I never understood why it’s looked down upon to purchase goods from online retailers and big department stores, especially if it’s significantly cheaper. Local businesses up charge their goods like crazy to stay afloat, but I’m not a rich man. Why in the world should I pay more from my own pocket to help support your local business?

If you own a bookstore, coffee shop (and sell an $8 cold brew because it’s “organic and home made”), record store, clothing store (selling name brands) and you decide to up charge because you need to stay afloat, I am 100% without shame going to find the best price, and if it’s Amazon, then praise Amazon. Your business can go out of business for all I care. Owning a local business for the sake of having a local business when there are department stores and online retailers selling for nearly half of the price you’re selling, that is an incredibly stupid investment.

Bookstores especially are the absolute worst. I’m not paying 39.99 full cover price of the latest Stephen King book at your local business when Amazon is selling it for 18.99.

  • FinishingDutch@lemmy.world
    2·
    5 months ago

    Personally, I rarely even have the option to buy the things I want in a local business. They simply don’t have it. My local book store isn’t going to have obscure, expensive, foreign language books on specialty subjects. I also have good, expensive taste in plenty of other areas that stores don’t cater to. I pretty much NEED to buy at an online specialty retailer.

    And yes, if they do have it, price certainly is a factor. I don’t mind spending say, 10-20 euros more to have an expensive item in hand that afternoon rather than wait a week. But I’m not going to pay more just to ‘support local business’.

    If a store is doing poorly, usually they are to blame. If you don’t sell the products people want at a price they deem reasonable, well, why even exist?