We all play a part in the survival of local businesses and we, as a Filipino community can help secure the future of local and small businesses, especially in these dark times.
A lot of us have resorted to online shopping and food delivery as a way to cope during this season. Retail therapy is a real thing and also an undeniably effective mechanism to keep us happy in this stressful season. While we’re not one to judge about how you keep sane during quarantine, it’s still worth noting that being mindful of where you shop can make all the difference right now.
Supporting local means providing a way of living for those most affected by the pandemic. This includes delivery drivers, essential good vendors, volunteers, warehouse workers, and our own farmers. So, when you shop local, your money stays in the community, and micro, small, and medium enterprises in the Philippines are given a chance to survive and even proliferate.
This isn’t anything new, though. Supporting local has been a long-standing campaign as a way to remember our culture, to celebrate and strengthen Filipino livelihood. But after the effects of the pandemic this year, it’s clear as day that this is what we need to prioritize when it comes to our purchasing mindset.
As more and more small businesses in the country are closing down, we need to find ways to uplift our own people even in the littlest ways. Below are ways you can easily help local businesses stay afloat:
Share your favorite shops on social media
It costs zero pesos to tell your followers and friends about your favorite locally-owned shop. You never know which ones are struggling on the down-low because even the most established companies have had major setbacks during the lockdown, what more the independent shop owners and their employees? Some online shops are also doing their own part to help in their own little ways. Personalized tie-dye shop, Pinky Promise donates a portion of their proceeds to feed frontline workers. The Masq Collection donates part of their proceeds from their Disney Villain-themed masks to those who were laid off during quarantine.
Tip
When you shop online, don’t forget to include a generous tip for the ones that send your packages. Whether it’s food delivery, handlers at courier services, water refill services, or garbage collectors, make it a habit to leave a tip as a token of appreciation for their hard work. Grab and Food Panda has an option in their apps to provide tip to the drivers who will deliver your meal.
Leave a nice feedback
Your favorite shop would appreciate a review from you. This also helps other interested buyers to see if their products are worth purchasing, so your nice feedback could very well be the reason that prompts them to buy too. Whether it’s a five-star review, photo evidence of your package, or a short review of its quality.
Donate
To get started, you can pool funds from your barangay’s Ayuda (if you think others can benefit this more than you) and donate it to your desired donation drives. This carrd link going rounds on social media provides a list of donation drives. Bayanihan Para Sa Magsasaka distributes grocery packs for the farmers, sign them up for life insurance, and provide equipment to help maintain the quality of their produce, among other things. For those affected by COVID-19, this spreadsheet can serve as a guide on where you specifically want to donate your subsidy to.
