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RALEIGH — Amidst the coronavirus pandemic, Better Business Bureau serving Eastern North Carolina created a resource page, BBBShopLocal.org, to educate consumers on how they can continue to participate in the marketplace and support the local economy continues to build marketplace trust among consumers and businesses. In collaboration with BBB of Central and NW NC and BBB of Southern Piedmont and Western NC, the website has now expanded to include hyperlocal business listings for the majority of the state. BBB Accredited Businesses are listed in eight geographical regions and provide insight on how consumers can still purchase their products, goods and/or services from a safe distance.

“Working with our neighboring BBB offices to be able to provide businesses the opportunity to share how they are still operating is incredibly important in these tough times,” said Mallory Wojciechowski, president and CEO of BBB serving Eastern NC. “We urge consumers to use this online resource and help sustain these local businesses, which are vital to the stability of our communities and the state of North Carolina as a whole.”

BBB offers consumer tips for supporting small businesses while complying with social distancing regulations:

• Hire a business to do work in a safe manner and from a proper distance
• Buy a gift card for later
• Skip the refund and take a rain check
• Commit to future work
• Shop (local) online
• Get take-out or delivery

Although not everyone can pay in advance and may be facing financial difficulties themselves, you can still support small businesses by:

• Writing and online review at bbb.org/leave-a-review
• Liking/sharing the business on social media
• Improving morale by letting businesses know you appreciate them
• BBB encourages consumers to be smart when shopping locally by researching business profiles on bbb.org before conducting business to see their letter rating and confirm it’s a legitimate company.

For marketplace news and scams related to coronavirus, visit bbb.org/coronavirus.