Think global, shop local

Yeah, it's a tired and overused phrase but I saw something this Christmas that irked me.  A certain store which will remain nameless but rhymes with Mal-Wart was open 24 hours.  "What a convenience" you might think, but you'd be wrong.  Long-term this is not convenient for anybody other than the people down in the US collecting the money as it works its way across our border.

Stores like that one are the reason why you don't see any mom 'n' pop stores anymore.  They're responsible for the slow death of the private retailer.  You get really low prices, but we all suffer in the long run.  Cheap plastic crap made in a sweatshop somewhere, bought en masse and imported by a large US-based warehouse and then distributed to all of their little tentacles across the land.

It's sad when you think about it.  Our ever-growing hunger for rock-bottom prices has come to bite us in the behind.  Because we want cheaper produce, we import it from California and Mexico...this means that your average farmer can't raise a crop of just about anything because nobody will pay that farmer what his crop is worth.

Ever had a fresh strawberry?  I'm not talking one right out of the plastic package at the store, I mean one right out of the field.  Have you ever noticed that strawberry actually tastes like a strawberry?  But, because we as a society have decided that we want food that costs less at the expense of good flavour, and possibly nutrients, we have these little red balls of blandness imported from other countries and artificially ripened either while in transit or when they get to the warehouse.

So, next time you hear of a farmers market in your area, go check it out.  They're seeing a large resurgence in popularity as people realize that fresh produce, eggs, and meat taste much better than stuff that's been in a container for a week before it even gets to the store.  You'll find crafts, home canning, and many amazing offerings from these markets, and the money you spend stays in your community.  That's something that doesn't happen when you shop big-box.