The 3/50 Project

I work in retail for a lovely couple .... a true mom and pop business which is a rarity today with all the competition from the big box stores. All the shop owners I know are really struggling just to keep their doors open and to earn a living. Many have closed their doors.

For quite awhile now we have had a lot of "customers" come in to "just look" and then go home to make their purchases online to save a few dollars and sales tax. (I know this because I am invisible to them and they don't realise that I can hear what they say.) They don't seem to understand (or care) that there is a lot of overhead to run a business, and if they don't start supporting their local small businesses they will no longer have store fronts to visit and actually see the merchandise.

We and other small business deal with this mentality on a daily basis and it is hard to be polite and cheerful when you just want to scream. There is a movement going on by Cinda Baxter, a retail consultant. It is called the 3/50 Project, and I hope everyone who reads this takes it to heart and passes it on to their friends, relatives and acquaintances. If we as Americans don't consciously make some changes, our quaint and unique small businesses will just be a fond memory.