Economic Studies
For a great report showing the economic benefits of shopping with locally owned, independent businesses follow this link to the Andersonville Study: www.andersonvillestudy.com/html/reports.html
(Please click on the image below for a larger view.)
This chart above from the Andersonville Study shows that when you spend a $100 at a local business 58% more money on average stays in your community compared to what would have happened if you spent that hundred dollars at a national chain store. Thanks for shopping at the great locally owned independent businesses here in the Pioneer Valley!
To read about the economic study done in San Francisco about the benefits of shopping locally, please go to: http://www.civiceconomics.com/SF/
Favoring Local Businesses in Government Purchasing has Economic Benefits, Study Finds
Pioneer Valley Planning Commission's Plan For Progress
Big Box Studies
Wal-Mart and County-Wide Poverty - June 2006
By Stephan Goetz and Hema Swaminathan, Social Science Quarterly
The presence of a Wal-Mart store hinders a community's ability to move families out of poverty, according to this study. After controlling for other factors that influence poverty rates, the study found that U.S. counties that had more Wal-Mart stores in 1987 had a higher poverty rate in 1999 than did counties that started the period with fewer or no Wal-Mart stores.
