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From the level of service to the quality of products, Black-owned businesses are unfairly judged! We’re taught white standards of professionalism – but we have to combat these racist standards. Here are some ideas we HAVE to stop believing about Black businesses.
#1: “They charge too much.”
Big businesses like Walmart buy items in bulk and sell them for cheaper prices because they have a major supplier. Black business owners don’t often have this luxury – they buy fewer items and have to charge slightly more to profit.
#2: “The service is bad."
Comcast’s customer service was voted worst in the country, but we don’t say it’s because it’s white-owned. But if a Black business has bad service, Blackness is blamed! What is “good service” anyway – are we stuck on white standards of what good service means?
#3: “The quality is bad!”
This one’s just a straight-up lie. Many Black businesses make handmade and/or artisan products with BETTER ingredients. Most others sell the same brands as major retailers, or generic brands that are just as good quality.
Even if we DO pay a little more, the benefit of spending our dollars in Black businesses goes way beyond cost. Circulating money within our community helps us become self-sufficient so we can refuse white assistance or control. We must see the value of the Black dollar!