How much online shopping is hurting Small Businesses !

How much online shopping is hurting Small Businesses!!! 

Honestly how much online shopping is  hurting my small business! 

Christmas is exactly 14 days away. I would expect business to be booming, however sadly its quite the opposite.  As a Small Business owner, in a small remote rural town i am feeling the major impacts of online shopping and the effects it is having on my own business. 

Don't get me wrong, i don't condone ALL online shopping, Rhubarb does online trade, however we are a small business and the profits go towards our bills in store and to provide new stock, not to mention our income.  I am all for supporting Australian Businesses whether it is online or in store. 

I am as guilty as the next for purchasing online from a major organisation such as Amazon etc, however i could count on 1 hand how many times i have and it was most likely because i couldn't get it elsewhere.  I am the type of person "I want it and i want it yesterday" which makes it hard living in a remote town which is 2.5 hours away from a major city, so again there is another reason to do online shopping.  When did we become so impatient and lazy? 

I posted a status on our Facebook page yesterday about this and had such great response and feedback. A particular lady stated that she is 100% guilty of doing her Christmas shopping online this year but simply because she had a toddler that was near impossible to face it in the shopping centre which she lives 2 hours from and would have to do a round trip in the day. I totally get that and understand why she would go that way, however this is what is starting to kill the small businesses. She didn't state if she purchased from Australian Businesses or major organisation, but she did also state that is was simply and purely because it was easier and less hassle to do so and she did her shopping in Rockhampton throughout the year. 

I am posting this as a message to you all to stop and have a think before you "Click and Save" online and to have a look around you and see what is at your front door or a small business in a neighbouring town. I spent the weekend in Rockhampton and i remember 4 or 5 years ago it was absolute CHAOS to go to Rocky from about November onwards to do the shopping, and every year we would say "i am going to be much more organised next year and do shopping earlier or throughout the year" and every year we would face the major crowds. Sadly this year was no different then any other weekend in Rocky, well  that i noticed. Malls, Shopping Centres and Shops were all sadly quiet. I spoke to a few owners as i was purchasing my Christmas Gifts and we discussed how quiet the trade was and how scary it is. Without them knowing i was also a small business owner they would comment that they are finding people are doing a lot more online trade.

As a business owner, i don't completely blame people for wanting to avoid the Christmas rush and Chaos in the stores, so we as the owners need to think what we can do to get the customers back in our doors and how to make it easier for them. So i ask you if you have any feedback please comment and let us know. ALL feedback is welcome! 

This year at Rhubarb we are offering complimentary glass of Champagne from now until Christmas to our browsers, what more could a girl want! How much more blissful can Christmas Shopping be. 

So please remember to consider our Australian owned Small Business before you purchase from elsewhere. The industry is extremely struggling and its certainly going to be a case of "you won't know what you have until its gone". Remember this throughout the year not only just through the Christmas Period. 

What is your opinion? If you can help spread the word or interested in taking this further to shout it out please contact me! 

Yours in Style, 

Caitlyn McLeod

Small Business owner 

Rhubarb Boutique

Theodore Q