Regional-The Wonder of Your Local Area

The lifestyle of the world nowadays is to go to the opposite end of the earth to find what you want and need. Especially with the introduction of the internet; we are encouraged to look and order online for all sorts of products from videogames to food, mobile phones to vehicles. There is no end to the number of suppliers who are offering deals and discounts in order to entice us to part with our cash via the shopping cart online.

Have you spared a thought for the suppliers who reside and trade in your region? Many of them will be traditional businesses which have been passed down from father to son through many generations. Like you, they have bills to pay and mouths to feed! Think how many local trades have had to close up shop as the business and cash flow just wasn't there anymore? While the internet can be useful for purchasing items there is more chance of knowing what materials have been used from buying in your local area. For example, food that can be bought from the grocer's store will most likely have been grown by local farmers and will be the freshest around. You could order food from a large super mart online- but who is to say where it has come from? Yes, we all like cheaper prices, but as a generation we are also a lot more health conscious for ourselves, our family and our friends. Don’t get me wrong; there are all kinds of regional online retailers and those that make a point of advertising that what they carry is all from within your region, but there are also listings for local businesses online that you can visit to do your part.

I am no economist but I see using services in your local area as a great choice. Even something as simple as taking books out from your local library is keeping someone in a job. If no-one borrowed the books then the library would have to close. The car lot would have to close as no-one wants to buy the car from the local white-toothed and tanned car salesman. This may all sound like teaching Grandma to suck eggs, but it is the case that we are becoming addicted to online shopping.  

Of course it is only natural to progress as the years go by, but keeping things local and regional is also about community. Keeping a sense of regional identity and local customs should be an important part of our lives. If we all decide to go with the cheapest and more convenient option then we would all end up spending our lives indoors, ogling the computer and not meeting new or interesting people in the flesh. Stopping to chat to the local postal worker about your son's graduation or nodding as the waitress tells you about her verruca is what helps us to stay human, and in touch with the rest of our species.

So next time you feel the urge to buy that SUV online, or order that book from one of the gazillions of websites, stop and think how you can keep your local community ticking over by getting these items locally. Not only will you keep local people happy, you may just come across the best cream to clear up the waitress's verruca in your local pharmacy!