Supporting Local Businesses in Europe (and at home)

I think a money fund or crowdfunding would do the job.
Of course the government has to initate something...

Another good way to support small businesses which have had to shut down due to covid-19 would be to buy gift vouchers for them, this would supply them with money now and ensure them with business in the future !

Thank you Ms. Jo for the suggestion. I did not think about the option of posting my experiences and will do so today. Your post also had me thinking about what I am doing to support the local businesses in my area, such as buying gift certificates for future services, not only for myself, but for friends as well. I can do that too for myself and friends who are planning travel to Europe in the future.

Sandy

We all have choices we can make.

I try my best to purchase at a locally owned hardware store when I can rather than running to Lowe's or Home Depot. The local store is flexible enough that it can hire high school and college kids for summer jobs (not just summer--they are working there right now because they're home from school), and it has veteran employees who know their stuff. They say "Hello" when you walk in the door and ask if you need help. Plus it's one of those overstuffed places that is fun to visit.

I also try to buy birthday, hostess or stocking stuffer gifts at local boutiques, gift shops, or farm markets. I appreciate that you may not be able to find everything at these locations, it may cost a little more, and not every locale in the U.S. has as many of these local options as some larger metro areas. I have a relative who recently retired from Lowe's, so I'm not trying to paint it as it has to be one way or the other, yet, when I have a chance and a choice, I do try to shop local.

If you choose to buy gift certificates or gift cards from small businesses, you should enter the transaction as if you are giving them a gift. The harsh reality is that many small (and large) businesses may not make it through this and if they cease operations, you'll not get anything for your money. I don't mean to minimize the gesture nor the potential impact. However, I anticipate that in a few months we'll have a rash of people posting here to complain that the business they "supported" is no longer operating and asking how they get their money back.

Buying gift certificates are great, but I asked for people to write reviews.

We just supported our local businesses by getting both lunch and dinner take-outs.

Just a quick update. I reached out to some of the hosts from my trip to Italy in the summer of 2018 to let them know I am thinking of them and sending good wishes. I received such warm responses back to home much my email meant to them.

Thank you again Ms. Jo for your suggestion to think more broadly about “local” communities.

Sandy

For me, I try to get the review in within less than a month or else I’ll just skip it. I’ll make an exception for attractions since they don’t change as quickly as hotels or restaurants can. After a while, the whole trip kinda blends together.

Thanks for the great suggestion. I just finished and posted a review last night of our wonderful walking tour guide in Amsterdam, That Dam Guide. We took his tour March 12th - which seems like a long time ago now that I think about it. So much has changed in 13 days.

During a break, I asked how business was and he said he was ‘busy’ .... that is, busy refunding all the cancellations he was getting! He didn’t charge a cancellation fee, he refunded 100%. He said before the virus really spread, he was already looking at having a good March and April (when the tulips bloom) and he would be doing tours every day. As of March 12th, he had nothing scheduled. Our tour was his last one for the month. His is a small local business. I actually found him on the RS Amsterdam forum.

During our self-quarantine I’m spending it posting lots of reviews wherever I can of people and places who have made my travels so memorable.