Surrey Strong: 4 Reasons to Shop Local

Consumers have always had a choice: buy here, or venture elsewhere. Proponents for the latter will cite the potential for greater options and lower prices as their reasons, but is that really true?

Shopping locally, especially in a city and municipality as vibrant and diverse as Surrey, is every bit as option-rich as ordering online or driving elsewhere. And it becomes even more option-rich when residents commit themselves to shopping locally; when your dollars go into local businesses, it encourages competition, which diversifies choice and price.

Still unconvinced? Here are four great reasons why you should shop locally, either in Surrey or Metro Vancouver.

The first and perhaps best reason to shop locally is that it stimulates the local economy. Rather than funneling locally-made money into international corporations like Amazon or Walmart, just head down to the local store for that bag of toilet paper. If you’re in need of a new pickup truck for your business, visit the local Ford Dealership in Surrey to get a deal on an F-150.

Especially amid the COVID pandemic, when businesses are struggling to compete against the purchasing power of multinational companies, it has become increasingly important to shop with the local economy in mind. Whether you’re an individual in need of basic toiletries, or a small business owner in need of a Ford truck, shopping locally can help stimulate the economy around you.

Surrey business owners are your friends, your neighbours. They are the smiling faces you see when you go for a walk, and the happy families you see picnicking at Surrey Bend on the weekend. They are the ones invested in the wellbeing and future of the community, the ones who host community events and sponsor local charities.

Supporting local businesses, therefore, means supporting the community.

The longer goods have to travel, the more of an ecological footprint they exact. This is a great reason to consider locally crafted goods, but it’s also a good reason to shop for anything locally.

Locally crafted goods like micro-brews and wood furniture (to use a few hip examples) don’t require time on a freight truck, nor do you need your own car to go get them. They are made here, bought here and enjoyed here.

Not everything can be manufactured locally, though. Since there’s no such thing as a locally crafted automobile, for instance, when it comes time to buy a new car, you can shop locally by buying that Ford Mustang here in Surrey rather than going stateside to Washington.