Re: the letter encouraging people to avoid feeding the Asian mega factories. I totally agree.
In recent times we have experienced toxic substances in products ranging from kids’ toys to baby food, and the list goes on.
“Think globally, shop locally.” An appropriate slogan for our times.
While donating abroad through programs such as 10,000 Villages and other charities is laudable, shopping locally gives our dollars a supercharged effect.
My suggestion is that the chambers of commerce locally canvass their members to suggest that they, as a group, form a web-based list of businesses that can offer gift certificates to the general public as gifts for a haircut, oil change, spa treatment, etc. This would give people like me an opportunity to pour my dollars back into my community, and give our small business owners a boost.
As we all know, wealth is produced by circulating money in the community, rather than those hard-earned dollars being shipped overseas. Let’s put a stop to shoddy often dangerous products filling our stores by refusing to buy them. Maybe then some of the large department stores would be forced to feature a selection of home-produced goods, which I as a retired person could purchase and know that a local business has benefited.
Gerald Prior
Penticton
