Thread 60723125

Are small, local businesses hyped?

Paying some local $18 for a small bag of coffee beans, or a 20% markup for shoes, or a 300% markup for candles is... strange.

I think people are brainwashed into "supporting local Ma and Pa shops", when all it means is you're donating to someone who lives near you. Where do you think they get their products? Mostly from the internet for pennies on the dollar which they arbitrage under the guise of being grassroots and virtuous. I only see garbage at farmers markets, aside from food. Boutique shops everywhere sell healing crystals, overpriced lingerie, corporation clothes like North Face, $12 gelato, world flags, McGraw and Pearson books - a lot of junk.

And then with food, the menonites are probably the only folks not buying their produce from Walmart to resell under the same "happy local community support" guise

Maybe a local kitchen cabinet maker is a nice business to support, but farmers markets and boutiques are like astroturf.

>>60723125 (OP)
The alternative is to apply for VC, which requires that your CFO has a German sounding last name, and there will be allegations against you once the business is set up.

>>60723125 (OP)
small businesses have insane mark ups because they're getting assraped on their commercial lease. if we killed all jewish landlords society would return to normal.

Its called a locality preference and its basically an inverse nimby logic, if you give money to locals they will use some of it to improve local properties, or you give it to a multinational and they build a town on the other side of the world

The alternative to what, exactly? What other business would a crazed boomer selling healing crystals start and apply to a VC for?

Probably nothing, right? They're just good at selling junk for higher prices. Baby tier business logic, with 0 innovation.

>>60723193
Profits from selling books and coffee won't finance renovations on a strip mall shop sized building.

I remember that dude who bought $1 Great Value pizzas and sold them as artisan handcrafted pizzas for $8 or whatever, just added a few toppings lol. The funny thing is, that's what 95% of products in stores do anyway. Takes $1 to manufacture and they sell it for $8.

>>60723214
my dad said the local 'farmer's markets' buy stuff from amish country and resell it. my parents live in an extremely rural area so it's like the market sellers can't even be fucked to grow their own crops. kek.

I want more opinions on this

>>60723125 (OP)
zump