The COVID-19 lockdowns have unintentionally handed a Christmas bonus to a lucky handful of multi-national corporations, many of which are getting even richer from a half-year of online shopping dominance. Meanwhile, this may be the last Christmas for hundreds of small independent businesses who are now facing bankruptcy because their customers all went online in 2020. Although lopsided government regulations deserve a large part of the blame, we must also recognize our own role as consumers and do what we can to help our struggling neighbours..The Canadian Federation for Independent Business (CFIB) estimated that as many as 225,000 small businesses in Canada could permanently close due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Retail Insider reported that nearly a third of Canadian small businesses could not maintain their current levels of operations and were considering employment cuts – or worse, closing up shop for good..Meanwhile The Guardian reported that Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, has seen his net-worth grow by $70 billion (billion, with a “B”) since the first lockdowns began in March. Such drastic contrasts suggest that it’s time to take a step back and figure out what is going on. .A year ago, I asked our readers to make a New Years’ Resolution to “vote with your dollars” by choosing to shop at small Western Canadian businesses. Every time we shop local, we are voting ‘yes’ to our economy, our jobs, and our small businesses. Now – with the Covid-19 lockdowns weighing heavily on some industries more than others – our small businesses need us to step up now more than ever..In many jurisdictions, small businesses face lopsided regulations which unfairly shut them down while leaving their big-box competitors open for business. For example, Ford’s PC government in Ontario just announced that they will continue their ban on in-person shopping for small retail establishments until well after Christmas. Meanwhile, they have allowed big-box retailers who also sell groceries to remain open to the public. And of course, their online competitors are free to gobble up whatever remains..Doug Ford likes to say he’s “for the little guy,” but under his direction, Ontario forced “the little guy” to shut his doors since November, all while leaving the big guys open for business. Thanks to the poor timing of these regulations, most small retailers did not get the usual Christmas sales boost that they often rely upon to get them through the winter. .While governments must ultimately be held accountable, we also need to recognize our own responsibility as consumers. Be honest with yourself: how many of the presents under your tree were ordered from Amazon or other major corporations this year? How many of them were purchased from the small local businesses struggling to stay alive?.It may sound harsh, but if you chose to shop exclusively on Amazon this Christmas instead of shopping local, you are part of the problem..I understand that many families cannot always afford to pay more for locally-made goods. Many struggling Albertans have chosen to look online for cheaper prices to give their families a decent Christmas on a tight budget. My argument is simply that those who can afford to support small businesses should do so whenever we can. It’s not a matter of preference – it’s a matter of survival..Do not mistake this as a call for further government intervention in consumer habits. It is a call for voluntary action..Government subsidies cannot solve this problem in the long term. We cannot blame small businesses for taking state handouts in their time of desperation, caused in large measure by governments themselves. But subsidies will not restore the lost relationships with customers who went online. Only we as consumers can do that, by our own conscious efforts to shop local. Long-term solutions will require a change of heart and change of habits, by retraining ourselves to get out of the web browser and into the neighborhood..Westerners must redevelop our sense of community solidarity to help get through these difficult times. Let’s start with a bit of economic patriotism on an individual level. Don’t let our hard-earned dollars leave our communities to line the pockets of multi-national executives. Rather, let’s use whatever purchasing power we have to put Western Canada first..James Forbes is the Western Heritage Columnist for the Western Standard
