My friend Joel wrote a good post in his blog about giving business to the small business guy instead of the chain-store. A consumer in the same metro region as he, I am often faced with the same choice. I do value customer service, and typically a local or "mom and pop" place will outdo a chain store any day. But I also value convenience, not to mention my hard-earned money. Most large retailers can offer a greater variety and lower prices, and being a cost-conscious shopper, that's hard to pass up.
What interests me now is the effect of the online only retailer. Recently I was shopping for an electronics item at the most popular electronics store in my neighborhood. They were asking $140. I checked out a locally owned electronics store. He was asking $160. Out of curiosity, I checked for the same item at a few online retailers and found that each of them sold the item for under $65.
Like Joel, I'd like to give to the little guy more often than I do, but man is it hard to justify when the price difference is so drastic. Just some more food for thought from the fringe of suburbia.
1 comment:
I agree - it's wonderful to find those "hidden gems" that are no where else. But yes, the prices are a downfall. Maybe, like ice cream and chocolate, if we limit ourselves to trips to these places every once in a while - we'd be okay.
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