I entered a local bookstore today and asked if they stocked a new nonfiction essay book I’d taken out from the library and enjoyed so much I wanted to add to my own library.
The bookstore clerk typed in the title and author and informed me the store did not have any copies but she could order me one. I told her I’d think about it.
Amazon.com can sell me the same book at a 32% discount off the local bookstore’s list price. If I buy two more books with a similar online discount, I’d be eligible for free shipping.
Bottom line: With the financially tight economy we’re in, and observant that independent bookstores are trying to make ends meet as much as me, do I buy three books at the bookstore and theoretically pump money into the community or do I buy the books online and save $12? Why bicker over $12?
The notion of shopping locally does not require 100% of one’s disposable income to be spent on local procurement options. All that’s required, if anything, is a mindset. How one uses that mind is up to each person.
Perhaps Newburyport should organize a Buy Local Day to build awareness.
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Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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