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Featured Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 1 Comment | Updated on Nov 8, 2011

Crowdfunding Bill Would Allow People to Invest in Local Businesses

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/crowdfunding-bill-would-allow-people-to-invest-in-local-businesses/

Under a measure that passed the House last Thursday, you may soon be able to invest in a portfolio of your favorite independent businesses. The bill, which won bipartisan support and cleared the House on a 407-17 vote, would overturn long-standing Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules that make it nearly impossible for small businesses to raise capital (or borrow money) from their customers and communities. Continue reading

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Featured Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Nov 7, 2011

Walmart’s greenwash: Why the retail giant is still unsustainable

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmarts-greenwash-why-the-retail-giant-is-still-unsustainable/

The world’s biggest retailer has gotten lots of great press since it launched its sustainability campaign six years ago, but in many key areas it hasn’t actually gotten greener. It’s pumping out more CO2, paving over more land, and selling more flimsy products than ever before. In this Grist special series, ILSR’s Stacy Mitchell takes a hard look at Walmart’s real environmental impact. Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 2 Comments | Updated on Sep 10, 2011

Don’t Subsidize Big Boxes at Local Shops’ Expense

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/dont-subsidize-big-boxes-local-shops-expense/

Handing out multimillion-dollar subsidies to large chains has become commonplace in much of the country. But when governments use public money to woo national chains, economic growth and job creation are negligible, and independent retailers suffer, Stacy Mitchell argues in this commentary for Business Week.

Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 1 Comment | Updated on Aug 17, 2011

Study Finds Local Businesses Key to Income Growth

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/study-finds-local-businesses-key-income-growth/

The results of a new study suggest that the key to reversing the long-term trend of stagnating incomes in the U.S. lies in nurturing small, locally owned businesses and limiting further expansion and market consolidation by large corporations. Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 5 Comments | Updated on Jul 22, 2011

Why is Michelle Obama’s food initiative promoting Walmart?

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-michelle-obama-s-food-initiative-promoting-walmart/

I winced yesterday when James Gavin, chair of the Partnership for a Healthier America, said he’d like to see Walmart double its U.S. store count. He was speaking at Michelle Obama’s event announcing that several retailers will open stores in “food deserts.” It was a sort of half-jokey remark, but, still, in a conversation about food in America, the suggestion that Walmart should have an even bigger role in our food system is pretty disturbing. This is a company that already captures 25 percent of grocery sales nationally and more than 50 percent in some metro areas. Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jul 1, 2011

California Requires Internet Retailers to Collect Sales Tax

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/california-requires-internet-retailers-collect-sales-tax/

In what may well be the tipping point in a decade-long fight to level the playing field for local brick-and-mortar businesses, California this week enacted a law requiring Amazon and other large online retailers to collect state sales tax.  Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | 3 Comments | Updated on Jun 23, 2011

Why Publishers, Not Amazon, Should Set Book Prices

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/why-publishers-not-amazon-should-set-book-prices/

After winning a high-stakes standoff against Amazon last year, publishers are now setting the prices that retailers can charge for their e-books.

At first blush, one might assume that such price-fixing would result in higher prices. But the evidence from more than a dozen European countries, where laws have long prohibited selling both print and electronic books below a set price, clearly shows that publisher-mandated pricing saves consumers money. It also fosters a more lively and competitive book industry, with far more books published and many more independent bookstores open than in countries where big retailers control pricing. Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Jun 1, 2011

In South Africa, Wal-Mart Refuses to Buy Local, Threatens WTO Action, and Wins

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/south-africa-walmart-refuses-buy-local-threatens-wto-action-and-wins/

Despite the ample publicity Wal-Mart has engineered for its "buy local" efforts, the company in fact has zero interest in cultivating local suppliers beyond stocking a few token local veggies suitable for a nice photo-op. Continue reading

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Article filed under Independent Business | Written by Stacy Mitchell | No Comments | Updated on Apr 28, 2011

Wal-Mart Could Easily Pay $12 an Hour

The content that follows was originally published on the Institute for Local Self-Reliance website at http://www.ilsr.org/walmart-could-easily-pay-12-hour/

Raising the pay of Wal-Mart’s U.S. workers to a minimum of $12 an hour would lift many out of poverty and cost the average consumer, at most, $12.49 a year, according to a new study published by the UC Berkeley Center for Labor Research and Education.  Continue reading