does anyone else shop from a local mom & pops store just to keep them in business?

[BlahBlahYouToo]

there's a local hardware store that's been in business in my town for as long as i can remember.
unless there's something i need where they dont' stock, i'll buy from them... even if they're more expensive than home depot, lowes, sears, etc..
the owner is an old guy, in his 70's probably... nice guy. not one of those grumpy old men. whenever i go in there, it's usually empty and he's got an old tv on by the counter.

i recently bought a soldering iron from them that looks like it's been sitting on the shelves since the day they opened. it was dusty, and you could tell from the packaging that it was from the 60's or 70's. more proof is that the solder was lead based.
i used it anyway, a little lead wont' kill me and i was only doing a small job.

anyway, i'm at work and my line of thought isn't very coherent, but it feels good to give my business to local stores.

 

[Mike Gayner]

No, I drive past at least 2 smaller hardware stores on my way to the mega store. They never have what I want and it's too expensive.

 

[Lamont Burns]

no

 

[middlehead]

Strictly to keep them in business, no. If they can't compete on price, they'll have to compete on service or atmosphere.

 

[nageov3t]

I don't believe in supporting an inferior business model that sells the same products at a higher cost than other stores without providing any other benefits to make up for the increased costs.

 

[lokiju]

I try to, especially restaurants.

I should append that by saying, only if I think it's worth it.

I'm not looking to waste money but find that a lot of local restaurants are often better tasting/quality for less money.

 

[TallBill]

No, I buy almost exclusively online.

 

[Regs]

Yeah, the one right next to circut city

 

[meltdown75]

welp, i use the local store (national chain, but owned locally) for certain things like furnace filter, RAID spray, odds & ends etc. if it's the weekend and i don't feel like driving into the city.

if i'm just picking something up on the way home from work it is most likely from a big box store like Home Depot or Rona.

 

[Mike Gayner]

I try to, especially restaurants.

Restaurants are a little different IMO, because you're not getting an identical product. Having said that, we have very little in the way of "chain restaurants" where I'm from (except fast food), so it's not really a consideration. Pretty much every restaurant here is independently owned and operated.

 

[69Mach1]

If I can find what I want locally, I always buy locally. The problem is, usually no one has what I want, when I want it. The local guys always offer to order it for me, but I usually need whatever it is right away. There are a few exceptions,depending on what exactly I'm needing, but most of the time I end up going to one of the big chain stores. Or in the case of computer parts, ordering online.

 

[darkxshade]

It's just prolonging the inevitable so no.

 

[KeithP]

Strictly to keep them in business, no. If they can't compete on price, they'll have to compete on service or atmosphere.

Same here. I don't expect a small store to compete on price. They will get me dollars if the "experience" buying there is better than the large store. That usually means better customer service, friendlier and a more personal atmosphere.

-KeithP

 

[nageov3t]

I try to, especially restaurants.

I should append that by saying, only if I think it's worth it.

I'm not looking to waste money but find that a lot of local restaurants are often better tasting/quality for less money.

I think of food in a totally different category... when I order chinese take-out or run to the mob deli down the road for a sandwich, I don't really think of that as going to "mom and pop" stores.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I try to if I can, if not I will go to a Canadian big box store first before the american one. It's actually kind of convinient as the new Canadian Tire is right beside the new Home Depot. So I go to CT first, if they don't have what I need then I go to HD. I feel like a kid going to Toys R' Us when I walk into one of those stores.

When it comes to computer stuff i usually just order. Everything locally is like tripple the price and 5 years behind. This is very noticable with hard drives. 500GB IDE is the biggest drive I can get here and it will run me at about 200 bucks. OR I can get a 1TB sata for 99 bucks at tiger direct, or pay a bit more for 1.5 or 2. So with shipping add 20-30 bucks depending on what else i get and it's still cheaper.

 

[darkswordsman17]

My personal experience with mom and pop shops is that a lot of them don't offer anything worthy of getting a lot of business. Some genuinely are good, and unfortunately are casualties, but they are generally overrated in my opinion. Same goes for restaurants.

While people think its big chains offering cheaper products, however I think an equally large factor is that people can get better information online for free, and then use that same resource (the internet) to also get the best price on the products they're looking for. The one thing that mom and pop places used to offer is knowledge that you wouldn't fine elsewhere but you can find better info and not have to directly pay for it.

I know some people see it as a great loss, however, its just change.

 

[n yusef]

I shop at many independent local stores for a variety of reasons, but charity is not one of them.

 

[dabuddha]

I'm guessing he's not morbidly obese

But to answer your question, I do the exact same thing regarding my local hardware store. It's closer (by 5 minutes) than home depot/lowes and the people working there know more in their little pinky than all of home depot/lowes.

 

[Platypus]

I would say that depends.

I buy most big ticket items online since I can avoid Chicago's 11.25%+ rape tax but for the most part my hobbies are expensive and I will support the local shops as opposed to the big box store since the local shops have access to much nicer product.

I choose not to shop at wal-mart.

That said, I'm going to usually go where the price is cheaper. If I can get the same groceries (not produce or meat) at a big box store for cheaper than my local grocer I definitely will. I use local, smaller shops for some things only because the quality is better.

Service is the difference, I won't support something just to keep it in business unless there is an obvious benefit, like better customer service/support.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

When it comes to computer stuff i usually just order. Everything locally is like tripple the price and 5 years behind. This is very noticable with hard drives. 500GB IDE is the biggest drive I can get here and it will run me at about 200 bucks. OR I can get a 1TB sata for 99 bucks at tiger direct, or pay a bit more for 1.5 or 2. So with shipping add 20-30 bucks depending on what else i get and it's still cheaper.

the only big nationwide chain i like is microcenter.
their computer hardware prices are very competitive with online vendors, and often times their cpu's are a lot cheaper (i5, i7, q9400, q9550, e6400, e7400 - all cpu's i bought from MC for much cheaper than newegg within the last year).
they have a great pricematch and return policy that hopefully doesn't get abused.
i will give them my business whenever possible.

 

[torpid]

Strictly to keep them in business, no. If they can't compete on price, they'll have to compete on service or atmosphere.

Add to that selection and/or quality of product and it pretty much sums it up for me.

 

[PricklyPete]

My wife and I tend to do this...but not just on principal...but mostly to try and find less "generic" items. So often when you buy things from Walmart, Home Depot, etc...you are stuck with a very small range of often poorly made choices. The local stores usually have better quality items...although at a price premium. Unfortunately I think the small shops will go away over time and we'll be stuck with the options at Walmart/Home Depot.

 

[waggy]

as a charity? hell no.

we have a few mom and pop places to eat that are great. i prefer them over teh chain places.

As for stores? nope they are overpriced, rude and hell they are already getting city funds to redo the shops (all the little downtown ones).

 

[Colt45]

I try to at least, sometimes theres no small store option, or the owner sucks.

 

[yllus]

For restaurants, sort of. For other retail junk, price = win.