Sure shopping at local businesses can be good if they are competitive. I can't bring myself to pay more just because the business is local.
Also if you look at the BIBA site you will find business that have several locations, some have 10 or more. So where is the cut-off 100 stores, 1000?
They whole theory about big box stores taking their money out of the comuminty is specious. The people who work there get paid in the community, the taxes are paid in the community, the profits may leave the community and go to a corporate location but these are all public companies, those profits come back in our investments and 401k's.
Sure the Walmart exec's may bring a bumper of cash into Arkansas but you can make the same arguement about corporations with offices in NH. Do you want Arkansans to avoid Fidelity because the money goes to Merrimack?
The best way to improve business is competition, the local guys that compete well will win, the others will not. Remember years ago K-mart ruled the retail world until a local guy in Benton, Arkansas beat them at their own game. Right now there is someone trying to beat them.
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