Why are independent "mom and pop" shops better?

Personally, I like to support the mom and pop shops because the people tend to be friendlier. It’s easier to get to know the owners and the workers. They also tend to have a more interesting selection of whatever they sell than a larger store. Mom and pop shops also tend to treat their workers better and all the money they make is staying in the community as opposed to the chains which can put money from their stores anywhere. Also, a big chain isn’t going to know what it’s local stores need the same way that a mom and pop shop will. Also, if you avoid a chain store, you’re not putting the company out of business. If you avoid a mom and pop business, that’s putting a whole store out of business.

For me I want to help encourage local entrepeneurs. I like the idea of living in a community that has local businesses where everyone helps each other. Think Little House on Prairie as an extreme example. One general store, one church, one schoolhouse, one person who forges metal, one or two restaurants, several farmers. The community depends on each other, and has a feeling they each provide a service for the community, and people feel more involved with each other. Even though people pay for the services, it still is a nice feeling to help a neighbor in their business, then to give your money to a big corporation that is focused on pleasing stockholders.

Supposedly because they are your family or the next thing to it, and they have your best interest at heart, as opposed to the corporate mentality. This is false, since the Mom and Pop store have to make a profit same as the corporate.

For me it’s partly because I like to support independent businesses but it’s not entirely an act of altruism. I just feel like I get better service and support from people who run their own businesses. I would much rather patronize my neighborhood hardware store than Home Depot or Lowe’s just because I simply get better, more knowledgeable service. I don’t have to hunt someone down to help me and the help I get is from people who know what they’re talking about. And when you get to know the people you do business with and when they know you it just makes for a better and more productive relationship and experience. The prices may be a little bit higher at my little hardware store but I know that if I go in there and I tell them what my problem is, if they know that it can be solved with a .79 cent part they will tell me that, whereas at Home Depot, if I can even find someone to help me they probably won’t know much more than I do and I will probably end up leaving the store with a $20 fix when that .79 cent part would have been just what I needed.

@KatawaGrey But the mom and pop shop can’t have me as their only customer, I’m not the only person responsible for them staying open. And if enough people don’t go a chain or corporate store, it will shut down as well.

@papayalily: True, but if a hundred people stop going to Wal-Mart, well, Wal-Mart won’t even feel it. However, if a hundred people stop going to the locally owned shop, they could go out of business.

@KatawaGrey True, but I can only control my own actions – I can’t force those other 99 people to go one way or the other.

In the end I wind up shopping wherever the service is best, and the prices are fair, and the return policy is reasonable if it is a store that I have a high chance of needing to return things. I am not talking about abusing a return policy, or returning opened goods. I like that Lowes and Home Depot lets me return a bag of grass seed, if I bought one to many without a hassle, or if I bought the wrong item for my husband. I don’t find that local stores have better service necessarily than chain stores, it really depends on the owner, the management, and the staff. Is everything is equal I will shop at the local Mom and Pop. I also try to shop in my town to keep the tax money in our city.

@papayalily: I never said you did. I only pointed out that when you stop going to a locally owned business, they feel it more than a chain.

Actually, I think you’ll appreciate this example of how one customer can make a huge difference to a locally owned business. I have a friend who owns a comic book shop. Once a week, a man comes in and buys/orders several hundred dollars worth of comics. At a large chain store, there are probably several customers who spend large amount of money on a regular basis, but for my friend, that one customer makes him a lot of money.

They are much more interesting, local, and fun. That does not necessarily make them better but you should shop them and see. It is a community thing.

I personally feel that it’s really important to support local business. There is no way to say for sure that they are “better”, of course that’s a matter of opinion. It’s just personal preference.

@TheOnlyNeffie Why is it important to support local business?

Because I think it is potentially the only way to stop capitalism from being completely top heavy.
The rich get richer and the poor get poorer, you know? I really feel it’s important to keep some wealth in the pockets of your average American – Walmart seems to be doing fine. It’s the rest of us that I worry about.

I generally prefer the atmosphere of a small store to a chain. If the chain store is currently frequented by those who would be trendy, I can shun it for extra points.
Pity that the mom-and-pop stores are so expensive.
I am not a fun person to shop with. :D

I am reminded of my father’s cousin’s opinion on the matter. She lives in an area that’s thick with small businesses, and as a card-carrying Communist, you’d think that she’d be upset with the introduction of large-scale retail, but no! She’s glad that the supermarket has lower prices, and is quietly gleeful that the mom-and-pop stores are being forced to stop gouging their clientele.

There is a local coffeehouse chain I’ve gone to for 16 years now. They own about 6 locations around town, and roast their own coffee beans.

Besides having a strong sense of community, they provide much more employment and turn around revenue to other businesses than any 6 Starbucks locations in town.

I’ll answer with an example.

We have a Home Depot and a Lowe’s within 30 minutes driving distance. “Harvey’s Hardware” is about 10 minutes away.

Harvey’s Hardware has been there for over 40 years. The same guy, his son, and his grandson work there, and a few neighborhood dudes have worked there since the beginning of time. In the summer, he hires neighborhood teenagers who are out of school to repaint the outside, clean the gutters, sweep the little parking lot, cut the grass, run stuff the the recycling center down the road, etc.

When I go to Home Depot, I either have to know exactly what I need, or risk having to make an hour round trip at least twice to figure it out. The employees (making about $8 an hour) don’t have the faintest idea what’s wrong with my plumbing/electricity/etc.

When I go to Harvey’s, I ask Harvey “Hey, my water pump won’t turn on. I really need to take a shower”. He says “What neighborhood are you in?” I tell him. He says “Oh, that pump’s about 30 years old. You need to replace the capacitor. Here it is. Lowe’s sells it for $20. I get the same thing from a different supplier. Less packaging. $12. Y’all have a nice day, and say ‘Hi’ to your neighbor Tommy for me”.

I go to the Mom and Pop because my money goes to them instead of these guys:
(First number is annual salary, second is bonus Source )
Mr. Mike Duke , CEO, Pres, Director, 6.00M $157.00K
Mr. Thomas M. Schoewe , Chief Financial Officer and Exec. VP $2.43M $0.00
Mr. Eduardo Castro-Wright , Vice Chairman, Chief E Officer of Global Com, $3.97M $290.00K
Mr. Doug McMillon , Exec. VP, CEO of International Operations $3.32M $142.00K
Mr. Brian Cornell, Exec. VP, Chief Exec. Officer of Sam’s Club and Pres of Sam’s Club $2.00M $0.00

The WalMart clan already have more than enough to get by.