We’ve all heard the expression “buy local” countless times. When most people hear this phrase, they typically think of the most common places to shop, which include supporting local farmers and food purveyors, shopping at smaller clothing stores, or supporting the local pet supply or outdoor sports outlets, to name a few places. But when it comes to buying office supplies, most people head over to a big box store without giving it a second thought. Many people don’t realize that there are small and locally run businesses that sell office supplies.
When you choose to shop at a local shop, you’re creating a positive impact in your community. Shopping locally allows you to foster more relationships within your community, it boosts your local economy, and it’s better for the environment. Those are just some of the ways that you create positive changes, one purchase at a time, when you shop small. To learn more about why the next time you’re looking for office supplies, sustainable solutions for your business workflows, or you’re simply searching for “printing near me,” you should keep it local and head over to Sissine’s Office Systems instead of a big box store because you’ll see numerous benefits as a customer by shopping locally.
The Benefits of Shopping Locally
Sissine’s was founded in 1981 and has six locations in Florida: in Orlando, Jacksonville, Daytona, Tampa, Gainesville, and Tallahassee. And while each location is part of the Sissine’s family and has the same core values, each one is also unique to its area. We’re not a big box store; we’re a locally owned and operated business that wanted to bring better operational solutions to more Florida communities.
These are the benefits you get when you buy anything at Sissine’s, from a printer to a fax machine or mailing equipment, and everything in between:
1. You Get Unparalleled Customer Service
Shopping locally provides you with an unparalleled level of customer service that you just can’t find at a big box store. Part of that customer service includes an equipment guarantee, a loaner program if you need a machine ASAP and we don’t have one in stock for you, and local dispatch. We’re members of the same community you are, and we believe in the importance of helping your neighbors out. We’re dedicated to you as our customer and making sure you’re fully supported.
2. You Support Your Local Economy
When you buy local, your money stays local and strengthens the local economy. If you buy a printer at Sissine’s, a larger percentage of every dollar of that purchase will stay within the community you bought at. When you shop local, 52% goes back into the local economy, but only 14% of money spent at a big box or chain store goes back into the local economy.
3. You Help Create More Local Jobs
As many as 90% of new jobs in the United States are created by locally owned businesses, not corporations like big box stores. The more you shop locally, the more need local shops have to hire employees. When you keep it local, you’re helping other members of your community find jobs.
4. You Protect the Environment
Shopping locally also minimizes your impact on the environment. If you buy a printer at your local Sissine’s instead of a big box store, you’re decreasing transportation for yourself and the office supplies that you’re buying, there’s less packaging involved in your purchase (and unnecessary packaging is directly responsible for more CO2 emissions and the pulping of over 3 million trees annually), and there’s less waste involved in your purchase.
5. You Get More Value and Personalized Service
When you shop locally, you get a chance to build relationships with the store owners and employees and sometimes that leads to special discounts, especially when they know what your buying needs and habits are. But even without the ol’ friends and family discount, you get more value from a local shop because you’re working with local experts and people who specialize in what their store has to offer.
Whether you’re looking for a printer, copier, IT services, software, or communication systems, Sissine’s Office Systems, as detailed in our informative Sissines blog, is your answer to keeping it local while working with an expert team. To learn more about how Sissine’s can help you meet your unique business objectives, contact us today.