It’s a practice one should take wherever it is they go with them, that being making an effort to buy local products and services. Obviously you’ll try and do this within reason and only as far it is possible, but otherwise there are some obvious advantages to buying local, the most glaring of which is the fact that you get produce at its freshest if it’s sourced locally.
That’s as far as it goes with products however, but the same principle applies with services in that you get the best of what the local market has to offer, tailored specifically to the local market. You get a service that is crafted for locals, by locals and you can go anywhere in the world and you’ll find the exact same thing.
As a traveller however, especially an international traveller, it can be a bit challenging to try and distinguish between locally sourced goods and those which come from far and wide, with the wily vendors knowing exactly how to say the right words to lead you to believe that what you think you want to buy is in fact something you can’t live without. In this case it simply comes down to a matter of doing your research, i.e. it’s very easy to find out if a certain region produces a certain type of wine, if any, for example.
When it comes to services specifically however, local is always the best way to go and I’m talking about the likes of buying freshly baked bread from that corner mom-and-pop store where the owners greet you with a smile and address you by your name over the commercially produced bread you’d find at the convenience store or someplace like that. Of course ultimately it’ll depend on exactly what it is you want, but generally those trusted community stores which are operated by a respected member of the community are the best.
If something isn’t quite right with the product or service, you know exactly where to go and in some countries like in the United States of America, localisation maintained in one’s purchasing decisions become that much more significant because of factors such as different laws which exist across state boundaries. If you get into a car accident in Utah for example and you require the legal services of a personal injury lawyer, naturally you’d want to go with the likes of Christensen & Hymas, simply because these types of law firms have established themselves as servants of the community in which they operate.
It’s a bit like how things used to be in the good old days, when you knew the local cobbler, baker, etc. That sort of community-driven service is still well and truly alive, available to those who take the time to put in the effort to source the products and services they buy locally.
Big chain stores and global service providers naturally have their place, but your patronage of their offerings should only be enjoyed in the case that you can’t find an original and authentic supplier to furnish your need.
