Stacy Mitchell on the Big-Box Swindle and related issues – broadcast on the Mark Johnson Show, RadioVermont WDEV, Mar. 11, 2008.
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For years, chain retailers have exploited a loophole present in the tax laws of about half the states to escape paying billions of dollars in state income taxes. Efforts to close these loopholes have faced an uphill struggle, but the momentum may finally be shifting, thanks to research that has exposed the extent of the problem and its primary corporate beneficiaries, as well as new activism by independent business owners, who are breaking rank with powerful business groups to call for tax fairness. Continue reading
The success of the Powell Mercantile has inspired at least half a dozen other towns in Wyoming, Montana, and Nevada—all too small and remote to interest national or regional chains—to open their own department stores. The concept is now spreading to the much more populous Northeast, where local residents are seeking community-focused alternatives to big-box retailers. Continue reading
Sales of gift card are soaring, but most of the spending on gift cards is flowing to chain retailers. A growing number of independent retailers are offering their own giftcards now too, but the key to shifting a substantial share of this activity to the local economy may lie in developing gift cards that work at many local businesses, rather than just one. Continue reading
In dozens of towns across the country, citizens have seized the reins of their local economies by starting community-owned stores. This 6-page fact sheet shows you how to get started. Continue reading
Broadening awareness of the consequences of our shopping choices is an essential strategy for rebuilding our local economies. This 4-page fact sheet will help you get started. Continue reading
A new study commissioned by Local First Arizona reports that a purchasing contract with an independent local supplier recirculates three times as much money in the local economy as the same contract with a national firm. Local First Arizona is using the study to galvanize support for a legislative measure that would keep more of the public dollars spent on state contracts in Arizona. Continue reading
The American Booksellers Association’s January 2008 Winter Institute conference featured a roundtable discussion with authors Bill McKibben, Stacy Mitchell, and Michael Shuman, who talked about the importance of rebuilding local economies. Continue reading
As major chains report weak holiday sales, a nationwide survey of 1,382 independent retailers has found that a desire to support locally owned businesses is emerging as a factor in people’s shopping choices. Continue reading
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