Doesn't have to be anything epic, I was just thinking of it as I chomp on my 75 cent Tootsie Roll from the candy and popcorn shop that would cost me 50 cents at the c-store.

Dude has been in the same spot for years, selling popcorn, candy bars, hot dogs, and fountain pop. I like to see stuff like that. Anything in your town like that?

I find that the locally owned organic store has way over priced their items that I could give to shits about trying to support them, its a rip-off.

When new places to eat open, I try them and typically find them mediocre at best. And when you try to give them feed back on what people are looking for, they dont want to hear it. Soon they sink their business into oblivion because they refuse to pay attention to detail.

1. Farmers market to buy fruits and veggies whenever possible. (I like local honey better anyways)

2. Mom and Pop shops whenever possible to pick up stuff.

3. My salon is now a local salon, mostly cause I followed my stylist from Toni and Guy over to it. But the cool thing about Bentley's is that it supports a business here in Tampa. Sure, they want to grow it. but right now it's just one salon. I just wish that they wouldn't be sponsered by Redken which is a bigass corporation. It would be nice to have them independent totally.

4. I buy lunch at the Grass Roots Vegan restaurant here in town ever Saturday to suppor their business.

5. I recycle.

6. I go to a organic Natural food store here near my neighborhood for most of my Raw/vegan needs, etc etc.

7. I support the local Thai Temple and Thai community here in Tampa.


I think there is more, but I'm starting to become more concerned for the area around me. Since I work for a bigass corporation, I realize that all they care about is profit margins and people are just slaves to their system of things.

horatio said:

I hear ya on the organic market. I understand a cartain amount of mark-up as they don't have the buying power of the big boxes, but alot of them over do it 'cause they are catering to a segment of population that they think does not care about price.

75% of new restaruants fail. Alot because the "chef" is so arrogant he thinks cause everyone thought he made a "wicked chili" he knows how to please the public. In a new restaruant, unfortunately, the customer IS always right.

I do buy food in local restaurants, but I don't shop at local supermarkets. I go to Tesco Lotus superstores because they are the cheapest and can even afford to sell at below cost on occasions, be it legal or not. Thailand doesn't need mom and pop stores, it needs to sell its soul, in the short term, to big foreign companies and offer them tax breaks or whatever necessary to get their asses here.

One of the best ways you can support local establishments (beyond patronizing them, of course) is to pay cash for what you buy. That way, they are not forced to pay credit card fees, which erodes their profitability (and thus, their ability to stay in business).

I have a number of local stores I like to do business with (fabric stores, grocers, coffee shops, nail and hair salons, etc). And even though they accept credit cards, I pay cash at all of them.

I live in St Louis and I do my best to support Anheiser-Busch.

AsianBomb777 said:

The new praying. Tops up pious self-satisfaction with sickly gratification and makes fuck all difference.

Number23 said:

I also pass my drivers tests on the first try to limit the amount of greenhouse gases I pump into the atmosphere.

Number23 said:

the possibilities are endless.....

jami0mckay said:

mods!!! Do NOT approve Jamie's new avvie!

Imago said:

I began blaming my subconcious after the second fail. Well, I say subconcious, I mean my absorbed twin.

Third fail it was the 2000 dead alien souls in my bloodstream.

Number23 said:

Imago said:

its my third one today, I can't find one I like, I must have the 4th avvie itch...

Fourth fail, my mama's barren flat titties.

But I passed fifth time so I'm now in the process of repressing the memory of previous tests along with the image of my granny masturbating to Lionel Blair.

Number23 said:

you passed???? well done!!!!

jami0mckay said:

Only because I showed the examiner a picture of my granny masturbating to Lionel Blair.

Number23 said:

I think I can speak on behalf of the whole org when I say we would have done the same

jami0mckay said:

My your chosen deity bless you.

Number23 said:

I'm still trying to figure out how that supports local business.

Genesia said:

Praying or recycling?

Number23 said:

Recycling. Well...praying, too...I guess.

no, I do not...I live in a small town that hasn't realized that it's not only local folks living here anymore...there's been alot of new people/families settle down here for cost of living reasons...I'd say 90% of the local merchants here haven't figured out that these non-locals aren't gonna py 25-75% more for things that they could buy elsewhere...
the days of "I'll buy it from Charlie because I know his family" are over...
we have a local television station here that in it's own way is very charming...it's not network affiliated or anything, it's simply homegrown programming....every year during our christmas parade, they've always set up at a park along the parade route...they have music, games, they tape the parade, etc...they always made it alot of fun...
this year our chamber of commerce wanted "attention" focused on our main street local shops and would not allow the tv station to do their usual set up...it was a bullshit move that backefired on their backwoods asses...
3 locally owned businesses closed for good last year...all had been here many years, two were around before I was born...all three had going out of business sales...all 3 adjusted their prices higher, in some cases as much as 50% higher than usual,before having their going out of business markdowns...

I can only speak for my lil' community, but most of the local merchants here will never see my money...

Genesia said:

Maybe it's a local recycling business. Or a church/mosque/cinema.

yes I do. And as soon as there is a Sport Clips that is closer to my house I won't have a reason to go over the bridge

roodboi said:

Man, I wish I could write a big post like that without trying to crack a joke or even underlay some subtle irony or sarcasm.

Genesia said:

most recycling businesses are locally run or even county run here.

Number23 said:

oh...all that...I was just bullshittin'...