Consumer Takeover of US Economy: From Consumer-Driven to Consumer-Directed

Online, August 19, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Imagine what it would be like if every time you shopped, you also got to determine what charity, school or community program would receive a portion of the revenue from your purchase.

It is not a farfetched idea. In fact, in various ways some shoppers are already participating in 'shop and give' programs. The charities, schools and communities are receiving much needed, substantial and continual income streams from shoppers wanting to support them. The shoppers feel good about it - real good. It is the one activity that allows them to fund - directly - what matters to them, without spending more. It gives the shopper the power to choose - directly - how a portion of the US economy will be directed. For the businesses that provide shop and give programs, customer loyalty and community recognition are their rewards. As proof, almost daily new programs emerge in the shop and give environment as businesses wish to tap into shopper preferences to participate in such programs. Even the nonprofits themselves are rolling out shop and give store affiliate programs and partnering with businesses to support a shop and give program.

Yet there are some issues. Transparency and trust are among shopper concerns. Will their charity, school or community actually receive their contributions? Will it cost more to shop and give? Are the programs and products legit? The charities too wonder if the participating business and its offerings are legit. Charities and schools must be particularly concerned about the type and quality of products and services the business offers since it is a legal and /or public relations concern when a business partner falls short of commitments. These issues are increasingly concerning as non-standard, ad hoc everybody and anybody is doing it in some fashion, shop and give programs proliferate. As these programs emerge daily so does the skepticism - and so does the potential of transforming our economy into one where consumers get more direct control of where a portion of that economy is allocated become weakened and unrealized.

That latter point is both a passion and vision for Sharing USA Inc founder Jesse Weeks. "Those dollars are significant. They are daily expenditures by consumers - individuals and businesses - who already are paying enough taxes to support local, state and federal services. Now is the time for consumers to have a more direct participation in the US economy and the programs that matter to them. It is time for consumers to take over a portion of the US economy."

Weeks' has stepped forward with "ShareShopping™ - The Gold Standard in Shop & Give" programs to address these issues...and the potential for a more consumer directed economy. "It's like a Good Housekeeping seal of approval or a UL certification on electrical products. Standards provide a foundation for confidence, quality and unity. "

The ShareShopping™ standards are flexible for virtually any business. In short, they ensure consumer value, rewards, choices and customer services. The standards explicitly require transparency with auditable tracking. Sharing USA Inc created a ShareShopping™ demonstration site for online shopping venues at www.SharingUSA.com. The site slogan is Shop. Save. Share. Shoppers are able to register and choose the charity, school or community they wish to support. A ShareShopping™ account is free and includes a rewards program that includes shopping dollars to help shoppers save while they 'share'. One key advantage built into the site is that it is not just a simple affiliate link site - SharingUSA.com offers 1000s of products through its own secured shopping cart and provides live customer services during normal business hours. By providing a full featured e-commerce site with high value products, the company can share greater percentages of revenue with the charities, schools and organizations the shoppers wish to support, while also providing savings and rewards direct to the shopper. Of note is the 24 Seven Family of Health and Wellness plan that provides many savings programs, such as TelaDoc™ a telehealth service (which is already being used by 1.6 million Americans for 24 / 7 access to doctors) for just $14.95 per family per month. The purchasers' charity, school or community receives 20% - $2.99 - each month. "In this way, consumers get tremendous value and so do the organizations they choose to support. ", says Weeks. The site is growing rapidly and adding 100s of new products each week.

Sharing USA Inc - having proven the concept - now realizes that ShareShopping™ is larger than the efforts of any single business, online or offline. A new site at ShareShopping.com provides an introduction to the standards and aims to invite other businesses to register to participate by adapting the ShareShopping™ standards in a way that fits their environment and their clientele. The ShareShopping™ Forum has just been activated to invite participation.

As ShareShopping™ spreads in value to consumers, businesses and organizations, the US economy will indeed transform at least in part from a strictly consumer-driven to a consumer-directed economy. The collective ShareShopping™ voice - armed with standards and metrics - can rally against continued tax increases where consumers have little control of how the money will be used. ShareShopping™ is not a replacement for taxes which still need to be paid. ShareShopping™ is an alternative to increased taxes. And in an advanced, educated and freedom loving society, ShareShopping™ is the right thing to do...now and for the future.