Support local businesses with your online holiday shopping dollars!

Shopping online from your couch is one of the great conveniences of modern life.  But, as with many aspects of progress, this convenient trend can cut out local businesses in the process.

 

Local businesses keep our down towns vibrant but are under increased pressure from online and big box retailers, not to mention Cook County’s locally-mandated minimum wage and sick leave policies.

 

Enter locally.com, a new way to shop local businesses from your computer or phone any time day or night.

 

Locally.com is a website that helps online shoppers find and buy merchandise from premium brands at local stores.  A local business doesn’t even need its own website, just vendors who are signed up with locally.com.

 

Runners Edge in Plaza del Lago signed on with locally.com 18 months ago and explained it this way:

 

“Locally.com adds computer code to our system which makes our inventory of products from vendors registered with locally.com searchable. From the locally.com website a customer can find and place a product on a hold with us, buy it and pick it up or we can ship it.  We receive a text message or email notifying us so we can fulfill orders in a timely manner and inventory counts are updated 2x a day.  We have received numerous orders over the past 1.5 years and think it’s a great way for  North Shore customers to buy locally but with the convenience of online shopping.”

 

Will locally.com replace all your amazon.com shopping? No. But if you enjoy the convenience of online shopping as well as supporting local businesses, make it a first stop online, especially as the holiday shopping season starts.

 

Here’s a link to find out who participates and what’s in stock at local stores.

 

We hope the local Chambers of Commerce can encourage more businesses in the area to participate and give North Shore residents another way to keep North Shore shopping dollars with North Shore businesses.