Stop panic buying, start purpose buying

Social distancing is on everybody’s minds right now. But the worry is, if everyone stays at home then small businesses will suffer. So let’s stop panic buying and start purpose buying. Here’s a few tips on how to support businesses that need your help — without risking your health.

Share with your neighbours

Now more than ever, is a time to reach out and help neighbours in need. The amazing team at anti food waste app OLIO have released some super-useful guidelines on how to stop food waste and share with your neighbours safely. Check it out here.

Buy a restaurant voucher

Many restaurants, pubs and cafes are suffering with closures or a lack of footfall. While you may prefer not to dine out right now, at some point you’ll be back out there! You can support local food establishments today by buying vouchers and gift cards for use in the future.

Order in

So you might not be able to take mum out for that Mother’s Day lunch you’d planned, but why not cook up a delicious meal at home with a healthy recipe box from Mindful Chef? For every meal you buy, Mindful Chef has pledged to donate a school meal to a child in poverty — so you can treat mum, support a small business and help a child in need with one single purchase!

Many local restaurants are now offering free delivery services, so if you can’t get to mum to cook up a healthy dish, then try sending a local tasty treat instead.

Stay sparkly

While major supermarkets can’t stock up on hand sanitiser fast enough, smaller family-run brands like KinKind need your business. KinKind produces plastic and water-free soaps, shampoos and conditioners that last for months on end. They sell direct to families, rather than to minimise their carbon impact, straight from their UK factory to family letterboxes. Next time you head out to stock up on soap, think again.

Buy toilet rolls elsewhere

While we’re not condoning panic-buying, if you are genuinely low on toilet rolls you can order online from sustainable brands like Cheeky Panda, who decided to create a more natural and sustainable alternative to tree-based tissue. Since bamboo is the world’s fastest growing plant that doesn’t require fertilisers, they felt this was a perfect solution for a world struggling with stretched resources. So you can stock up and save the planet at the same time.

Brighten your home

Add colour to your home with a delivery of blooming colourful positivity with a bunch of spring flowers from your local florist. Or order online from an eco-conscious service like Bloom & Wild, who support a variety of community projects in including school-meal programmes, water provisions and financial support for teachers in Naivasha, Kenya. Plus, their fully recyclable boxes are designed to fit right through your letter box — isolation-friendly flowers, sorted!

Keep fit and feel good

A large number of gyms, yoga studios and fitness classes have taken the responsibility of shutting their doors. But to keep their customers fit and healthy in isolation, many are offering online classes. If you can continue to pay that membership; stay loyal, keep fit and feel good.

Sip and stay merry

While many of us are unable to get out to pubs and bars, we can still raise a glass and support planet-friendly brands like Toast Ale, who turn leftover bread into tasty beer and are now offering interactive online events and free delivery to UK homes. Garçon Wines is another answer to staying merry in difficult times — delicious wines delivered straight through your letterbox in flat bottles; 100% recycled and 100% recyclable. Cheers to that!

Stock up small

If you’re looking for ideas on how you can help to support more small businesses, Real Handful is encouraging people to use #StockupSmall on social channels to champion and discover small food and drink brands in need.

In summary, there are plenty of brands out there changing their offerings to cater to consumers in a climate of uncertainty. And in doing so, they are still staying loyal to their brand purpose; to make the world a better place. Let’s stick together, shop with purpose, and stay kind.