"Robin Lee" wrote in message


Really - it's all the fault of the internet.... economics is a much more
exact "science" today than it ever has been - consumers are much closer to
having "perfect knowledge" than before.... all that ECON 101 theory has a
lot more real world direct relevance than it did a decade ago....

I'm sure there's a good paper in all this somewhere......

Cheers -

Rob

(and thanks for the kind words)

Do you think the internet has been a help to the consumer at the expense of
the seller? Or do you think it just made us more knowledgeable?

I agree that there probably is a good paper in there. It certainly has
changed how I do business. I buy things I never knew existed before, from
sources I never knew existed before. My source for simple things like tea
(also from Canada) to more complex tools like Veritas are 100% internet
related. I never heard of Lee Valley or Veritas before the internet and that
was from a source about cooking, not woodwork.

Appliances, brand name tools can be found in many stores, but I narrow my
search through the internet. I buy from where I perceive to be the best
value. Price is a factor, but much more makes something a good value.
Service and a known quality come into play. The big box stores have also
forced the little guys to form buying co-ops to give the local consumer a
much better value. Competitive prices with usually superior service.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/