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.
What a short-sighted world view. For your example, I don’t want a new book every day, but you know what I do want every day? To look at a nice, locally-owned small business in my town and not another A) empty store or B) soulless, corporate international chain store. So yeah, when I do want a new book or a new record, I have no problem paying a bit more than I could elsewhere to keep my town beautiful and self-reliant.
Yeah Jeff Besos is also very desperate for your money so he can buy hes 8th penis shaped rocket.
This is how you make the rich richer and the poor poorer.
It’s also shortsighted because you’re not considering why prices are less expensive when looking at volume and not paying taxes on things within your community since that revenue stays local.
No shit. Op is a complete fucking moron for not realizing the reason it’s cheaper at Amazon for the same product isn’t cuz of a small business "markup’. It’s cuz Amazon literally pays less per item cuz they buy in volume.
If your taste in books runs towards NYT Bestsellers, then yes, you may as well shop global. Unfortunately, the requirements of marketing a product to be desirable to wide swaths of different sorts of people tends to dumb it down a lot, and if you want more niche products, then niche seller is generally the way to go. Buying locally in this case where economies of scale aren’t fully kicked in is usually cheaper, since shipping-associated costs can often be avoided.
That said, upvote for solid unpopular opinion post.
