The instinct today, when buying office supplies, is to swing into the big box down the street – because there’s one on every corner and they purportedly have everything in stock all the time. Right?
Wrong!
As a family-owned, minority-owned, woman-owned local independent office supplies supplier, AVE offers so much more than a mammoth store with the pervasive nobody-cares-enough feeling. Here are a few good reasons to consider:
1. Buying from independently-owned stores means avoiding many costs that big boxes simply can’t escape: Big boxes spend a lot of money on advertising to keep in top view and create the perception that they have no competition (it’s not true!). Also, big boxes have high overhead costs – think of their out-of-state headquarters.
2. Locally-owned stores feed the economy more than national chains do! We provide local jobs. In fact, shifting market shares by just 10 percent from big boxes to independents would create 1,600 new jobs and $53 million in wages!
3. We recycle revenue back into the community by supporting local charities. (AVE Office Supplies is a huge supporter of Operation: Kid Equip!)
America has always been a country of mom-and-pop shops. The big-box craze that began in the 1980s and catapulted us into the new century ran many startups and hometown companies out of business.
Now, Americans are cycling back, yearning to find that everybody-knows-your-name feeling of an independently-owned unique local store. Support that!
The personal touch you get from a mom-and-pop is priceless. Of course, we have to offer the same products, vast inventory and competitive prices. Any local company that doesn’t is just not doing good business.
When the store owner knows you, remembers your name and – like we do at AVE – remembers your unique needs and preferences, you save time, you feel good, you get what you want and need, exactly when you need it. And there’s a personal touch that you can’t put a price on.
When you patronize locally-owned companies, you’re building community – creating relationships with people who live in your part of the world, which strengthens the community in which you live and work.
