Consumers, one and all

At the end of the day, whether you’re middle or working class, you’re a consumer. In our economic system, that means that you vote with your wallet.

If you want an economy dominated by a few mega corporations that pay terribly — keep on giving them your money. They’ll keep doing what they’ve been doing right along — giving the vast majority of their profits to a handful of extremely wealthy shareholders and executives, and siphoning it away from communities. They’ll continue to grow and crowd out smaller businesses until they are one of the only options. Our government will not bust them as monopolies because they own the government.

On the other hand, if you want to see:

  • Towns populated by small businesses filled with character…

  • Employees working right alongside business owners who pay them well…

  • Money remaining within the community…

  • A happier populace with less hardship-induced stress…

Vote for it with your wallet.

Every time you buy something from a mega-corporation instead of an independent business, that business is one step closer to having to shut its doors — giving you fewer options and ensuring that you must send money out of your community to get what you want.

Yes, buying from businesses that are Contributionist or independent might take a bit more research. It could be a little more expensive. Returns might be more of a hassle. But in the long term, we pay a price for these small savings and conveniences: less money within our communities, fewer options for us to buy from, and fewer employment options that pay fair wages.

How it works

So, how will this work? How can simply researching Contributionist companies and giving them your business whenever possible foster such deep and far-reaching change?

At the end of the day, our problem must be dealt with the way greed is always dealt with: by altering the math so it’s in the company’s best financial interests to change. They may not always do the right thing morally, but you can count on them to do the financially sound thing. If their choice is “make less” or “make nothing,” most will choose the former. Even if politics doesn’t lead to a change, altering this equation can bring one about organically.

The chart below should offer some insights. Each phase (numbered on the bottom left) is explained in more detail below the chart.

Flowchart with a large gray arrow pointing right labeled "Scroll for each step" and a green box with step 1 text about giving business to Contributionist companies instead of large corporations, with a note on research and local businesses.
Flowchart illustrating the benefits of shopping from Contributionist, local, or independent businesses instead of large non-Contributionist corporations. It shows that avoiding large corporations prevents profits from leaving the local economy and su
Flowchart illustrating the impact of supporting local and independent businesses over large corporations, highlighting benefits like increased success and growth for Contributionist companies, and drawbacks such as profits and revenue loss for large
Flowchart highlighting the disadvantages of shopping from large, non-contributionist corporations and advocating for supporting contributionist, local, or independent businesses. Shows that corporate sales drops lead to losses in revenue, profits, hi
Flowchart illustrating the impact of encouraging contributions from local or independent businesses, showing benefits like easier success for such businesses and increased competition, but also highlighting negative consequences such as profit drop,
Flowchart illustrating the impact of encouraging consumers to shop from Contributorist, local, or independent businesses instead of large, non-Contributionist corporations. It shows that shopping locally leads to more Contributorist companies opening
Flowchart showing the impact of choosing Contributionist shopping options over large, non-Contributionist corporations. It illustrates how shopping at Contributionist, local, or independent stores benefits Contributionist companies and leads to easie
Flowchart illustrating the benefits of shopping from contributionist, local, or independent companies over large corporations. It shows that choosing contributionist options provides money for small companies, making it easier for them to succeed and
Flowchart illustrating the evolution of companies toward becoming contributionist, highlighting benefits such as easier success and growth, and discussing economic pressures and competitive impacts.

Synergy

Looking at the chart, you’ll notice that it forms a series of interlinked cycles. Giving your business to Contributionist companies instead of corporations causes two feedback loops:

  1. One makes it easier for consumers to support Contributionism

  2. The other makes it it harder for businesses to operate without being Contributionist.

These cycles mean that things will improve as we continue to stay the course. It will become easier to find Contributionist places to shop. More jobs will exist that offer fair pay.

Gradual change

The complex nature of business these days means that most stores act as distributors, selling products that they purchase from other companies. An independent shoe store may be Contributionist, but still sell Nikes. Nike may convert to Contributionism, but still get the raw materials for their shoes from non-Contributionist sources. How do you navigate this tricky economic landscape?

In the beginning, Contributionist stores may sell many goods made by non-Contributionist companies, but it’s better to buy from them than to buy those same goods through a corporation. As it becomes easier to find Contributionist stores, start to favor stores who get their inventory from Contributionist companies.

Think of Contributionist stores in terms of levels:

  • Independent — The company isn’t formally Contributionist, but it’s a relatively small independent business. Due to corporate competition, they’re likely operating close to Contributionist guidelines already. They’re a good bet for your patronage, and a great choice to talk to about Contributionism — maybe they simply haven’t heard of it yet.

  • Basic Contributionist — The store itself is Contributionist. They get their stock where they can, often from non-Contributionist sources, but shopping with them is better than buying from a corporation that does the same thing.

  • Silver star Contributionist — The store attempts to buy only from Contributionist companies. It only buys non-Contributionist if it can’t find an option elsewhere.

  • Gold star Contributionist — The store policy is to exclusively stock products from Contributionist companies.

Always look for gold star companies first. If you can’t find what you need, try to find a Contributionist option at a silver star company. If you still can’t find what you need, look for a basic Contributionist company. If that fails, go independent. If all of those steps fail, only then should you buy directly from a non-Contributionist company.

Everything I have described above trickles up. Contributionism isn’t a “tear it all down” movement. It’s a shift. It doesn’t need to all happen immediately for it to work.

At first, just shop at Contributionist businesses (or at least independent ones) whenever possible. This means when you need to buy something, take just a minute to look for Contributionist options first. If you can’t find what you need from them, go where you need to — but make a habit of looking each time. You never know when a new Contributionist store might open. Support them. Give them your business. Even if it means planning a few more minutes for your drive or paying a couple dollars more — help them to succeed.

Moving up the chain

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