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It has been clear for a while now that we’re going to need to support each other to get through this. And now that literally trillions have been lost from our economy that will take years (if not decades) to repair, it’s clear we’re going to need to do it monetarily, too.
I urge you to modify your purchasing paths and maybe commit to supporting your local businesses, artisans, and local charities whenever you can.
I know it’s not always feasible or realistic to say “Boycott this chain forever!” or “This man is evil, don’t support him!” Sometimes they’re unavoidable.
BUT. You can mitigate their impact. It is with in your power to make small shifts. To develop new habits. To try new things. To choose not to use Amazon or big-chain stores once in a while. To choose to go out of your way every now and then to pay a little more in order to support your neighbor’s business. To donate your coffee creamer money to charity one week and use milk and sugar instead.
I’m not saying shift your life to make completely new purchasing choices. I am asking you to try opening yourself up to your community and valuing things in a different way more often than you may be doing.
There are many more broke folks out there than not. Many more small businesses than not. And those local connections appreciate your business more than those other folks will ever do.
It's not all or nothing, just trying some alternatives is really useful 
And, quite often, there are pleasant surprises when you try alternatives and find they are so much better.
@FediThing Preach!! Yes! It’s really really hard to break habits, especially when it comes to stores and shops we feel comfortable in.
But if instead you just try something out—even *that* action can make a huge difference.
I think that can be said for a lot of things. Like social media platforms. Just overcoming inertia to choose to experiment with something new is the hardest part. Choosing to be discomfited a bit while having a new experience is… scary sometimes.
Choosing local, choosing something new… They’re very similar. It’s just comfort zone.
And right now, everything in the world is screaming at us to instinctually retreat into our comfort zones. By necessity.
So we have to be a bit brave, right? Not every day. But maybe more than we usually are.
At least that’s what I think. 
Yeah, definitely. The "purity test" approach is particularly damaging when people are trying to take their first steps in an alternative direction.
Society today is so much about large brands and large chains, independents can seem an unknown quantity to people who haven't tried them before. Simply trying them is a way to get rid of that feeling of them being unknown.