Project: 'Tis The Season To Shop Local

We are all going to do it at some point and time this season. Maybe we’ll try to avoid the masses by filling our online carts. Maybe we’ll send a loved one out on Christmas Eve. Either way, 'Tis the season to shop local. And here are

5 Reasons Why It Matters Where You Pull Your Wallet Out:

1. You will be supporting an independently locally owned and operated business - you know, those charming mom and pop shops that line the sidewalks or maybe those empires that bear the last name of the town’s founders - those taxes are re-invested back into your community.

2. You will be supporting the successful employment rate in your community and create energy among farms, organizations, schools and families for continual development.

3. You will become more than a tourist location, recognized as an economically sustainable community.

4. You will make a valuable purchase not just a reasonable purchase. (And will be valued as a customer more, too.) Shopping local encourages the wellbeing of every hand involved from owner to conceptualization, to the manufacturer, to the salesperson to the purchaser to the person receiving the gift. And you are responsible for that.

5. You will have proprietary rights. You are not shopping from a chain or Fortune 500 company; therefore shopping from someone that represents a unique and distinguished brand.

Scotch tape, a roll of wrapping paper a spool of ribbon or two. These things are important. But when you get ready to double check your list, make sure you check off these five things. Stay Local. Shop Local.

Happy Thanksgiving,

-The Green Couch Project  

Project: Three Ways To Show Appreciation To Your Community This Thanksgiving

From the Plymouth plantation to Pinterest, we’ve come a long way to learn creative ways on how we can show our appreciation during the season of thankfulness. 

In one short month of 30 days we not only stuff a turkey and our face but we come up with clever ways on how we can catch a customer’s attention on Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

How can we increase our net worth from in the red to in the black? (Sorry Santa, but black is the new red this Christmas! How we wish we could say!)

So, is Thanksgiving then just a myth when all we focus on is sales rather than giving thanks? How, as a corporation, can we make a bigger impact in the community? How can we give back other than giving sales? How can we show our neighborhood that we appreciate our clients and/or those that are near us?

Here are a few things that we’ve learned over the years that have changed the way we think and have warmed the hearts of many:

Volunteer: While others are scarfing down food we’ve been cutting, wrapping and sealing scarfs for local charities so others can keep warm during the cold weather. And it is warmed our hearts as well!

Care for Your Clients: Surprise visits can have a negative or positive outcome but when you come bearing cookies or other edibles, it is pretty much a guarantee success for happiness. And delivering them in person is the icing on the cake!

A Day Off: So Black Friday is equally a tradition to Turkey Day, but over the past few years the trend has become accepted as normal for stores to be opened on Thanksgiving. Over the past few weeks, however, stores have begun announcing their hours or lack thereof, for November 27th, 2014.

The CEO for DSW (Designer Show Warehouse), Michael R. McDonald shared the following:

“This holiday season, you’ve probably seen or read about all the retailers opening their doors as early as 6:00pm on Thanksgiving Day. We have decided not to follow that trend. Instead, we believe family comes first, and you should be home celebrating with them on this special holiday. This means none of our stores will be open on Thanksgiving Day. In addition, no stores will be open before 7:00am on Black Friday.”

So how can you show appreciation to your community this Thanksgiving? How will you achieve impact vs. profit?

-The Green Couch Project