Black businesses are a complete waste of time. I used to wonder why Black people weren't supporting Black businesses, then I noticed something myself... black people still crave inclusion. Though many will not understand this about themselves or admit it, but it's true. Black people like to be included with others.
Think about most of the recent protesting you have witnessed on mass media. It's usually black people upset about not being included. Black people want mainstream businesses to cater to them which shows that they are not interested in only patronizing black businesses. Some will claim it is impossible, however, other races and cultures of people will O N L Y buy from themselves in very high percentages. Take China for instance... a large number of Chinese people will not even use Facebook or Twitter. They have their own social networks and they could care less who is there or isn't there. I have even noticed this behavior with Indians as well. These groups of people have no problem practicing group economics.
I did a post on a popular social network some time ago asking Black people why they would never support Black businesses and the feedback was abundant and alarming. I heard very many different reasons of why black businesses are inferior to non-black owned businesses. Here is some of the comments I received:
This is the question I asked: "Would you invest in a Black business and do you think Black people support Black businesses enough?"
Here are some of the responses to that question.
Black businesses don't have good customer service.
Black businesses charge too much.
Black businesses don't support the community and give back.
Black businesses can't compete with other businesses.
Black entrepreneurs lack entrepreneur spirit.
Doesn’t matter! If it’s successful, they’ll buy you out or kill you! Facts! ( Unless you take the oath)
Black businesses exploit black people.
Can't trust them.
Not professional enough.
Too many negative experiences.
The list can go on for quite a while but these were the top concerns about patronizing a black business. And get this, these were comments made by other black users.
There appears to be so many reasons not to support black businesses. This is a behavioral problem. Yet, if these same people are not choosing to support black businesses, it must mean that they are comfortable spending their money with non-black people!
I once heard of a case where black folk were protesting because they experienced bad service from a non-black restaurant. They mentioned boycotting but that is temporary. A boycott means that once the business fixes whatever the problem is, then they will be patronized again. But think about it (and this is the reason I won't eat out anymore, especially from non-black establishments), if someone is in control of your food then they have the ability to spit in it, wipe themselves in it, pluck whatever they choose into the food, or even poison it! Why would Black people make it part of black culture to eat at Chinese food restaurants or any other restaurant that doesn't even serve native black food? And I say that because in every ghetto or urban area there are tons of Chinese food restaurants and corner stores that black people patronize willingly every single day without batting an eyelash.
And what about fashion? It's strange to me that if there is one fashion label that is owned by a black owned company, then it would make sense to buy only that particular brand with an understanding that a certain percentage of the profits will go back to the black community and they use black owned banks. If we have the chance to buy black at reasonable prices and high quality, why ever buy anything else? Because we have been socially programmed to want to be included in with everyone else. If we are not included, then it appears as though we are missing out, regardless of the repercussions of this behavior.
And because of our desire to be included, it appears that all black owned businesses with the exception of entertainment, will fall short of supplying black people with an unmet need. This is the fundamental goal of all businesses which includes websites.
I have found from further search and experimentation that (from my own observation of data that I have personally collected) though there is a demand for black businesses to thrive, the desire to patronize these businesses just isn't there. Black people are more likely to support a non-black owned business than one they are certain is black owned. This speaks volumes about so many social issues that black people undergo on a daily basis but the behavior speaks for itself.
There seems to be something that is locked in the subconscious of black people that makes them feel black businesses are primarily inefficient and not good enough to serve their needs. I believe this thinking may go back to as far as slavery. Admitting, I am no psychologist so I must state that these are only my personal observations.
Another problem in the black community concerning black businesses is the common fact that black people do not practice group economics. People from other races and cultures are quick to put their money into a pot and go into a family operated business together. It's far less common with black people. Historically, black people just haven't been able to practice group economics except for when it became necessary to do so like with black wall street.
To sum it all up, black people are still not willing to support black businesses because on the surface they feel that there is no need for it as long as everyone else is willing to sell to them. If black people could only buy products from other black people and exclude outsiders, then there would be rioting, marching and protesting involved... factor in tears, fainting and hyperventilating. The reality of the matter is that if this was the case, the circumstances of Black people would change relatively overnight and these circumstances would change for the better.
Until black people are willing to change cultural behavior that has been pushed on us by mass media, radio, news, magazine, Hollywood, Broadway, and the likes, things are not going to change anytime soon. In order for black businesses to get supported by the black community, our entire culture has to change. It's simply a requirement.
Black Americans and other Diaspora blacks don't have to feel left out. As it appears, Africa seems to exhibit symptoms of the same non-progressive behavior.