I’m old enough to remember when the U.S. auto companies launched their “Buy American” marketing campaigns in response to another deep recession brought on by an oil crisis that had gripped the U.S., along with growing competition from foreign automakers. Lee Iacoca took charge of Chrysler and saved the company from bankruptcy. The Buy American marketing campaign doesn’t evoke the same sense of urgency that it did when it looked as though the economy (and their own business practices) was going to take out one of Detroit’s Big Three. Buy American has transformed into “Buy Local.” If you think about it, it’s not exactly the same idea, but evokes the same sense of consumeristic camaraderie. The Buy Local slogan is meant to do that, of course.
“We are in this together,” Buy Local murmurs, “so why not help me out?”
I know why I should buy local, and I do buy local. However, A2P being A2P, I find myself questioning the Buy Local movement as closely as I question the Buy American movement. I was at a local metropark one summer, and a man walking past my Japanese car yelled, “Way to buy American!” I stopped and explained that when an American car company could match the resale value of my Japanese model, its reliability, safety and performance, I would gladly Buy American. I researched Fords and Chevys before I settled on my Japanese model. It was a totally Machiavellian purchase. In a decade, the car I chose will have retained much more of its value than any of the American models that I comparison shopped. The overall reliability record was better than the American models, according to Consumer Reports, and its performance was rated as superior, as well. The model was, in fact, a Consumer Reports Best Buy in its category.
Should I have bought American? For the life of me, I just can’t justify spending $25,000 on anything simply because of the geographic locality of the parent company as opposed to taking more objective criteria into consideration. For that matter, that Ford you’re driving may have been put together in Mexico with parts made in Canada. My Japanese car was built in Ohio by American workers.
I have the same issue with the current Buy Local movement. It seems a one-sided proposition, as if I exist as a consumer to keep local businesses in business. Isn’t that the job of the owner? Isn’t competition a basic tenant of capitalism—not to mention the Darwinism of business? I suppose what got me thinking about this was a comment made by a reader about the piece I posted about Ann Arbor Restaurant Week. He writes, “I will say that I have had great experiences with Ann Arbor Restaurant Week, and already have set up three reservations for next week. The food is great, fairly priced and it’s important to me to support our local businesses and economy.”
I pay attention to where I shop, but in a different way. I won’t step into Home Depot, because the company donates almost primarily to the national Republican Party. I refused to donate to George W. Bush’s campaign simply by staining my deck. I shop at Lowes, or our nearby hardware store. I always buy lumber at Fingerle Lumber, or one of the nearby mills. I do it because the lumber at Lowe’s is of an inferior quality, in my opinion, not because I want to support the Fingerle family’s business. I also do it because the customer service at Fingerle is unbeatable.
I can’t say that for all of our local shops. I am a member of the People’s Food Co-op, but the overall customer service blows. It has been inferior for as long as I’ve been a member—a looooooong time. I’ve come to conclude that it’s a culture within the organization. Gen Yers in raggedy jeans and dreadlocks don’t think they need to say “thank you,” or “hello.” That was fine in 1980, when Fourth Avenue was Whole Wheat Street. Back then, the Co-op was offering a unique product and experience, but there’s lots of competition for my business now. Kroger has organic produce that puts to shame what the Co-op stocks at higher prices.
Should I buy local, or buy the best looking organic beets and lettuce at the neighborhood K-Roger? I’m just asking, because I want the Co-op to succeed, but I also have a limited amount of money to spend on food. Should I eat over-priced food at local restaurants just because the restaurant is geographically “local?” Several Main Street and State Street businesses are chains, for instance. Do I eat at Tios, where I find the food not to my liking, or do I get my tacos at Chipotle on State Street, where the ingredients are of a better quality? Do I buy my tea at Starbuck’s on State or Sweetwater’s on Washington? (For the record, it’s Sweetwater’s.)
Berkeley, California’s Office of Economic Development has a Buy Local web page:
Buy Local Berkeley uses the definition for “locally owned and independently operated business” established by Business Alliance for Local Living Economies.
The five qualifying questions are:
My business/organization is privately held (not publicly traded). [Non-profits are considered privately held organizations]
The business owners, totaling greater than fifty percent of the business ownership, live in the 9 county San Francisco Bay (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma)? [Non-profits: Does 50% or more of your Board of Directors reside in the Bay Area]
My business pays all of its own marketing, rent and other business expenses (without assistance from a corporate headquarters outside the Bay Area).
My business can make independent decisions regarding its name and look, as well as all business practices, purchasing and distribution.
My business is registered in California, with no corporate or national headquarters outside of the Bay Area.
Would most Main Street and State Street Ann Arbor businesses meet the same qualifications that a Berkeley business does to be considered “local?” Ben & Jerry’s on State Street? Nope. Sweetwater’s Cafe on Washington? Absolutely. What About Real Seafood and Gratzi, that are a part of Main Street Ventures, Inc.? How about the restaurants on State Street? Cosi? Chipotle? Under the Berkeley system of identifying local businesses, neither would qualify. The Red Hawk Grill would, though.
I think in Ann Arbor, as opposed to Berkeley, Buy Local means something entirely less radically and honestly local. What if Ann Arbor Restaurant Week were limited to local restaurants that met the qualifications such as those outlined by the Berkeley Office of Economic Development? That would mean making some very hard decisions, and no doubt there would be some very angry “local” business owners. However, if Buy Local is simply a tent where every local business owner is welcome, doesn’t it cease to stand for true support of locally-owned and operated business?
Bob Dascola of the State State Area Association is a strong proponent of local business. He is also a vocal critic of absentee landlords who own our downtown buildings and charge rents that local business owners simply cannot afford to pay. Thus, on Main Street and State Street, we get chain businesses, perhaps owned by locals.
I think in Ann Arbor, the Buy Local trend is better interpreted as “Support Your Local Business Owner.” That keeps all of us, including the Board of the Downtown Development Authority, and local politicos, who should be grappling with these policy questions, from having to address the more complicated issues of what it means for local government to support local business owners.
What do you think? Would you support political policy and a movement to clearly differentiate between kinds of businesses as the Berkeley Office of Economic Development has done?
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My Honda Accord, the third I’ve owned, was made in Ohio. The Ford Fusion I’ve been checking out, is made in Mexico. Went to the Food Coop several times, the last time five years ago, and the staff were always rude to me so I gave up on joining or ever going back. Same with Cafe Verde when I want coffee. So when I buy Michigan made beet sugar, do I store up more points in heaven than buying organic sugar cane sugar from a farm cooperative at the COOP that’s imported? And how can COFFEE be local anyway? The beans are shipped thousands of miles.
Comment by Alan Goldsmith — January 21, 2010 @ 10:26 am
And don’t get started on ‘local art’ vs. ugly Urinal art.
Comment by Alan Goldsmith — January 21, 2010 @ 10:27 am
I drive a Ford Fusion that was made in Mexico, but rationalize it by telling myself it’s just as important that it was designed and developed by people living and working in southeast Michigan. I grapple with parts manufactured in Canada and Mexico, but keep telling myself that suppliers like Brose and ArvinMeritor and Magna are either headquartered in Michigan or have large operations here.
To me, the Buy American or Buy Local campaigns have been distilled into Buy Michigan. Buying an import built in the US at Howard Cooper supports some local jobs but not as many as a vehicle built in Mexico but designed in southeast Michigan and certainly not as many as a car designed and built in Dearborn.
Everyone has their own individual level of commitment. For better or for worse, that’s mine.
Comment by Alan M. — January 21, 2010 @ 10:28 am
We live in a complex world and have woven very complex webs to supply us with food and all the other “stuff” we want and need. I think the important thing is to be aware, to the extent we can, where and from whom things come from and the impact of our buying decisions. Is non-organic Michigan beet sugar better than imported raw cane sugar from a cooperative in a developing country? Depends on how you look at it and what your personal priorities are. From purely a carbon footprint or local economy viewpoint, yeah, go for the beet sugar. From purely a personal health or helping impoverished farmers in developing countries perspective, go for the unrefined sugar. Taking it all into consideration complicates the decision-making. I don’t know if there’s a wrong answer, again other than just not being aware. Though coffee is not grown locally it can and is roasted locally by locally-owned businesses. If coffee and supporting local business is your thing, there are options (and good ones too). I’ve worked for the People’s Food Co-op for nearly two decades. I truly, truly personally apologize to anyone who has received less than stellar customer service. Treating everyone with respect is actually written into our policies. I regret if that is not embodied in all of our interactions and that is something we strive to improve on. Our staff are, for the most part, good, honest, hard-working and dedicated people who are committed to our mission in the community. A bad apple here and there won’t sway us from that (and I’ll put OUR local organic apples up against Kroger’s any time!)
Comment by Kevin Sharp — January 21, 2010 @ 10:28 am
Kevin,
Thanks for the response. Of course the Co-op has good, honest, hard-working, dedicated people. You are one of them, and I have been shopping there since before you were hired to do the produce. The Co-op has 6,000 good, honest hardworking and supportive members to whom staff should always say hello when they enter the store, and thank you when they make a purchase. Some of the staff do. All of them should. Name tags for staff would be nice, too.
Comment by A2 Politico — January 21, 2010 @ 10:29 am
Kevin Sharp’s comment was thoughtful and interesting. Thanks for sharing. I am always somewhat befuddled about just what exactly ‘local’ means. Is there local coffee? Not in Michigan. So do I go for free trade and know that at least the producers are earning and paying fair wages?
I would be particularly interested in knowing which downtown businesses would qualify as ‘local’ under Berkeley’s five question process. I have a feeling that the results might surprise us.
Comment by Yale89 — January 21, 2010 @ 10:30 am
Holy cow -if you predate me as the produce buyer you HAVE been a member a long time! That’s good to know! Without members like you we wouldn’t have a co-op and I’d be out looking for work (and in THIS economy….) Too, I couldn’t agree more. Each and every staff member absolutely should be greeting and saying “thank you” to each and every shopper -member and non-member alike. Improving our customer service has been one of my missions since I started here. I feel like we’ve improved and we clearly still have work to do in this area.
It is interesting you mention name tags. This idea has come up periodically over the years. We do want the staff to be clearly identifiable to shoppers. Some staff had reacted negatively to the prospect of having wear name tags specifically (we had some lengthy discussions about that one!) Some of these, not all, have been female staff members who have had a history of negative experiences with someone not respecting their boundaries (not necessarily at work -and that’s intentionally worded “delicately”). They felt overly vulnerable having to display their name to people they didn’t necessarily know. The compromise has been all staff are required to wear either a PFC apron or a button identifying themselves as “PFC Staff”. You should see this when you come in the Co-op these days. All staff didn’t object to wearing a name tag and it wasn’t necessarily even a majority of staff but the apron/button solution seemed like a suitable compromise. We can be easily identifiable to shoppers while still respecting the sensitivities and sensibilities of some of our staff. That’s the back-story anyway on something that may, on the surface, appear like an over-sight. Too, it is another example maybe of how the Co-op is different than a more conventional business. My apologies for the long-winded response but I do appreciate the opportunity to do so! Thanks and thanks for expanding the dialog on “shopping local”!
Comment by Kevin Sharp — January 21, 2010 @ 10:31 am
Any chance of my comment on this thread, submitted during your new format testing, of being recovered and posted? I’d rather not recreate it if possible. TIA.
Comment by Steve Bean — January 21, 2010 @ 8:06 pm
@7 Lots of people in telemarketing use “desk names” instead of their real names. Staff at the co-op could use “aisle names”. The store might feel more customer-friendly, and staff would not have to give their real names.
Comment by John Floyd — January 22, 2010 @ 2:07 am
Steve, sorry to say I can’t put your comment back up.
Comment by A2 Politico — January 22, 2010 @ 2:54 am
I submit that it is more important to do what you can to kep your neighbor employed than what consumers report declares to be the “best ” value….I value full employment by companies who are 1. based locally 2. based regionally 3. based nationally. I beleive being a citizen is more important than being a consumer and purchase accordingly. Being a citizen to me means helping your neighbor whenever possible, and buying foreign products does nothing to help my neighbors.
Comment by mark s — January 27, 2010 @ 3:54 pm
Briefly, my comment that got lost pointed out that our local chapter of BALLE, Think Local First (www.thinklocalfirst.net), uses the same criteria as the Berkeley group. I serve on the board of TLF along with Bob Dascola. The key is that we support locally owned, independent businesses. By doing so, and encouraging you all to do so as well, more money stays in the local economy, which has wide-ranging benefits for us all.
Our ‘territory’ is Washtenaw County, though we’ve extended that about 10 miles beyond the border in order to accommodate interested business members who don’t have another local BALLE organization to support. You’ll find our Resource Guide as well as bookmarks at member businesses around town(s). Buy Local Week is our doing (with much help from members.) Our executive director, Ingrid Ault, has a regular spot on Lucy Ann Lance’s radio program and also blogged for annarbor.com last year. She makes herself available at Zingerman’s Next Door on Even Thursday’s (e.g., the 14th and 28th — that’s tomorrow as I write this — of this month.) See the web site for schedules, details, and other activities.
We just had a strategic planning meeting last week and are planning improvements to our efforts and the benefits to members. Part of what I’ll be working on is pulling together information on how buying locally goes beyond the direct benefits to local businesses, whether TLF members or not, to those broader benefits that result from the economic multiplier effect.
I welcome any suggestions for how we can improve these various efforts. (You can click my name to go to a page that has my email address. The TLF web site will be updated as soon as we resolve some technical obstacles.)
Comment by Steve Bean — January 27, 2010 @ 11:53 pm
#12 No offense, but you’re sounding a little bit like the mayor. “We just had a strategic planning meeting last week and are planning improvements to our efforts and the benefits to members. Part of what I’ll be working on is pulling together information on how buying locally goes beyond the direct benefits to local businesses, whether TLF members or not, to those broader benefits that result from the economic multiplier effect.”
The actual information here is good, in general, but you’re short on actual information about results. Can you talk more about the “multiplier effect” and actual results from local businesses that participate in your Buy Local Week, for example. In other words, nice idea, but is it really working in terms of measurable results?
Comment by Yale89 — January 29, 2010 @ 9:33 am
@13: Your point about results is helpful and I agree. Shuman references at least one study (I vaguely recall), and that’s what I’ll be pulling together info on, among other things. FYI, I’m on the board but it’s not a full-time, paid position, so these things take time. And just how does the mayor figure into this? Does he also share information on activities and plans?
In the meantime, I referred John Floyd to the books of Michael Shuman and the BALLE web site on another A2P thread. You might check those out yourself if you’re interested.
Also, I don’t want to give the wrong impression. I won’t be making the effort in order to necessarily report anything here. I provided the information in case readers wanted to learn more or watch our web site or future activities (or give feedback, like you did–thanks!)
Comment by Steve Bean — January 29, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
@14 If you’re running for office, declare already. These cloying answers of yours with smiley faces are getting to me.
I’ve never seen you answer questions with such human kindness and lack of combativeness. There is definitely something going on.
Comment by A2Dem — January 29, 2010 @ 2:12 pm
When I’m representing a group or organization it’s a different matter than when I’m speaking only for myself. Of course, everything I say or write is for me, and everything you hear or read is for you (and vice versa) — even when it seems to be condescending, Robert. Maybe especially then.
The way this site displays emoticons is just about enough reason to stop using them.
A2P might need to determine whether or not I’m ribbing her/him based on my words alone from now on.
Comment by Steve Bean — January 30, 2010 @ 9:28 am