We all pinch pennies and shop bargains. When I was young, we made the annual trip to Green Bay to buy school clothing and supplies. Shawano is smaller so the Shawano stores cannot buy at the same volume therefore everything in Shawano is more expensive. At least that was the belief.
Many children that grew up in the 60’s experienced this annual pilgrimage to the big city. Because we experienced this in our youth we repeated the process with our children. The result is that to this day we believe that everything in our small town is more expensive than the same items in the big city.
That is not a true. Today many stores in Shawano contract with an agency that lets them know what the large city stores advertising on TV are selling their items for. Shawano store prices are adjusted daily based on what the larger stores are advertising. You do not have to go to the big city to get a deal.
My wife and I discovered this several years ago when shopping for appliances. We went to several stores in Green Bay and Appleton. We ended up buying our appliances from Heins Appliance in Shawano.
Another time we were furniture shopping. Again we went to the big cities but ended up at Senzigs in Shawano.
I was using Sakrete on a cement project for the base of my flagpole. All of a sudden I realized that I was not going to have enough. I did not want what I had already poured to become hard before I added the amount that I was short. As I was mixing the last two bags I called Qualheims and told them that I was running to town and needed 6 bags of Sakrete and the type. Time was of the essence so I requested that they have someone bring the bags to the service counter. When I got to Qualheims the bags were at the service counter. I checked out and got home to finish the job properly.
I use Lisa’s Flowers in Bonduel. I can call ahead and Lisa has my order ready. I bought a tractor from the Village Tractor in Bonduel and when I had a problem they sent a person out to assist immediately. We had a leak in the basement and Ed Zietler from Zietler Plumbing was there in a flash. We have frequently used American Car Care Center located behind the Kwik Trip in Shawano. There are many fine local restaurants. I grew up with the Spinning Wheel and newer restaurants like the Light House, DOCs, and Angie’s on Main. At Christmas many go to Hanauer’s Tree Farm to experience cutting a tree to have the fresh smell of evergreen in their home. The Bonduel Bank will give you a loan considering the importance of your character, not just your credit score. I am called by name when I enter the bank. I get the same treatment at all of these locally owned and run businesses.
You get the gist, I shop local for several reasons. How many people in small communities complain that they have to drive to get this or that because it is not in their town? Not having those items in our small towns is caused by people not supporting the business in their community. The real reason I shop local is these are my friends and neighbors. These people call me by name when I come into their stores. The prices are the same or very competitive.
Another reason I shop local is service. What I said about Zietler Plumbing or Lisa’s Flowers is true of each of these businesses. These are small business owners. They are not the evil rich Democrats criticize. These people built or grew their own business. These local business owners pay taxes, support local efforts, pay wages and benefits that help our friends who work there. These local business owners are accountable to customers, community and their employees. We all benefit from the quality personal service or product provided.
When you listen to many Liberal Democrats they say things like you did not build that. Or they did not build that. Part of the argument they make is that the government built roads provided electricity which enabled these different businesses to grow. The last time I checked the government is to work for and represent the people. Are these business owners’ people? Do they pay taxes? How many of you go to business owners with your favorite fund raising effort? Frequently these local business owners financially support local fund raising efforts. We need to support our local business owners because they support the communities they live and work in.
I am in awe of these small business owners because they gamble their money and built their business with their own hands. They make decisions and if they make a wrong decision their business could fail and go bankrupt. You lose the service and all of their employees are now out of work.
Why am I encouraging you to shop locally? Everyone knows your name and cares about you and your satisfaction.