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Shoppers Union encourages consumers to support independent, locally-owned, small businesses and then provides an easy way for them to do so. Members receive a discount card that they can use to save money at over 90 participating businesses city-wide. If members make just a single purchase, at only one of the Participating Businesses, just once per month, they will likely save more than the $1.25 a month cost of a Shoppers Union membership. In fact, it would be difficult to find a Participating Business offering as little as $1.25 in savings, as most offer single-purchase savings in the $2 to $5 range ...and many offer much more. Click here to see a summary list of the Participating Businesses and the incentives that they offer.
The purchasing preference of consumers is now the dominant force shaping our communities. Accordingly, consumers need to accept a much greater share of the responsibility for, and take a much more active role in, determining the kind of communities in which they live. Shoppers need to learn how to focus their purchasing power and to "vote with their purchasing power" for the type of communities that they want. If you want choice & diversity and the economic vitality of the small businesses sector, then you have to support it regularly with your purchases. If you want nothing more than an impersonal, price-efficient, globally-controlled, corporate mono-culture, then giving most of your money to the big chainstores will certainly help achieve it.
As individual shoppers we have very little say in store policies. As a unified group, however, we stand a much better chance of having a meaningful influence on our shopping environment. Now more than ever consumers need to join together. Governments are privatizing and deregulating many important services and large corporations are getting much more control over our lives. Shoppers need to learn how to look after themselves.
When consumers join Shoppers Union, they are asked to recommend at least three businesses who they feel are honestly committed to providing great value and excellent customer service. Shoppers Union databases these positive referrals and makes this information available to all members who are seeking advice on where to turn for goods & services in the local marketplace. In time our Opinions Database will grow to become "the yellow pages written by consumers". If you are looking for a supplier of a type of goods & services that you have never bought before, or if you are simply not satisfied with the service that your current suppliers are providing, then Shoppers Union's Ratings Service will be of great value to you.
Shoppers Union encourages consumers to advise other shoppers about any scams or hoaxes or unscrupulous operators in the local marketplace. Generally, however, positive recommendations are far more useful to consumers who are seeking advice on how to locate competent, honest suppliers. If my roof is leaking and I need to hire someone to fix it, knowing who to phone is far more important than knowing who not to call. Positive referrals will enable me to stop the leak, negative comments will simply hold me back while water continues to damage my home.
Unfair practises, intimidation, dishonesty or misleading advertising are all important issues that should always be reported. Simply complaining about the obvious, like high prices or long line-ups, is not encouraged. If you think a store's prices are too high or that the lines you must wait in for service are too long, then don't shop there! That's the strongest, most effective protest that a shopper can make. If store managers start noticing that alot of consumers are just leaving their intended purchases behind and heading out the door, how long do you think it will take before they start re-scheduling or hiring more staff.
Shoppers Union keeps an eye on business and monitors local shopping conditions. Shoppers Union ends the isolation of the individual shopper and helps make sure that businesses deliver on the promises they make. As Shoppers Union grows, a wealth of information, much of it supplied by consumers themselves, will accumulate at this website. Through our newsletters, we will poll shoppers to find out what issues are important to them and to ask how we can best help them.
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