How to support the Australian Economy by supporting Australian Businesses

Supporting your local economy is always important.

In times of pandemic and disruption, like right now, there’s no better time to stand up on behalf of your country. From the coronavirus pandemic, to the bushfire crisis, small businesses around Australia have had a pretty tough start to the year. 

As more people are staying indoors to keep themselves safe, many small businesses run the risk of having no income at all. 

If you’ve still got a regular source of cash, then now’s the time to spend it on your local businesses. After all, while the government is trying to help, there’s only so much that they can do. 

Ways to Do Your Part

The good news is that even if you don’t want to go out and about right now, you can still deliver support to local businesses in other ways. For instance:

• Buy gift cards: Gift cards are an excellent opportunity to put cash right back into the hands of your local business. You don’t need to use them straight away, but you can keep them in storage until you’re ready to splurge. You can also use gift cards in place of traditional presents for people who can’t go out right now. 
• Honour current commitments: If you’re taking regular guitar lessons or learning a new language, stopping your lessons suddenly can really have a dangerous impact on a small business owner. If you can’t move beyond social isolation, then simply continue paying for your lessons right now, and consider asking whether your teacher can provide them over video conference instead. 
• Buy local produce: The shelves might be empty in most supermarkets, but that’s not always the case for local grocers. Farmers and other local providers of produce have plenty of delicious food to offer in you’re in need. If you can’t get what you want in person, you could even consider having items delivered, and tipping your delivery driver for the extra effort. 

Shopping Online Works Too

Even if you don’t feel comfortable going out to a local store right now, you can still deliver the support that your local economy needs, by trying online stores and alternative shopping environments. There are plenty of local shops online that are happy to ship your goods to you from wherever you like. You can even track down some sellers on Facebook and other social media channels too. 

Don’t forget to support your local artists too. Now that a lot of public gatherings have been banned and gigs have been called off, people who make money from their art are unable to make cash. Merch is a major source of income for a lot of performers, so go out there and buy your favourite CDs, or grab a t-shirt rather than streaming content online. 

Etsy and Bandcamp are excellent places to go if you’re looking for ways to spend on your favourite artists. 

Don’t forget, you can even invest in big purchases for the future now too. For instance, why not shop for a new cooktop for your kitchen and arrange to have it installed after everything has settled down again? We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the end of social isolation than with a delicious home-cooked meal, made on your brand-new cooking surface.