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I reward good customer service. I have a few stores I frequent because the customer service is first rate. They take the time to help out or just treat you right. That to me is worth a premium. Maybe not to you. I know people who'll go to a store and pick their brains, only to go home and order something online to save 20 bucks.
Sometimes you get what you pay for.
Dollar General is eyeing Chester as a potential location to set up shop -- nevermind the fact that there is already a Dollar General one town over in Springfield in addition to a Family Dollar. There is a Family Dollar to the south in nearby Bellows Falls, too. Do we really need a dollar store every 7 miles?We've seen many national retailers over-saturate the market, only to fail and leave behind large, empty retail spaces which turn to eyesores giving a community a blighted appearance.
Many people in Chester are against the DG coming to town as they feel that the DG will cost local jobs as it siphons business away from local merchants. Off the top of my head, one person who had researched the impact of a large, out-of-state chain entering a small community, had noted that over 60% of the dollar spent at the box store will go elsewhere.
Mind you, some folks get food stamp benefits and these Dollar Stores carry a lot of non-nutritious junk which is cheap AND accept the food stamp program debit cards. Cheap, non-nutritious junk poured into bodies -- who foots the bill when their health is compromised because they opted to consume cheap and easy?
One thing I have tried to do, if buying locally is not an option, is buying Made in Vermont, Made in NY, or Made in the USA. I avoid Made in China as best as possible, which is very difficult. Many of these online retailers as well as big box and dollar stores carry a lot of Made in China cheap stuff. Given China's laxity where consumer safety is concerned (dangerous chemicals in dog food, toys, cookware, etc.) it behooves all of us to be aware.
Saving $25 is nothing to sneeze at and all people want to get the most out of their money. However when people are laid off, local businesses go under and Main St becomes a shadow of its former self, fewer people will come and spend their money there. Taxes will support programs for the unemployed and other programs will be subjected to budget cuts. Property values might drop as well. In the end, will all the money saved shopping elsewhere worth it?
I realize this is a little different than the original case of online vs local, but it isn't that far removed. Sorry about the rant.
It's not about what's good for the individual or family versus what's good for the local businesses and the town. If the town is harmed, then individuals and families are harmed. They are harmed in terms of a blighted, depressing downtown, cuts in town revenue which affect town services, tax rates and property values. They are harmed by the likelihood of future corporate abuses. And we lose our favorite stores. We lose in our town's quality of life.
So, ultimately, it is in our longer term best interests to pay a little more and help the local economy. It also enhances our sense of community, and that is an important part of our quality of life.
At the same time, paying significant extra money to support the local economy is like paying an extra tax. And it is one we can't claim as a deduction.
So, I guess it's best to think in terms of when to buy local and when not to. Posters have mentioned things like convenience, quality, customer service, added value, where buying locally is in one's immediate best interests, as well as in the best interests of local merchants and the town.
I guess it shouldn't feel like a sacrifice to support the local economy. Or at least not too much of a sacrifice.
And if people in a store help you, I think you owe them better than to pick their brains and then buy on Amazon.
BTW, I read something, I think yesterday or so, that said Best Buy is now having to close several stores. I bought my car radio at the Best Buy in Holyoke - I think it was Best Buy - and the main reason I bought it right there was that, unlke some other places I've visited, they installed it for me while I waited.
At the same time, businesses need to respond to a changing economy. With the internet, we have a new normal, and businesses need to adapt to that. They can offer an online presence. They can provide good customer service. They can offer features that add value. They probably can't buy in the level of bulk that Amazon can, but they can have a presence on Amazon's website. Lots of small businesses do.
Importantly, they can make a point of being nice to people, and not drive them away with indifference or rudeness.
Buying local or not is based on each individual. In all honesty most of us purchase most of our goods from local stores. They may be mom and pop stores, big box, etc, but they are local. I know I'm not alone on this feeling, there are local stores that are clueless and/or have poor customer service. We have this opinion that everything local is better and online stores have poor customer service. I have the opposite experience with online stores or businesses. Vermont is a small place and that typically means even an expert on a product might not have much experience because of our population size. If I can deal with a person who has dealt with thousands of a specific product, his opinion most likely has more meaning than a guy who may have only sold or dealt with a dozen or so of the same product. I don't look for the cheapest price unless I know exactly what I want to buy. It also has to convenient for me. If I could buy it local and I need the item ASAP I will spend a little extra and buy it local. If I don't need it ASAP and I know what I need I buy it online. The beauty of the internet is the ability to research any product imaginable. When you can look at what hundreds or even thousands of people have to say about a product, that means more than what the guy around the corner might think.
I give my business to the store that earns it, the best prices, customer service, etc. Sometimes that's the "local" offering, sometimes it's the 'big box store' sometimes it's online.
I won't support a business "just" because it's small and locally owned if they don't otherwise serve my needs. Particularly if the local is selling the same foreign-made junk the big box store is.
A genuine locally made product is something I always try to support.
I love to go to my local hardware store (Aubachon's in Windsor) because they are super nice, super helpful, and the prices are competitive to Home Depot across the river. They "win" because they deserve to win, they try harder and do a better job.
There have been other "local" business over the years that I didn't support because they were bad at their jobs. These same folks are the first ones to put a snide note on their door after they close about how they were "pushed out" by the big box stores or whatever perceived slight they faced.
We've got a row going on in Hanover NH (just across the bridge from me) where the "local" coffee shop owner is pissed that Starbucks is coming in. Meanwhile you can't throw a stone without hitting someone who doesn't like the local place (closes early, no wifi, spotty-to-poor customer service, perpetually cranky owner who complains about everything, etc). Guess what, if Starbucks comes in and eats your lunch because you haven't been serving your local customers well enough than that's on you.
There are plenty of great "local" success stories out there from stores that defied the big boxes by doing their jobs better every day.
We've got a row going on in Hanover NH (just across the bridge from me) where the "local" coffee shop owner is pissed that Starbucks is coming in. Meanwhile you can't throw a stone without hitting someone who doesn't like the local place (closes early, no wifi, spotty-to-poor customer service, perpetually cranky owner who complains about everything, etc). Guess what, if Starbucks comes in and eats your lunch because you haven't been serving your local customers well enough than that's on you.
Let me guess, are its initials D.C.?
That place was a joke. Too crowded, bad coffee. Went there once in 3 years in Hanover area. Never went back.
I give my business to the store that earns it, the best prices, customer service, etc. Sometimes that's the "local" offering, sometimes it's the 'big box store' sometimes it's online.
I won't support a business "just" because it's small and locally owned if they don't otherwise serve my needs. Particularly if the local is selling the same foreign-made junk the big box store is.
A genuine locally made product is something I always try to support.
I love to go to my local hardware store (Aubachon's in Windsor) because they are super nice, super helpful, and the prices are competitive to Home Depot across the river. They "win" because they deserve to win, they try harder and do a better job.
There have been other "local" business over the years that I didn't support because they were bad at their jobs. These same folks are the first ones to put a snide note on their door after they close about how they were "pushed out" by the big box stores or whatever perceived slight they faced.
I like Aubuchon -- they are a great regional hardware store. Never realized they have 120 locations!
With respect to the last paragraph, I know of 3 small, independent hardware stores near my LI home which coexisted for decades. Each one had good customer service and had a feature or two the others didn't. In moved Home Depot. The masses flocked to HD, the little guys tried cutting prices and tread like made trying to stay afloat. One by one they folded. HD even hastened the demise of a local lumber yard -- as with the hardware stores, none of them were big enough to buy in such bulk and pass along the savings.
Once the little guys were gone, HD's customer service became nonexistent, sale items out of stock, stores shabby. The odd widget the little guys could get for you couldn't be found or ordered by HD.
The HW store in Chester is affiliated with 'Do it best' buying cooperative. The owners appeared to be taciturn New Englanders when I first strolled in, but over the years we've all warmed up to each other. They know I am not trying to LI VT. The beauty of the local store and it's affiliation with the buying coop is it allows me to use the www when I can't get into town, and the town location makes it convenient when I need a gizmo or gadget.
Back to LI -- Ace Hardware came along after the demise of the 3 little guys. Ace hardware stores are independently owned, but have the buying power of the Ace corporation.
Sorry so long winded. My point is that I am comfortable shopping independently owned stores which have national affiliations like Ace or Do It Best, and don't mind supporting small regional chains like Aubuchon. It is the Dollar Generals with the rapid expansion plans, corporate ownership, and cheap imported junk which I avoid like the plague.
I like Aubuchon -- they are a great regional hardware store. Never realized they have 120 locations!
With respect to the last paragraph, I know of 3 small, independent hardware stores near my LI home which coexisted for decades. Each one had good customer service and had a feature or two the others didn't. In moved Home Depot. The masses flocked to HD, the little guys tried cutting prices and tread like made trying to stay afloat. One by one they folded. HD even hastened the demise of a local lumber yard -- as with the hardware stores, none of them were big enough to buy in such bulk and pass along the savings.
Once the little guys were gone, HD's customer service became nonexistent, sale items out of stock, stores shabby. The odd widget the little guys could get for you couldn't be found or ordered by HD.
The HW store in Chester is affiliated with 'Do it best' buying cooperative. The owners appeared to be taciturn New Englanders when I first strolled in, but over the years we've all warmed up to each other. They know I am not trying to LI VT. The beauty of the local store and it's affiliation with the buying coop is it allows me to use the www when I can't get into town, and the town location makes it convenient when I need a gizmo or gadget.
Back to LI -- Ace Hardware came along after the demise of the 3 little guys. Ace hardware stores are independently owned, but have the buying power of the Ace corporation.
Sorry so long winded. My point is that I am comfortable shopping independently owned stores which have national affiliations like Ace or Do It Best, and don't mind supporting small regional chains like Aubuchon. It is the Dollar Generals with the rapid expansion plans, corporate ownership, and cheap imported junk which I avoid like the plague.
My dh and I hate Home Depot. Customer service is dreadful and it's like shopping in a giant warehouse. Definitely not worth the hour drive to Williston. We're lucky in that we have a great local hardware store and a great lumber yard where the wood is no more expensive than Home Depot and the quality and customer service are good as well.
Now, if we needed an expensive power tool that was much more expensive at our local hardware store, we might shop online or buy it at a chain store, but I still don't think I'd shop at Home Depot.
It is an interesting argument because one can take a number of factors into buying anything.
If it is local, the environment, labor conditions, where the profit goes etc.
Every twenty or so years there is another industry that siphons off potential revenue of smaller businesses. First it was the highway system, then it was the malls, then the box stores and now it is the internet. But the reality is that smaller businesses can sell on the internet. Buying local does not mean you have to physically go into a store. I met owners of a natural products store that is in a low traffic area. They are only open for about half the week so I asked how business was..."Great"..great? how is it great? Well they advertise a bit online. Simple store front, facebook etc. The days of massive advertising does not work, pepsi pulled out of the superbowl for a reason.
That also reminds me that one of the biggest declines in industries these days is with newspapers. For the most part I can get everything that is in the papers (even the local ones and more) online. To a degree it can be sad because some did last for quite a long time.
That also reminds me that libraries are going to be a bit interesting in the future. I have to ask as to the actual circulation vs patrons in the past 10 years and if that includes digital copies.
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Went there once in 3 years in Hanover area. Never went back.
