'It's as easy as from a big-box retailer': ethical and local options for Christmas shopping

This Christmas, you can shop online and still do your bit for local stores, charities - and the planetIf sustainability, ethics and fairness are on your Christmas list, putting in a bulk order at Amazon is not the best way to tick them off. The world's biggest online retailer may offer quick delivery and competitive prices, but there are reasons to avoid it. One is simply that it is so big, and as it grows its competition falls by the wayside. But it has also been criticised for the low level of corporate tax it pays, and for its treatment of workers.One option is to support small retailers, from thebristolartisan.com and communityclothing.co.uk to thecrofthouse.com. "Smaller shops have been instrumental in keeping communities going during lockdown, but they've also been hit thardest by the pandemic," says Mike Cherry for the Federation of Small Businesses. "The windfall from [Christmas] sales could be make or break for some of our members." Continue reading...