AP-BIZ Attachment Parents in Business

Why Buy from a Family Business?

by Jay Ann Cox,
Founder of the AP-BIZ Network

With the rise in popularity of Internet and mail order retailers, it is tempting to shop around. Many shoppers are looking for the best prices, some are looking for unique or hard-to-find merchandise, and some people truly just love to surf the net or flip through catalogs, just looking at all the great stuff. These are all valid criteria for making a purchase, but there's something else to think about.

Many of the mail order and Internet businesses cropping up are run by families:

a mom with young children who stays at home but needs to contribute to the family financially, either because her husband's paycheck covers just the essentials or because she's single;

a mom-n-pop where everyone pitches in to help promote the family's financial and psychological health;

a parent making the transition from the security and grind of a corporate career, to the fulfillment of being closer to home and building a great business.

These are the people who stand behind some of those gorgeous wooden toys, nursingwear, cloth diapers, practically perfect baby shoes, and a wide range of music, books, and gifts, many of them unique and handcrafted. While a fully commercial site can offer 5 to 15% off the regular price, smart shoppers need to look past the false assurance that a low price can give.

If you buy from a corporate site, your dollars are going towards a lot of overhead, such as warehouses, office buildings and phone banks where the order departments process your requests. You might also be unaware of any unfair or unethical labor or environmental issues the company is involved in. Certainly, your dollars don't proportionally go to that nice person on the other end of the phone, who is working for minimum wage plus a few extra dollars and/or cents. While you might enjoy talking to "Hi, my name is Debbie," she might actually be a Mabel or a Stephanie who answers the "Debbie" phone line.

Your dollars might be supporting a company whose bottom line gets distributed to shareholders or third party investors. Your buying power is pretty much confined to the products you can get for that low price. A company that consistently offers discounts is not generally able to keep the quality of life for its workers high, nor is it capable of contributing to the community, unless the company does a huge volume in business, along the lines of a Target or Wal-Mart.

And to be honest, there is nothing wrong with that. But is that really where you want to "vote" with your dollars?

What happens if you buy from a family-owned business? Your dollars go directly to pay for the merchandise, the low overhead of a small or home business, and the rest go back into the business to make it better, to pay the printer who uses recycled paper and soy ink for the next catalog, to pay taxes (ugh!), to fund the grocery and utility account for that family, or towards the down payment on a house, health insurance, college tuition. Your family-retailer might have a strong commitment to local or national charities, and a portion of your money might go directly to a literacy campaign, a women's shelter, La Leche League, or some other worthy cause.

Beyond the power of your money to support a family in honor and assist in community work, you will also receive a measure of honor and respect yourself. As an established customer, you will enjoy the superb service that only the owner of a business can give to his or her patrons. Imagine seeking the resolution to a damage claim, and the decision maker answers the phone routinely! Think you'll be on hold very long? Think there will be a problem that has to be referred to the "Resolution Department"? No way!

I know of one small business owner who will match a competitor's price, and can make that decision when you place an order, on the spot. No rebate coupons or receipts to prove your claim--just an honest request and a straight answer. I have called my favorite retailer many times on the phone, and spoken with her infant son while she is checking on my order. Lots better than "Kenny G does the Beatles" for hold music! I am on the mailing list with certain retailers who frequently offer co-op purchases on big ticket items, or who hold "preferred customer" sales several times a year. That's when I get a nice discount on quality merchandise, and really save $$.

Finally, I have the chance to build a relationship with someone who might share my values, who remembers my name and my son's name, whose children I know will answer the phone occasionally,and who stands for something far above the bottom line. I can feel good, not guilty about my purchases, and I'm not fooling myself when I think the world is a little bit better place because I paid a dollar more for an order.

While many smaller, family-owned businesses may not compete on price alone, so many other factors make up the buying decision and eventual customer satisfaction that shoppers are foolish not to look seriously at the consistently high quality and service that a family-owned business can provide.

Please bring your business to a family-owned retailer, and if you get someone named "Debbie," you can be sure that is her real name!

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