Amazon Prime Day is here but small businesses in Salford are calling on consumers to avoid spending their money on corporate businesses and to instead support local shops.
The annual sale with thousands of tempting deals attracts countless amounts of consumers, earning them an estimated 7.16 billion US dollars in 2019. The business owner, Jeff Bezos, is also known for avoiding paying his taxes, which has sparked a lot of controversy from organisations such as Ethical consumer: “We have called a boycott of Amazon over its outrageous tax avoidance”.
Local businesses have spoken up about the importance of shopping local as well as the ethical benefits to doing so:
SACO Superfoods
“Attending events, such as artisan markets, festivals and tradeshows to showcase and sell our superfoods plays an important role in our sales & marketing strategy. When the pandemic started, all our events were cancelled. As a result, we saw about 45% of our revenue disappear almost overnight” says Lucia from SACO Superfoods, a West-African family owned business that brings to Salford natural and highly nutritious ingredients produced by cooperatives of small-scale women producers in West Africa.
“I believe that those who suffer a greater loss are the small businesses that operate in other sectors such as electronics or home improvements, for example, in their case, because they sell high ticket items, they might face the fact that customers would feel more tempted to look for discounted options on Prime Day, rather than considering buying from their local store.
“There is a quote that says: ‘When you buy from a small business, an actual person does a little happy dance’.
“This is absolutely true. When Franck and I go through a rough patch with our business, as we recently have with the lockdown, we see each sale as a blessing, and that puts a smile on our faces so I would remind the people of Salford that buying from a small family business, means uplifting their own communities by helping a family dream become a reality.
“Firstly, you benefit from unique offerings. More often than not, small businesses offer better quality products and exceptional service. Furthermore, the customer experience is vastly superior to what you would have in an impersonal corporate setting. Last but not least, you would be more likely to get one-to-one attention directly from the owner, who will be more than happy to share their expertise and knowledge with you.
“Since the pandemic, choosing healthier options has become a priority for many. Apart from offering our products, we want our shop to serve the community by promoting healthy living in different ways. For example, we have partnered with a veg box scheme company to be their main collection point in Salford. Customers can order their veg boxes from local farmers through the Fruits of the Forage veg box scheme and collect it from our shop free of charge.
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“Also, since September, our shop is part of the BOOBS Approved Scheme, which means that our shops welcome and support all breastfeeding mothers and their babies by offering them a comfortable and easy to access space to breastfeed their babies.
The Dispensary
“I think the problem is the consumer mindset – it sort of goes against the zero waste lifestyle in the sense that we need to try and be happier living a simpler life with less as it’s better for the environment and probably for our mental health too. When lots of people all buy from Amazon it is quite disheartening – the uneven nature of wealth in the world really upsets me. How can the owner of Amazon be set to be the first trillionaire when some people don’t have clean water?” says Fay Watts from The Dispensary, a business that brings an eco zero waste option to the people of Salford and also offers somewhere for local makers and creators to sell their creations.
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I understand Amazon Prime is convenient, I get it. It’s good when you forget to get your mate a present and it needs to come tomorrow. But since owning my own small business I now understand more than ever how important it is to shop small. Without all of our lovely independent shops, our shopping experiences would be so limited. But the more people that buy from huge online corporate businesses the more likely these local shops are going to have to close their doors, so we really need to vote with our pounds.
“Buy from shops that you support and appreciate, as if we want to see real change in consumerism we need to use our buying power.
“Supporting small businesses puts food on the table for a real person in your local community, it also ensures that the shops are turning over enough to trade and stay open – so making our high streets in Salford a nicer place to be”.
TEAk Teas
“2020 has been so hard for small businesses but Salford has a real community and we have pulled together to support our local businesses. Yes Amazon Prime may be cheaper, but please please please continue to support your friends and family’s small businesses. Your sale might be the one that keeps the business going or puts food on the table tonight. These are the people creating jobs in our communities, not Amazon” says Kayleigh Smith from TEAk Teas, a modern and sustainable shop that was born from the idea of making tea cool again.
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She adds:
“As consumers, we need to vote with our pounds. That is the only way big businesses will listen.
“Tea bags are a perfect example. When I started this business, Tetley and PG tips couldn’t care less about your views on plastic. Now, they’ve lost so many sales that it is important for them to address their concerns. It is too late! We now realise how much better it is to drink loose leaf tea and to shop local”.
The Hanging Knot Shop
Rebecca Inel started her own small business, The Hanging Knot Shop, at the start of the pandemic in March. A ‘friendly and ethical’ home decor shop.
“I think because my shop is online the pandemic thankfully did not have a massive impact on me, I can imagine that it if I had a physical shop this may have been very different.
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“Shopping with a small business I’ve found is always more of a personal experience.
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