Commerce and Community

I heard from two readers this week with opposing views about online commerce. Neither writer insisted that hers was the only valid point of view, though both felt strongly about their perspective. I appreciate the synchronicity of receiving these letters within a few hours of each other and the resulting opportunity to explore my own values and how they are honored (nor not) when I shop.

The first reader wrote "how important it is to support locally owned businesses, especially bookstores. If we want those businesses to continue to thrive, and together create the kind of communities we all want to live in, we need to spend our money locally, not send it off to some anonymous corporate giant. Internet shopping convenience no doubt has its place, but real face-to-face, community-based businesses will survive only if we vote with our dollars."

I know what she means. Living in a small community (with a fabulous bookstore) as I do, I have long held trading within my community as a primary value. I like knowing the merchants by name and I like knowing that my purchases help my community thrive. I like shopping on streets peopled by neighbors and friends, in shops staffed by other  neighbors and friends.

On the other hand...I love the opportunities and conveniences of shopping online and I could relate when another  reader wrote:

"The nice thing about shopping here [at an e-commerce site connected with her business] for me is that the brand names I know and like are all here (Epson, Sony, Canon, Dell, Kodak, Panasonic, Warner, Universal, Disney, Columbia, Epic, Nintendo, Sega, Hasbro, Lego, Crayola) I'm not a no-name shopper unless I can touch the product myself and see the quality--when I'm ordering online I like to know it's stuff I can trust."

She goes on to say, "I've been asking everyone I know if they're planning on doing any online shopping this season and am surprised at how many of us are no longer fond of the lines and stress of malls. (small wonder!)"

For me these two apparently divergent points of view actually converge around the notion of community. When a sense of community is absent from commerce, for example at crowded malls contrived to trigger consumption rather than to serve customers, shopping online is not only more convenient but it's also less demeaning to the spirit of the season. However, when the choice is between the World Wide Web and a local merchant whose presence enriches your community in ways that defy tabulation in dollars and cents, the price of convenience may be loss of community.

Given my stated value of doing business in my community, how do I reconcile this with my role as an associate of Amazon.com and the links from my book lists to Amazon's virtual store? I sat with this for a long time before adding the Amazon.com links to my existing book recommendations. In the final analysis, I decided to go ahead (1) as a service to readers, especially to readers who do not have a good independent bookstore nearby, and in recognition of the fact that my online community network extends across several continents; (2) as a way to recover some of the costs of my publications and web site and in compensation for the value they provide; and (3) because I was intrigued and it was fun. For me all three of these reasons continue to hold true.

As important as how I reconcile the polarities of my virtual and actual communities is how I imagine you, my friends and readers, responding to the opportunity I provide for online shopping. I imagine you evaluating for yourself where community and commerce converge and making your own powerful choices to express your values in the ways you choose to spend your money. I trust that you will not sacrifice opportunities for authentic connection under the guise of saving time (for what? More shopping?) and that you'll not save money at the expense of community. In short, I trust that you will take a broader view of getting what you pay for.