Harold & Susan Vordos wrote:

"Jim Stewart" wrote in message
...

SpazMaTaz wrote:

"Rich" wrote in message

. com...

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I agree. I like to support the local guy. I really
do. But what do you do when you consistently get
reamed by him. I went down to the local Ace to get a
30 amp 2 pole breaker. The breaker is behind a locked
glass and is blister packed. It's $26. I go to Home
Depot, 4 miles away, the breaker is open in a bin, I
can look at it, and it's $8. Where the fsk are you
going to buy your breaker?

I live in a somewhat upscale college community. The
local equipment rental place charges a hefty daily charge
including Sunday on everything. If I drive 5 miles to
the largely ag community down the road, the shop of
the very same rental chain charges 30% less and gives
Sunday free if the equipment is returned by 8AM monday.
Where would you rent?

Both the Ace store and the rental shop seem to be
quite busy so I assume their business model works for
them. It sure doesn't for me.


I needed a brush hog. Local dealer wanted $800 for a 40" model, a perfect
fit for my small Kubota. A 100 mile drive yielded a brush hog for $500,
and no sales tax. Difference? 2" narrower, otherwise the same hog. No
big deal, especially when I saved $300, plus 7.7% sales tax on the $800
price. No sales tax paid on the $500 purchase.

Some folks see every sale as a retirement plan, so I can't get too excited
about supporting them. I purchased common seals from the local dude
because I was in a bind. $12 each for $6 seals. His screw the consumer
prices are outrageous, always well above market value. It's clear that
some folks do little to earn your patronage. I've tried to be a faithful
customer, but I can't afford to be. I now shop everywhere except for his
store.

I have my own business and I've been in business for
about 7 years. My wife and I make a comfortable living
at it, we have some control over our destiny and we
get to *mostly* make our own rules. The three main
rules are 1) build something that works and doesn't
hurt someone. 2) tell the truth to customers, vendors
and each other. 3) price our products so that we can
make a comfortable living. I've learned that this gets
us the most consistent revenue stream and generally
keeps our customers from switching to another company
that may introduce a product with a slightly lower price.
I've tried setting a higher initial price and dropping
it later to try to get market share. It doesn't work.
The damage has already been done. On the other side of
it, I've turned down a couple of big customers because
I couldn't make a comfortable living meeting their
terms. The ability to say no is just as big of a
negotiating tool as the ability to say yes.