Supporting Small Businesses: Why It’s a Smart Decision for Contractors to Buy Local vs. Big Box Stores

Every builder has been there. Visit a big box store to purchase an item for a few dollars less than your local building supply store. It breaks right away or has a defect and you want to return it. This is where the headache begins. The lines are often very long at the customer service desk. When you finally get to the counter, the clerk tells you that the window of opportunity to return the product has closed. The store offers a credit instead of a refund. You call the customer complaint line and are greeted with an endless series of automated prompts that ultimately don’t even connect you to a human. You have to ask yourself, “Was it really worth saving a couple of bucks?”

Small companies differ from large multinational chains in several ways. First of all, customer service is a major priority. Small businesses are eager to help and often form long-lasting personal relationships with loyal customers. From learning the names of regular customers to asking how the project is going, small family businesses care about their customers. They don’t have tens of thousands of customers, so they need to impress visitors with extraordinary customer service. Unlike employees at big box stores, small business owners take pride in the products they offer and are extremely knowledgeable. They know the construction business and provide accurate recommendations on the products that work best for specific job site needs. Many companies provide samples and follow up with customers to make sure the products work well. When problems arise, it’s not uncommon for small business owners to go to great lengths to help customers resolve them.

From an economic perspective, supporting small businesses helps communities by stimulating the local economy. Greater demand for local goods and services means more jobs and a stronger economic climate. According to several studies, when people shop at small businesses, there is a much greater investment in the local economy than if they shop at big box stores. Increased demand for local goods and services serves as a reinvestment in the community that can lead to more jobs, higher wages, and fewer small business closures.

There’s also something to be said for the quality of store-bought vs. local-store-bought supplies. large box shutters. For example, San Diego-based surface protection company Builders Site Protection offers carpet films in a thickness of 3.0 mils. It looks like the 2.0 mil film found at Home Depot, but is actually a more durable, puncture resistant, premium product. In many cases and with many products, big box stores buy in bulk from China or other countries and get lower quality and deeply discounted products than small businesses. Small business owners know where to source the highest quality inventory and are committed to selling products that will outlast a comparable cheaply made product. This discrepancy can be found in local businesses across the country. While a larger store may be less expensive in the short run, an inferior product may end up costing builders more in the long run.

Quality of customer service, beneficial impact on the local economy, and superior product quality are just a few of the reasons to consider purchasing small business building supplies.

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