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Old 12-14-2008, 04:47 PM
 
1,383 posts, read 3,419,201 times
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I am all the for the big box stores and chains! In the smaller stores, you find off brands and different versions of things. And usually it is more expensive.
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Old 12-14-2008, 07:15 PM
 
Location: Somewhere out there
18,287 posts, read 23,116,551 times
Reputation: 41178
Quote:
Originally Posted by UW Badgers View Post
Jaxson, the HyVee is 3 blocks from our house and I do go there to get little things, milk, ice, veggies, something I might need quick.

WalMart is less then a 5 minute drive, so I'm not wasting my savings on gas by any means. We buy all our meat at the other store we have in town. They have a fantastic meat counter and great sales.

We even buy stuff for my parents who are in Wisconsin and take it to them when we go back to visit, or they will buy stuff here when they come. We are in Iowa so they love the Iowa pork chops. So we do support that store and they are actually cheaper then HyVee, but like I said, they are closed on Sundays. I went to get stuff today because it was 50 degrees this morning and now it's sleeting and will be snowing, so wanted to get out before the storms hit and it gets below zero.
Oh I totally understand about other shopping big box. It is farther for me to drive to WM and other stores than to use my local meat market. It would be tough for me to buy all my groceries at the meat market but I would do it if I had no other choice. They still load my groceries whether I spend $10 or $100 at a time. I know our area is blessed with great customer service from other mom and pop stores too.
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Old 12-14-2008, 07:38 PM
 
Location: Mid-Atlantic
1,820 posts, read 4,477,560 times
Reputation: 1924
We live in a small town on the Eastern Shore of MD and although it is beautiful,peaceful and a really nice place to raise a family... there is nowhere to shop!
They are always asking the community to remember to support their local businesses,however,there are not many to support. There is a cute coffee shop,however,they usually only have one employee working and sometimes you can wait for a half hour to get your order placed.
There are NO clothing shops in the town we live in so therefore we are forced to go to the closest town which is 20 miles away and they have a few selections such as Target,Talbots,Chico's and some very nice boutiques...
The grocery store in our town is probably the worst there is;Food Lion. I only go there for milk,bread when needed,otherwise I shop at the Giant which again is 20 miles away.
I would be all for supporting our local community business,but it needs to improve drastically!
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Old 12-23-2008, 10:03 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
8,998 posts, read 14,736,791 times
Reputation: 3545
Give a Gift to Your Local Economy
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Old 12-30-2008, 10:38 AM
 
2,410 posts, read 5,788,824 times
Reputation: 1916
Quote:
Originally Posted by Naptowner View Post
I don't care that you have a phd in English Literature or that you call your bread 'artisan-crafted Italian peasant bread.' A loaf of bread is not worth 7 bucks.
I couldn't agree more. Too many of the small independent shops try to take an "upscale" approach to their products, which often is just fancy marketing lingo for flour, water, salt and yeast. They double the prices and think that people will want to pay those outrageous prices for the snob appeal of their "artisan" loaf of overpriced bread. Unless these shops are located in high end tourist areas with a steady flow of rich patrons, they are doomed to fail. As the economy worsens, many of these places will go under and no one is well-served by the "for lease" signs on the empty downtown buildings.
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Old 12-30-2008, 04:25 PM
 
Location: Marshall-Shadeland, Pittsburgh, PA
32,603 posts, read 77,254,359 times
Reputation: 19066
Quote:
Originally Posted by Houston3 View Post
I find that the small businesses, what few are left, seem to go out of their way to my you want to come back. The big chain stores seem less so. Lot of employess there but try to get one to help you and when you do they seem to know very little about the product they are selling you. I'll take the small business over the big box store anyday of the week.
"Lots of employees there?" Did you also realize that we're all specialized? You might see 20 sales associates in the store, but also realize that each of those 20 associates might have a different area of expertise within the store. For example, I can tell you just about anything you'd ever need to know about proper maintenance of your push lawn mower, how to change the 5W30 oil in your two-stage snow thrower, or how to use our cross-reference charts to see what kerosene heater wick you should purchase for your unit, but if you ask me about how to install a roof, then I'm going to have to whip out my phone to call an associate from the appropriate department who DOES have knowledge in that area so I can either hand the phone to you to discuss your inquiries or arrange to have him/her meet you in an aisle near the roofing materials. Some people have been like "Well, why don't YOU know? You work HERE?" We also have tens of thousands of products. It's impossible to know "everything" about "everything." If I could do that, then don't you think I'd be working in a skilled trade instead of earning peanuts in retail?

There are also meager times when I might be alone covering two or three departments due to unforeseen circumstances. Recently in plumbing we have one man on vacation, another very ill, and another who just passed away suddenly when he fell off his roof, leaving NOBODY in plumbing on most days. If you wander into the grill area and ask me to show you how to fix your toilet, of course I'm going to be clueless. I'll do my best to call everyone and anyone who MIGHT know how to assist you in such a situation, including management, but in the end I'd rather you just leave than have me give you a half-assed suggestion that might further damage your toilet simply because nobody else is available who COULD help you. Why is that "my" fault?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Houston3 View Post
I bought a door from one of the big box stores and it took over an hour for them to get it down from above.
Don't blame the employee here. I'm trained to operate most of the operating power equipment in the store, including the order picker, which is a machine where you can move up and down and then stand on an elevated pallet to retrieve items from higher shelves. HOWEVER, due to clueless customers in the past pretty much walking INTO the noisy moving machinery, we now need to ensure we can find a spotter available, as well as be able to kick everyone out of the adjacent aisle(s) in such situations. In my department we'd often have a difficult time clearing out one of the main drags where all of the Christmas stuff was. One time it DID take a half-hour to get down an inflatable yard display simply because while I waited on the order picker tapping my feet, my co-worker could NOT clear everyone out of the adjacent aisle, let alone the one I was in. On top of that I'd have people coming right up to me asking for help when I was obviously busy helping someone else. I don't know why customers are so lazy nowadays in that sense. When I go shopping I'll look for someone who seems to be unoccupied---NOT someone actively engaged with another customer or about to block an aisle for the retrieval of heavy top-shelved merchandise. The customer was livid with US, as if it was our fault that the other people wouldn't get out of the way. Furthermore when you're alone in your department (as I often am in mine) it can take 10-15-minutes just to find another associate in another department who is unoccupied and will be for a long enough duration to "spot" you and block aisles for you. Couple this with an ever-ringing SpecraLink phone, and you just can't seem to win.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Houston3 View Post
I had a door man waiting on me, cost me extra because of that.
In other words, you hired a door installer, had him come over to your home, and THEN went to go pick up the door? Wouldn't it have made MORE sense to have had the door sitting right next to your doorway or wall area for when he showed up?
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Old 12-30-2008, 05:05 PM
 
5,019 posts, read 14,074,922 times
Reputation: 7090
Default Cambridge OH

I just wanted to share a very pleasant locally-owned, small town business story.....

During my travels over the holidays I stopped in Cambridge OH (just of off I-70)

First I bought cookies and pastry at Kennedy's Bakery. In business since 1925.

Great selection and service. My friend asked the staff if they had anything "gluten free" and I was like "We are in a baaakery?"

But, no, the young woman helped him, consulted with her ingredients list and he went away a happy cutomer.

Next stop Cool Beans Coffee. Where I bought free-trade, organically-grown, locally-roasted coffee beans for ~$6.40 per pound! So much for small speciality stores costing more......

If you are ever travelling that stretch of highway I highly recommend you stop in and check these businesses out.
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Old 01-03-2009, 04:49 PM
 
Location: Duluth, Minnesota, USA
7,646 posts, read 18,046,263 times
Reputation: 6912
Well, I work at a "local business" selling / setting up installation for flooring products (carpet, vinyl, hardwood, laminate, etc.)

When you're a small business, especially a struggling small business selling necessarily expensive goods (flooring), every sale counts. So you have to go out of your way, sometimes lowering prices for spendthrift (aren't we all?) customers. At most small businesses, at least those that sell goods that are more costly (not grocery stores, dollar stores, etc.), the price posted for a product isn't necessarily the final price, especially if you're buying multiple products and having them installed (as many people do when they carpet a house). In most cases small stores would much rather have their customers buy something at lower profit margin than have them leave and drive over to a competitor with a lower posted price.

As for being open seven days a week - people have some ridiculous expectations! We have become far too obsessed with convenience and instant gratification in this country. NOW, NOW, NOW is our mantra. Sunday is a day of rest, a day to spend in worship and in recreational activities, not just another for work. And as far as being open late - that's one area I think a lot of small businesses could improve on. It's best to go to their website or call them for their hours, since we (for example) are open late on Thursdays (to 7 p.m.), and because of the slow economy I might open up another day to work late myself.

Personally, I try to support local businesses when I can, though I think I could do a much better job. As for sit-down restaurants...I always do local. I see no reason to go to a bland, homogeneous chain when there are so many decent or better local restaurants offering the same stuff at similar prices. You'd never catch me in an Applebee's when I could just as well go to local Grandma's or Tejas or Randy's Cafe. Never in Olive Garden when there's Va Bene or Valentini's. Plus, chains often seem to have ridiculous waits - I've never had to wait at a local restaurant, at least not that I can remember. And travelling, I never eat at a chain restaurant, with the exception of fast-food places if I'm in a hurry. Sure, you might risk a bad meal, but so what? The adventure is worth it, and you still get fed. You could find a gem. In bigger cities - e.g. Minneapolis - the appeal of chains is even more baffling. Not only do you have way more local restaurants, but you have far more variety in terms of ethnic food - everything from Colombian to Pakistani to Somali to Russian to Taiwanese. I suppose most people aren't willing to do their research and simply seek out the nearest comfortable chain.
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Old 01-03-2009, 08:20 PM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
44,892 posts, read 59,882,454 times
Reputation: 60437
Default Why I dislike some small businesses

From the perspective of a local elected official:
1. they all want tax breaks
2. they don't want to have to pay for services like water, sewer, and trash pick-up
3. they complain that the Town doesn't sponsor events that will bring people to town and then close the business during the events because they want to go
4. they won't shovel their sidewalks because they "want a snow day, too."
5. they make sure residents know they're unwelcome in the store and then complain that residents don't patronize them
6. they carry products aimed at the tourist trade and complain residents don't patronize them
7. they close on Monday holidays because they "need a day off, too."
8. they open for breakfast at 9AM during the week then complain nobody stops in before going to work
9. they have no business plan
10. they always want to have the rules changed: "why do I need a wheelchair ramp?"
11. they use the parking in front of their business, instead of the parking in the back reserved for the business, and then complain that customers can't find parking
12. they lie about their business: we're in Court right now over a retail business opened in a residential area (consulting businesses are allowed in a residentiall area). The business license application listed consulting business and primary residence which are both requirements. Neither is true.
13. they talk about how much they "love" the Town but don't live here, and complain about it at parties
14. they blame everything and everyone except their own business practices when they have little business or go out of business (a florist not connected to FTD or Tele-Flora for example)


There are probably more but that's a good start

Last edited by North Beach Person; 01-03-2009 at 08:53 PM.. Reason: punctuation
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Old 01-04-2009, 09:51 AM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
44,892 posts, read 59,882,454 times
Reputation: 60437
Quote:
Originally Posted by NYMD67 View Post
We live in a small town on the Eastern Shore of MD and although it is beautiful,peaceful and a really nice place to raise a family... there is nowhere to shop!
They are always asking the community to remember to support their local businesses,however,there are not many to support. There is a cute coffee shop,however,they usually only have one employee working and sometimes you can wait for a half hour to get your order placed.
There are NO clothing shops in the town we live in so therefore we are forced to go to the closest town which is 20 miles away and they have a few selections such as Target,Talbots,Chico's and some very nice boutiques...
The grocery store in our town is probably the worst there is;Food Lion. I only go there for milk,bread when needed,otherwise I shop at the Giant which again is 20 miles away.
I would be all for supporting our local community business,but it needs to improve drastically!
Just out of curiousity didn't you notice the lack of stores when you moved there? If you did, and still moved there, then don't complain. If you didn't then you either weren't paying attention or had no idea what living in a rural area entailed.

A note: I'd take the Eastern shore over the Western any day if I could cycle back 25 years.
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