Why we can't shop our way to a better economy | Stacy Mitchell | TEDxDirigo

Stacy Mitchell is a researcher and writer at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), a national nonprofit organization that challenges corporate consolidation of the economy and champions policies to nurture community-scaled enterprise.

Stacy directs two ILSR initiatives on independent business and community banking. Her analysis has helped inspire many grassroots campaigns and provided empirical support for changes to local and state policy.

Stacy's articles have appeared in Business Week, The Nation, Grist, Utne Reader, Sojourners, and many daily newspapers. Her book, Big-Box Swindle: The True Cost of Mega-Retailers and the Fight for America's Independent Businesses, was named one of the top ten business books of 2007 by Booklist.

In 2006, she helped launch the Portland Independent Business & Community Alliance, which has a membership today of over 400 local businesses and runs Portland's popular "buy local" campaign.

Stacy is a graduate of Macalester College, where she studied U.S. labor and environmental history. She lives in Portland with her husband.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

[buylocal]

This is what #BuyLocal is all about and Stacy presents a nearly flawless presentation. Very, very well done and a must watch (several times) for anyone attempting to explain why buying local is important to consumers - not just the shops.

[learningtimewithjoy]

I thoroughly enjoyed this TED Talk and I am thinking about how I can encourage small business right here in my hometown of Upper Marlboro, MD. Thank you.

[martynawasiluk]

The book story makes me want to cry ;___; so sweet.

[patrickknight]

I am an aspiring copywriter for truly sustainable businesses, organizations and systems. This brilliant talk is a perfect bedrock presentation for that work. I am inspired... and guided by it!

[uscatholicam]

This talk is very in keeping with the principles of Distributism. Bigger is not better; small is beautiful! Back to a society of small ownership.

[alfredoldr]

Indeed:  Small is Beautiful, and Big is Subsidized

[Imakesnaps]

Stacy, you're the best! thanks for this.

[mikepeterson]

Anyone here in 2021? Ah, the good 'ole days when Amazon was "only" one-third of all ecommerce in the US. It makes me all teary-eyed and nostalgic. Are there any questions about why it's even so much worse now? This video has been on YouTube for almost a decade, and even though Mitchell delivered a perfectly cogent and important presentation -- which I'm sure resonates with nearly all of you -- it has only 74k views, and 94 comments. That's why. That's why we can't have nice things. I don't know how much of that is the dopamine-chasing lemming train that is "us" or how much of it is the Wizard's algorithm, but either way, we get what we deserve. Stacy, thank you for fighting the good fight, this presentation was awesome. Don't give up on us, we literally, know not what we do.

[EmbarrassJen]

Plus, you can download a Nook app on a Kindle. You are not locked in to only Amazon books.

[davidbofinger]

The book story is an interesting one to think about. Firstly, it's not local - the brother didn't live in the same city, and the reason it works isn't because people live near each other. It's more to do with social networks. Second, it's an example of the sister's privacy being selectively violated, to the sister's benefit. Amazon could do that, except that it would be illegal to tell her brother what books she read. The moral might be that although we want some things kept secret, there might be many things that companies keep secret for us that we'd rather they didn't. Maybe it would be handy to have a check box that reads "let others know I bought this" on the shopping cart page.

[PresentedByBailey]

Here is a huge problem with many mom&pop businesses... their hours of operation are horrible. I do all the maintenance on my house and do some upgrades at times. So many times I go to the smaller Ace hardware and they don't have what I want. And then they say mom&pop lumber down the street has what you want... but they aren't open on Saturday or Sunday and they close at 5pm during the week. Many of these mom&pop businesses don't want my business. Literally. They want the contractors only. So I end up going to the national chain. I hear that when you start your own company you need to work 60-80 hours a week... why doesn't that translate into hours of operation? It needs to. My personal opinion is that these mom&pop businesses in these times aren't putting the hours in and aren't working smart or hard to win customers.

I saw a show about Sam Walton once where one of his competitors (both having only one store or around that at the time) said how Mr. Walton was constantly working and making sure everything was good for the customer. Popcorn for customers always full in the popcorn cart and greeting customers when he wasn't working on something in the store. Modern mom&pop businesses don't want to do that. Go watch an episode of Bar Rescue and other shows like that. Owners aren't around. They own one, maybe two bars and the owners aren't around to do anything and they are going out of business.

I'm also wondering about healthcare and other benefits for mom&pop employees. Do the mom&pop businesses provide any/good healthcare through their company? I've never worked at Walmart but I'm guessing with their buying power they offer more benefits than a mom&pop. Maybe even a default life insurance policy of $25k or $50k at a Walmart? Whatever it is it is most likely better than a mom&pop. The mom&pop places I worked during high school and college never offered any benefits so I am assuming many are like that.

And product returns... I can go into a large retail store and get store credit if my return is attempted without a receipt. I recycle a lot and so I accidentally put my paper receipts in the bin way too early (before return policy date ends) most of the time. Mom&pop stores don't always invest in the computers to be able to verify a purchase without that piece of paper they gave you.

Also, on government contracts you need the larger companies that can have the capital to get projects going and sustain them (the projects) while the government has times when it isn't getting the money to the prime in a timely manner.

We need both large and small companies. And small companies need to pick up their game in benefits and availability to the customer. Large companies need to get rid of the layers of positions that aren't needed. Both need to get rid of people who aren't doing their jobs well. Acting like mom&pop businesses are all great and all big business are not is only helping to push socialist agenda but not fulling thinking it out.

[andrewcarosi]

what she has described at the start here is the definition of crony capitalism

[SuperShoebag]

I'm 40 years old, and i've been hearing of reccesion & economic woes for most of my life. I began hearing predictions of economic collapse as far back as the seventies, and yet here we are, and i'm still hearing the same 'ol crap as if it were new. I find it difficult to take this subject seriously anymore.

[idiomactual]

For years consumers have declared that their priority is efficiency and cheap products, rather than things like community, quality, and a variety of options. So that's what produces have provided.
How very true that it will be impossible to reverse this unless we have 1) smaller federal government and more emphasis on the local level 2) a change in thinking on a large scale by consumers who will organize to make their beliefs happen.

[idicula]

This has a genius to it. If we made things in America if we withdrew from all NAFTA such agreements and most of what we spent went back into our domestic economy rather then the slave markets of Asia, then this would be spot on.

[merlinpartlow]

Idealism is wonderful. Corporations own America. Your thoughts will never come true without money and investments.

[jansteinvonsquidmeirsteen]

The hourglass of which you speak is really the issuance of money, debt-based money.  The Boston Tea Party was due to an act which forced people to use krowne currency instead of the local scrip in financial transactions.  Though your recommendation is only fractionally better than what we presently have.

[geot]

This still misses the crucial problem with the economy: It aims to GROW indefinitely on this finite planet, which is mathematically insane and destroys nature and other species. People like their comforts, so few will talk honestly about the end of growth. They just pass the buck to future consumer drones.

[Jessees]

She makes a GREAT case for smaller government.

[diggabledork]

Tolerated in the UK as well unfortunately. I'd prefer to keep it theoretical, because it isn't about the number, but about the mere existance of anyone anywhere abusing their (questionable) authority. The revolving door between large multi-nationals and governments everyone is just the new evolution of lordship for them, and surfdom for everyone else. Thank you for fighting the power.