Niko Dittmar
Ms. Cunnane
English 3 Period 1
2 November 2021
Support businesses by supporting capitalism
Many of us are probably all too familiar with these headlines: “9 million U.S. small
businesses fear they won't survive the pandemic”, or “Small businesses are in survival mode as
the covid pandemic drags on”, and “Small businesses feel the biggest impact of the coronavirus
pandemic”. The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and social distancing
measures have proven to be especially harmful to small businesses. These businesses have had to
deal with everything from decreased foot traffic outside their doors, to difficulty following the
strict covid guidelines, to difficulty with employee outbreaks, and more.
And although the worst of the pandemic is likely over, many small businesses still need
help. In fact, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “half (50%) of small businesses see
operating for a year or less in the current business climate before having to permanently close.”
This is contrary to many big corporations such as Amazon which are doing better than ever. The
issue is that the pandemic has resulted in people doing their shopping online from these large
companies, instead of locally through small businesses. This has deprived countless of these
small businesses of the business they need, resulting in them getting pushed to the brink of
having to shut down for good. We must do everything in our power to save small businesses
because they are key to our economy in the Bay Area and the nation as a whole. One out of
every five persons living in the U.S. works for a small business and these businesses make up
nearly half of the country's economic activity. Losing small businesses will be devastating for
everyone. Luckily though, there is a way for you, the listener, to help save our small businesses.
All you have to do is support good old American capitalism by going out and spending your
money. Go out to your local bakery and buy a loaf of bread to share with the family, go on a
night out with your friends at the local bar, or even go to your local jewelry store and buy a loved
one something they won’t forget. These businesses live off of making business. By spending
money at these small businesses, you will give them the income they need to sustain themselves
through these difficult times. Small businesses require people to actually buy things from them to
survive. So please, do your duty and go out to buy stuff.
Works cited
Adamczyk, Alicia. “7 Months into the Pandemic, Small Business Owners Don't Know How
Much Longer They Can Hold on: 'We Are in Survival Mode'.” CNBC, CNBC, 15 Oct.
2020,
https://www.cnbc.com/2020/10/15/small-businesses-are-in-survival-mode-as-the-covid-p
andemic-drags-on.html.
J., Khristopher J. Khristopher. “9 Million U.S. Small Businesses Fear They Won't Survive
Pandemic.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 10 Feb. 2021,
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/small-business-federal-aid-pandemic/.
Owens, Jeremy C. “Amazon Has Already Had Its Most Profitable Year Ever, and Just Set a
Record for Sales in a Quarter.” MarketWatch, MarketWatch, 29 Oct. 2020,
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-has-already-had-its-most-profitable-year-ev
er-and-the-holidays-are-still-on-the-way-11604002512.
“Small Businesses Feel Biggest Impact of Coronavirus Pandemic.” Business Wire, 8 Oct. 2020,
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201008005232/en/Small-Businesses-Feel-B
iggest-Impact-of-Coronavirus-Pandemic.
“Small Businesses Generate 44 Percent of U.S. Economic Activity.” SBA's Office of Advocacy,
30 Jan. 2019,
https://advocacy.sba.gov/2019/01/30/small-businesses-generate-44-percent-of-u-s-econo
mic-activity/.
Swanek, Thaddeus. “Small Business Owners Still Feel Pain of Pandemic and Fear More to
Come.” U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, 21 Oct. 2021,
https://www.uschamber.com/small-business/small-business-owners-still-feel-pain-of-pan
demic-and-fear-more-come-4.