Redirecting some of your discretionary spending into businesses right here in Picton, across Prince Edward County, and to regional businesses in Eastern Ontario’s towns and villages, is a life-altering investment into the future of the community you call home.

The struggle for local businesses  is very real. Plenty have never fully recovered from the Covid shutdown period. Tariffs to a degree never seen before are having an impact on margins and increasing unemployment. 

And online patronage of international businesses and global digital platforms is a death knell for countless others. 

If you are an adult aged 25 to 44, statistics suggest you probably gravitate to online shopping. Your logic is valid: online purchases can be quick, convenient, and less expensive.   

Many online purchases are the result of the many hours people in this age group spend scrolling social media during their non-class or working hours. 

Statistics suggest that women in particular are more likely to gravitate to online shopping instead of spending in person and spending at local businesses. They do the vast majority of household shopping.

In this world of data availability, we know that clothing, cosmetics, and shoes are among the items most frequently purchased online.

If you chat with friends about their new purchases, or just noting how many branded delivery vehicles are visible daily on the streets in town and country, you will realize how many dollars are flowing outside this community. 

Or have a look at the double- or triple-digit online sales numbers for the most popular, publicly traded online retailers or business connectors  —Meta’s Facebook and Instagram and Google — proves that there is virtually no stopping the online shopping epidemic.

What does this mean and why does it matter?

Because jobs will likely become hard to come by, especially in small communities like Picton and in the surrounding towns and villages of south eastern Ontario.

Artificial intelligence, the go-to choice for online businesses as a tool to cut operating costs, increase delivery speeds and identify individual buying preferences, is already hitting employment numbers. Watch for more collateral damage ahead.     

Loss of local businesses affects

The cost of living in other ways, too. Fewer businesses will eventually contribute to a lower tax base, therefore, expect higher taxes.

Loss of support for community causes, local school initiatives and youth sports teams and other activities has already been felt and will only increase in the years ahead.

Watch for the demise of service clubs as the local business scene continues to gravitate further away from family owned businesses and our local entrepeneurs. 

If the unthinking passion continues for the online world — much of it based in Asia and the USA, watch for an increase in business closures.

Be conscious that artificial intelligence is going to have more control of your life and the lives of your family members.

The solution? The Pandora’s box has already been opened, and much damage already done. But conversations at home about how spending can work either for or against the vitality and vibrancy of our community can help make spending both thoughtful, sustainable, and effective. 

Be aware of the negative impact technology advancements can have on your life, as well as the many positives of the digital. As a local, a businessperson, or a consumer, try hard to buy at home. A little difference can make a big impact.