dpb wrote:

benick wrote:

"dpb" wrote in message
...
benick wrote:
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Not to hijack the thread but if the local business can't compete you
are only prolonging the agony..Their are plenty of ways for locals to
remain competive , starting a co-op to increase buying power ,
diversefing products , providing more advice ,being open on the
weekends ect. ,ect..

OTOH, if locals simply get into the habit of either going online or
out of town routinely, it doesn't matter what the local merchant does,
either.

As for the "agony" part, one soon can learn what real agony is when
there no longer is a local grocery, pharmacy, whatever, entirely.

At that point most gladly admit they should have been more aggressive
in supporting local merchants but it's too late.

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If the reason local folk "get in the habit" of going online or out to
the outskirts to Walmart ,Sears,Target , Cosco , Homedepot , Lowes
,Walgreens , Best Buy , or the mall , ect. is because said local
merchant isn't OPEN , doesn't have the inventory or is more expensive ,

...
That isn't necessarily the only reason at all...often it is simply a
habit that has become engrained or an attempt to save a few pennies by
avoiding local/state sales taxes; meanwhile actually spending as much or
more in either travel or shipping.

I used to live in a smaller community just down the road a half-hour
from a larger place--as just one example, people regularly complained
about lack of places to eat in town. Yet, now matter how many attempted
to cater to that demand over a 10-15 year period, the persistent habits
were never overcome and none managed to survive and yet people continued
to complain there was "nowhere in town" when it was definitely not true.
The same phenomenon occurred in other retail trades as well.

And again, I'm looking at it from the viewpoint of smaller communities
that are, indeed, distant from other markets/larger communities where it
isn't just another couple of blocks down the street to the next
SuperCenter instead of Target or whatever.

If people aren't willing to support their neighbors and communities,
they can't complain when their community no longer can support the
amenities they would like.

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People also get trapped in the idea that one place is always cheaper and
don't bother to validate that. In one recent example, I bought an item
at Target for $22.95 and saw the exact same item in the Wal-Mart at the
other end of the same shopping center for $29.95.