Small businesses need your support now more than ever!

[smahala1991]

It's no secret that the coronavirus has hurt lots of businesses. Small businesses have been hurt the most. Many laying off or furloughing workers with some never reopening. Some big national retailers are going bankrupt and talk plans of closing. Search recent examples of this are J Crew, IHOP, JCPenney, Neiman Marcus, and others. Small busineeses are the ones that need you the most.

I work at a small restaurant. We only have two locations. This past week most days within the couple of hours of opening each day we only had maybe like four or five orders completed and within those two hours we may have made it about a hundred dollars. We are known for being a buffet but they're in the current circumstances we cannot operate the buffet nor allow dine in. This was our life blood for many years where I work at. One of the waitresses had said in the last 30 years that she had worked there this is the slowest it's been. And Sunday was mother's day in the United States. That's one of the busiest times of the year for restaurants next to Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays. Our take out was so slow they had to send some workers home early. Yesterday morning when we opened up by one we only had three orders. They let the majority of us go home early I was scheduled to work till 7 but they sent me home at 1.

Here's what I don't understand. Companies like McDonald's, Burger King, Hardee's, Arby's and places like that can get massive crowds backed up for a long lines in their cars. But the smaller restaurants and the more casual dining chains that are offering take out are hardly getting any business if at all. People talk so much about shopping local and supporting local businesses. If they talk about it why isn't it being done? Why are we not the ones thriving instead of the bigger chains. I mean in all fairness casual-dining itself is in a pinch. Restaurants like Ruby Tuesday, applebees, IHOP, Denny's, and waffle House are suffering. Albeit a lot of these places were suffering before the pandemic but I feel like the pandemic just made things worse. When you buy from a small business you're helping that community. It could be helping to fund Little league uniforms. It could be helping local parks. You also could be helping to fund local missions that help the homeless. And now there's a lot of talk of movie theaters also going on the decline. Just yesterday I was reading the Amazon is planning the purchase the AMC theater chain. Cinemark is closing a majority of its theaters down. I just step back and think what in the world has happened to economy and commerce in America? Is this really because of a virus, or is there a bigger picture out there of what's happening? Anyways, support your small businesses because honestly I don't think many of them are going to last much longer.

[MeatPuppet]

Capital tends to concentrate on increasingly fewer hands. Yes, supporting small businesses to protect local jobs and keep predatory multinational corporations at bay, but it's not a sustainable long-term goal. Sooner or later, even local capital will eventually concentrate to form monopolies. Either that or they'll be bought off by a larger playing from outside.

We must strive to secure jobs for all able workers. The only way to achieve this is by empowering the workers, most importantly, by decommodifying labor. Labor must no longer be subject to the whims of the anarchic mechanisms of the market system. Labor is entitled to all it creates. The workers should strive to be themselves directly in charge of economic activities. If all workers are all collectively managing economic production, layoffs become impossible.

Let the workers democratically manage their workplace. Let the workers rationally plan their economic activities according to the needs of their communities directly.

As things are standing now, rural communities are forsaken by capital and are denied services that could be essential. As people lose their jobs, food prices go up as agricultural products are being thrown out and wasted. This is because the primary goal of economic activity isn't to meet the needs of communities. It is to make a profit. It is to sell in a market place. It does not serve the majority of the population. It harms the workers.

That way, reliable public transportation in rural areas would become viable, as a large number of workers would need to commute every day to get to their workplace.

We need an economy that meets the needs of the greatest amount of people, not for the needs of a few, a few who can't even secure them for themselves due to the inherently anarchic nature of the market system. We need to guarantee job security, housing, healthcare, and food security to all members of our communities. We must end economic precarity. Only the workers have the incentive to do this. It is the duty and responsibility of all workers to advance and better the living conditions of all. The workers must not work for themselves and should not work for the benefit of someone else at their own expense. The workers should work to better the lives of everyone including themselves. The competition inherent to the labor market does not work in the interests of the workers. The workers must cooperate with one another to build and secure a better future for all. The workers must take the labor that belongs to them and become the masters of what they create. This is what the workers aspire to. To be glad to wake up in the morning and to work, because they know that they contribute to something. Because they take part in the decision making process. That their toil is meaningful. That they can trust and count on their fellow workers. That they can look back on what they have achieved and be proud.

These are the long-term goals we should be talking about. Let the workers and their communities finally thrive as one! Let them take their destiny into their own hands. Let them decide what they need, manage what they have, and decide for themselves what must be done with the fruits of their own labor. And let them ensure that nobody will be left behind. That nobody will be abandoned. The well-being of all is the highest good. That's what we should aim for.

[Jjpayne]

I feel like those that are clever, learn to adapt. I saw my favorite Chinese place, taking and dishing out more orders than it could handle. And a local floral place, making huge amounts of money on this past mother's day. It's about networking and being clever with how you market or offer items. What would be a costly item but an amazing item. Calculate the average of how many plates people get and the most popular items that people get, use that to determine a fair price that is not the buffet price but a single take out one. Also come up with a display of pictures, that feature your favorite buffet items and use a sign saying pick your take out buffet items on our colorful board, custom made for your convenience. Something like that. Be a forerunner in offering buffet drive through service. It's all about thinking outside the box and being creative. That's how you stay in business. Again, small businesses are doing this, it is possible. Also lets start of movement of guilt with stimulus checks. They are here to boast the economy, let's give that benefit to local businesses that could use it. But it is a considerable problem for small businesses to be sure but not an impossible one for those that try to think outside of the box. Given, it might just not be possible to do but I'd argue, if other small businesses are still successful from retooling. Then it's worth looking into that idea

[DeeDeeDeVour]

Just make sure China doesn't buy us out. The CCP and greedy wealthy Chinese are on a buying spree with stock values so low and South Pacific islands so desperate for investors.

[BillysBabe]

Interesting

[Sensmind]

I have been thinking this for a long time the bigger entities are swallowing up the smaller more individual entities in a lot of areas not just retail, the bigger things just have the cash to get through things and keep in the public eye.
You are right it is probably not a good thing but probably is the way of the world at the moment

[SirRexington]

Actually, instead of relying on the consumer who also needs help and is being drastically affected they should be getting help from the government. The governments role is to provide the welfare and security of it's people. That includes their businesses. However, big business that mistreats their workers, the environment and doesn't require a bailout should receive nothing.

The government will not do this, because it's run by corrupt mother fuckers in a corrupt fucking system that glorifies wealth accumulation at all costs. What it needs to do is bail out the people and their small enterprises not the oil companies, cruise lines (who don't even pay taxes) and banks worth trillions of dollars. Those industries have zero interest rates too while small business loans are not. What the actual fuck?

[sensible27]

Every buisneses (large or small) that has to service a decent amount of debt isn't in a great situation. People talk about a lot of things but most of it is hear and repeat. Larger chains are more reputable and trustable as/since they have bigger liabilities and damages to take if they mess up, they have a reputation to maintain. Also the reason your president (if you are in the us) prefers fast food.

[Dchrls78104]

I empathise with the small businesspeople, and I don't mind supporting them; but there will be no blind loyalty for me. Give me quality of product and service and value for money, and I will support your business.

[strateguy632]

they need to compete, people dont wanna pay more just kuz it is small business.

[exitseven]

I always try to shop at the local stores. It gets harder and harder to do these days since a lot of them were crushed by the lockdowns.

[akanetuk]

America took the right step by supporting such businesses with loans

[Riebeck]

I hate my local small businesses. Theyre disgusting and rude. I hope they go under

[Twenty2]

I need your support. Donate to Twenty2 charity. It takes care of Twenty2.

[smahala1991]

Seriously?

[Twenty2]

Man, this epidemic is heavy on everyone. In India Because of lockdown migrant daily workers who are away from their home are seriously fucked. Small business, large businesses, airlines, trains, etc. Everyone is fucked.