Always buy from good small businesses first (vote with your wallet). Megacorps are unfortunately a practical, but depressing, evil last resort.
Btw, Instacart (YC S12) works here in Paradise, CA with a smaller chain discount grocery store! :) (Local CVS ((still listed on IC)) closed due to loss of customers, there is a Walgreens franchise in-town ((not on IC)) and CVS delivers medications by mail for free right now.) And our most recent shopper was lightning fast and a good shopper too.
Not to be a downer, but if you're looking for _good_ businesses, B&H is likely to score no higher than Amazon by most criteria. They:
- Don't pay appropriate sales tax: https://www.theverge.com/2019/11/14/20964980/b-h-photo-taxes...
- Discriminate against Hispanic workers: https://www.cnn.com/2016/02/29/us/bh-photo-lawsuit/index.htm...
- Discriminate against non-Jewish employees: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/new-lawsuit-claims-b-and-h-di...
The 2017 case was settled (https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/ofccp/ofccp20170814), with B&H agreeing to pay $3.2mm in back wages and "hire a workplace consultant to correct its employment practices and conduct"
They settled a similar 2007 case by distributing $4.3m in monetary relief: https://compensation.blr.com/Compensation-news/Performance-T...
My point is not that B&H is bad, but that "support small business" doesn't mean that you're supporting an ethical business.
They started collecting sales tax in NY after that lawsuit was filed, and they started collecting sales tax in more states after the Wayfair SCOTUS case in 2018 authorized states to charge sales tax on internet sales.
how are supply chains for local businesses. My neighborhood corner grocery story is almost empty. Not sure what is going on.
This is certainly not the case for clothing retailers.