Today, big businesses are found all over the world. Growing up in a city, it’s almost hard to imagine living without it. In the city of Albany, NY alone, there is most likely a McDonalds every mile, while the country’s biggest Walmart resides on its outskirts.

An endless debate in our society however has been if supporting big business is actually beneficial. Is buying from Wal-Mart truly worse than buying from a local market? Is there anything morally wrong with getting coffee from Dunkin Donuts as opposed to a local café? The answer is not a simple one, but big business is something that has become a societal crutch, proving again and again to be detrimental.

Yes, big business is able to supply mass amounts of employees, but not without a cost, which in this case is integrity. In the case of big business, fashion retailers like American Eagle can mass produce their popular clothing and sell it to consumers for relatively cheap prices. The only way this is possibly affordable is due to, like many other big businesses, the fact that the clothing is made in areas like China. There, the labor is cheap and little respect is given to the workers there, some who work in horrendous conditions for a $15 t-shirt at one’s local American Eagle (which can, by the way, be found in essentially every mall in America at this point).

A stark contrast to this can be found in yet another brand that heralds our country in its name, but for a good reason; American Apparel. Yes, the brand’s clothing can be expensive and no, it’s not carried in nearly every mall, but their labor conditions are superior. All their clothing is made in a Los Angeles factory building by hand and workers are paid fairly.

Another thing to be taken into consideration can be found in that of coffee shops. Dunkin Donuts might as well be the McDonalds of coffee, able to be found often twice on the same road. Yet, local shops provide a better alternative. Although, as with most big business, convenience may be a factor in supporting places like Dunkin Donuts or Walmart, local shops are very unique in the community aspect that they offer.

To use Albany as an example again, shops like the Hudson River Coffee House and Tierra Coffee Roasters offer community boards in which local events can be posted about and shared. Secondly, these shops offer an environment for local artists to display their craft. Whether art hung on the walls or local music showcases, local shops offer a real sense of community that is unmatched at a big business chain.

Regardless of where they stand economically, small businesses are an integral part of our society. Chains often prove to be extremely fallible, coming and going as they please, but small businesses have anchored our culture for centuries, even before the word Walmart was ever issued. Next time you consider going to your favorite big chain, ask yourself, is it really worth it? Really?