Reality in retail for shoppers

BY BRADLEY SHAW

MANAGING PARTNER/OWNER

THE INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE

WITH the full impact of COVID-19 developing over the coming months and perhaps years, small businesses struggle to sustain their operations and the callout is now for the community to help them.

The larger chains have more diversified and sustainable models that may suffer with profit loss from the pandemic, but they will in most instances have not destroyed livelihoods or added to closures and bankruptcies for individuals in the community.

The callout is simple – please shop, where possible, in your local stores.

Even though the idea of being safe from the virus is still of concern for many shoppers, you must know by now small businesses have made personal sacrifice to business growth and traffic.

They have done this by working within the guidelines to accommodate your patronage and enable you to shop and feel safe while sustaining their businesses on minimums in the hopes of surviving the pandemic long-term.

These businesses are doing their part, and now ask you, as consumers to do your part.

This is still not only off-line shopping within the stores, but you can buy from many small businesses locally online also.

Direct web sales are still good income for these businesses, and, true, they may not always be as well priced as some larger chains, but rest assured, they are easier to work with at a personal level for any support you need. And they will often bend over backwards to help you and meet your expectations without further issue.

Your local businesses will help you and they ask for your help in return.

The consequence of buying from online only or through big brand chains, or shopping away from your local community is that the small retail and commercial business providers will vanish, and an industry will become extinct and only the conglomerates will remain.

The choice is always yours. The request is now coming from your local businesses. Please help today, so tomorrow will be more certain.

We are the Independent Bookstore, designed around only selling and promoting independently published books by Australian and New Zealand authors that are difficult to find anywhere else or simply not available in other bookstores.

With over 100 high-quality titled from local Australian authors only, we pride ourselves on letting new talents have a place in the market to showcase their work and gain higher return from the sales of their book.

We are proud to be able to bring you the best new Australian authors in the market looking for your readership and support.

Drop into our store or buy online and help support a new retail bookstore in town.

Thank you.

-SPONSORED CONTENT