Use it or Lose It - If you don't regularly support local, don't moan when there are no shops you like left!

I've read a few posts recently put up by small business owners who are using the term 'use it or lose it' which I think sums up the situation with regards to small businesses really well. 

If you don't use the small independent shops currently available in your local area how can you expect them to survive, and how can you expect others thinking of opening up a business in the area to go forward and open a shop when they see so many small businesses failing within their first few years. 

There are so many hidden costs involved in running a shop that make running a high street shop much harder than I think anyone really realises. 

Many small business owners, especially small shop owners, will agree that there are days when you don't take enough to pay the basic bills let alone pay staff or towards the stock that you have sold. It can be really disheartening to be sat in a shop all day only to take no money or very little. Not only does this have a financial effect on business owners but a mental one too. 

I know it can be tempting to order online, it saves trekking into town and you can get your items delivered. If you really must order online why don't you check and see if your local shop has a website you could use, you may even find that they deliver free of charge and this would save you the delivery cost of ordering with other large nationwide companies that charge postage and packaging. One day you might need something urgently, you might need it the same day and so you might want to go in to town and pick it up from the local shop. If you don't support them the rest of the time they might not be there for that time in the future when you need something on the same day. 

Shop Small. 
Shop Local.