces, choosing to shop local is a powerful way to invest in your own community’s future. The benefits ripple through the local economy – creating jobs, boosting public revenue, and keeping entrepreneurial spirit alive. Local shopping also nurtures the unique character of places like New York City, where a mix of small bookstores, bakeries, delis, and boutiques make each neighborhood special. The next time you have a purchase to make or a craving to satisfy, think about going local, be kind to the environment and become a "regular."