highbrassdivers
Button Buck
I'd like to start of by saying that I have enjoyed reading this forum for the past several years. I do so almost every workday during my lunch. Although I have rarely posted, this site has been a great alternative to checking news sites as I did previously during lunch. From what I can tell the members here are generally like minded and share many of the same interests and principles that I do.
Lately I've seen numerous posts that reference Amazon and it got me to thinking about our current mentality when it comes to purchasing goods. For background reference, I am 31 and help manage my family's business (I represent the fourth generation of family ownership). We are in the automotive industry and our work is labor intensive which I truly enjoy. In the past several years I have personally noticed a massive swing in folks who want to purchase goods online for the lowest possible cost. Big Box Stores and companies like Amazon have cashed in on this mentality by squeezing manufacturers to produce at lower costs and in many cases selling products at or below cost to help monopolize the markets. Just like anyone else I too love a good deal but recently I've had to step back and think what these "good deals" mean for our economy. In my area we are seeing many small independent businesses go under due to competition. My family's business is fortunate to be somewhat diversified and thus stable but it still saddens me to see small businesses forced to close.
The question that I would like to pose to the fellow members here is what happens when the small businesses are gone? As box stores and online retailers take market share there is suddenly lower demand for skilled tradesmen. It is hard to expect a good living wage from working in a fulfillment center for an online retailer. The same goes for Big Box Stores where employees are needed more for stocking shelves than for their working knowledge of product. As our buying habits force retailers to sell cheaper products and increase automation we are even further shrinking the availability of skilled labor jobs. All this while even more students pursue College Education. My goal here is not to offend anyone but simply to remind folks of how important their buying power is! Where and how you spend your money will have direct results and can greatly impact communities. If you shop at an independent business you are reinforcing the need for your community to have knowledgeable and skilled tradesmen. Online retailers and big box stores are not going away and in some respects are needed for our economy. However it is important we remember that if we don't support independent small businesses now they might not be here in the future and we will be forced to live with the consequences!
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I'm glad to get it off my chest. I'll go back to enjoying everyone's stories during my lunch break now!
Lately I've seen numerous posts that reference Amazon and it got me to thinking about our current mentality when it comes to purchasing goods. For background reference, I am 31 and help manage my family's business (I represent the fourth generation of family ownership). We are in the automotive industry and our work is labor intensive which I truly enjoy. In the past several years I have personally noticed a massive swing in folks who want to purchase goods online for the lowest possible cost. Big Box Stores and companies like Amazon have cashed in on this mentality by squeezing manufacturers to produce at lower costs and in many cases selling products at or below cost to help monopolize the markets. Just like anyone else I too love a good deal but recently I've had to step back and think what these "good deals" mean for our economy. In my area we are seeing many small independent businesses go under due to competition. My family's business is fortunate to be somewhat diversified and thus stable but it still saddens me to see small businesses forced to close.
The question that I would like to pose to the fellow members here is what happens when the small businesses are gone? As box stores and online retailers take market share there is suddenly lower demand for skilled tradesmen. It is hard to expect a good living wage from working in a fulfillment center for an online retailer. The same goes for Big Box Stores where employees are needed more for stocking shelves than for their working knowledge of product. As our buying habits force retailers to sell cheaper products and increase automation we are even further shrinking the availability of skilled labor jobs. All this while even more students pursue College Education. My goal here is not to offend anyone but simply to remind folks of how important their buying power is! Where and how you spend your money will have direct results and can greatly impact communities. If you shop at an independent business you are reinforcing the need for your community to have knowledgeable and skilled tradesmen. Online retailers and big box stores are not going away and in some respects are needed for our economy. However it is important we remember that if we don't support independent small businesses now they might not be here in the future and we will be forced to live with the consequences!
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I'm glad to get it off my chest. I'll go back to enjoying everyone's stories during my lunch break now!