Shop local, shop smartguest column

By Jonathan Radmacher of Portland, Oregon. Jonathan is a lawyer who lives and shops in inner-SE Portland, and works downtown.

Like most blue Oregonians, I was never particularly enamored of GW’s call to shop. It reflected the worst of our consumer society – consuming for the sake of consumption, buying badly manufactured products that were produced with quasi-slave labor.    But for me, this weekend’s New York Times, this time highlighting Portland for Michael Powell’s worries about the economy, is a call to action in the form of shopping.  That’s not a brilliant thought or a unique thought, but it’s a thought that I too often squelch, as being intricately tied to the economic policies of that dunderhead. I (we) need to get over that.

First, when you buy services, you’re helping your neighbor. That guy, whose 4-person business painted my porch last year? He’s a great painter, and a really nice guy. And with the construction trade in its present condition, he really needs the work.    Not that I have $500 burning a hole in my pocket; and even if I did, I’m kind of nervous about where we’re heading, too.   That kind of nervousness, by everyone, puts that great painter out of business. So I need to stretch and get a room painted.   He’s not sending my $500 to China, or to Wal-Mart shareholders. He’s going to pay himself, his wife, and his employees. And they’re all going to spend that money for the basic necessities of life.

Second, more than ever, buy local. No matter how nervous I am about spending, let’s face it, I have to spend for the necessities of life. With every dollar being a little more precious, my spending on goods needs to be more focused on where those dollars are going after they land in that cash register. Are they going to feed and house my neighbors? I hope so. Not that you can control where all 100 cents from each dollar goes, but I do think that by paying more attention to where I spend, I’ll play a part in making a difference.

Third is a reality check --  my spending decisions will make very little difference. My deciding to get a room painted will not make or break the painter’s business. My deciding to shop at a store where the owner lives in Portland, will not trickle much money into the pockets of other Portlanders. But by the same token, my vote won’t make a candidate win or lose (even in Minnesota), and my changing my lightbulbs to high-efficiency bulbs won’t stop global warming.   That’s why this has to be a group effort – everyone buying high-efficiency bulbs at local hardware stores really might make a difference.

Of course, none of this is ground-breaking thought, by a long shot. “Buy local” is tired, it’s so ubiquitous. That’s because it needs to be ubiquitous. We need to be thinking about it each time we pull out our wallets. And I believe we need to be thinking about pulling out our wallets a little more. The book I saw on the NYT best seller list? I should buy it; whether from Powell’s or some other local bookstore, I should buy it. And as I walk out of the store, I should remember that I’m doing my part to help those around me.

March 30, 2009 | guest column | Comments (24 so far) Permalink: Shop local, shop smart

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