creekland Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 Nice sentiment, but in many communities this is a very theoretical concept. It gets more complicated when the issue is not identical items to buy locally or online, but when the reality is that there are no identical items. It's not complicated at all - except when folks try to make it that way. If local stores don't have what you want, find someplace that does (online, Timbuktu, or wherever). We live pretty rural and it's what we do. Super simple. I've said over and over and over again that I'm talking about the exact same item. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: But again, for my original example - the point is moot. The store will be closing in April. Now there will be fewer items folks around here wanted that aren't available locally anyway. (The items were never anything I wanted, so we never bought them - from anywhere - but I will continue to buy what I want locally when it's around even if others try to tell me just how dumb that is while comparing apples to oranges. :cursing: ) 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 It's not complicated at all - except when folks try to make it that way. If local stores don't have what you want, find someplace that does (online, Timbuktu, or wherever). We live pretty rural and it's what we do. Super simple. I've said over and over and over again that I'm talking about the exact same item. :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Sorry you feel like you need to bang your head. I completely understood that was what you were talking about; I wanted to bring up another issue because that's how conversations go - I have made a s/o thread to make this clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted March 21, 2017 Author Share Posted March 21, 2017 I get it Creekland. There was a specialty running store here in town. Obviously the owners were not going to be able to provide the shoes at the same prices as the larger box stores or online companies simply because they couldn't sell the volume of shoes that get them the discount upfront. The owner's markup was closer to 20%; not a lot when you consider the overhead. The owner knew his stuff as he had been a professional runner, is still a runner, and loves everything about running. He not only knows about shoes and technical gear but he would help you with training routes, workouts, form running groups, etc. This guy simply rocks. Until he couldn't afford to do it any more. He was the type of guy who would spend an hour or two with each customer working on custom fittings, gait, everything. Online reviews were top notch. FB yielded nothing but praises. Most locals would recommend him in a minute but too many people would go in, take advantage of his knowledge, and then order shoes online and get those discounts. Yes, you could get the $160 Asics for $115 on Amazon but Amazon didn't sponsor your running group or tell you that you're rotating your ankle a bit on the push off. So, yay, you saved $45 on your shoes. Good for you. That running store is gone now. The running group disbanded a couple of months after the store closed. While I am sure the owner was happy to have someone come into his store (after all why else would he have been in business?) it did nothing for his bottom line, his ability to remain open, or his ability to participate in/sponsor local events. The community lost in the end. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 I get it Creekland. There was a specialty running store here in town. Obviously the owners were not going to be able to provide the shoes at the same prices as the larger box stores or online companies simply because they couldn't sell the volume of shoes that get them the discount upfront. The owner's markup was closer to 20%; not a lot when you consider the overhead. The owner knew his stuff as he had been a professional runner, is still a runner, and loves everything about running. He not only knows about shoes and technical gear but he would help you with training routes, workouts, form running groups, etc. This guy simply rocks. Until he couldn't afford to do it any more. He was the type of guy who would spend an hour or two with each customer working on custom fittings, gait, everything. Online reviews were top notch. FB yielded nothing but praises. Most locals would recommend him in a minute but too many people would go in, take advantage of his knowledge, and then order shoes online and get those discounts. Yes, you could get the $160 Asics for $115 on Amazon but Amazon didn't sponsor your running group or tell you that you're rotating your ankle a bit on the push off. So, yay, you saved $45 on your shoes. Good for you. That running store is gone now. The running group disbanded a couple of months after the store closed. While I am sure the owner was happy to have someone come into his store (after all why else would he have been in business?) it did nothing for his bottom line, his ability to remain open, or his ability to participate in/sponsor local events. The community lost in the end. Except for a different product, exactly the same story. And after next month, the store will be history. Oh well. My friend (the owner) has other thoughts of things she can do. Who knows, she might like one better. She should certainly have more time to herself. She pored many hours into that store. I suspect retail stores are going to become something of the past - things we tell our grandkids about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 21, 2017 Share Posted March 21, 2017 (edited) When I was pregnant with Captain, there was one store in particular I would go to to check out car seats and strollers. We bought Captain's car seat there but opted to buy his first stroller from an online retailer because the b&m store didn't carry that particular model. When we went back to buy another stroller, the manager was quite rude and started venting about how she and her staff spent more than 6 hours working with me and I STILL bought online. WHAAT??? I pointed out the store didn't have the stroller I originally wanted, and we did buy the carseat so the time spent wasn't wasted. She did apologize when we checked out with the new stroller. She said she just gets so burned up when people come in to check things out with no intention to buy. While I can understand that, every time I have gone into this shop, I'm teaching or correcting the salespeople about the products. Thus I don't feel bad about purchasing online after seeing things in person there. (I wouldn't do that except they were telling other families incorrect information. LATCH weight limits are not 60lbs, people!) I don't feel like I'm getting exceptional service or knowledge in exchange for extra cost. I went back a few weeks ago to try out diaper bags as my current choice was too small. I spent 4 hours packing all the styles I was interested in and trying them out. Manager wasn't there that day, thank goodness, because I was very upfront with my saleslady that I wasn't buying from them. The saleslady was fine with it. They know I'm coming back in a few months for Captain's new CLEK! That manager should have been fired for venting at you about how she spent hours with you and then you still bought online. Honestly, I wouldn't have purchased anything from her after that. What would she have done if you hadn't reminded her that you still bought the car seat at that store? She was totally unprofessional. It doesn't matter that she apologized at the end, because you were buying the stroller from her. What if you'd decided you didn't like any of the strollers and walked out empty handed? Sorry, but if you work in a store, you serve your customers. If they don't buy anything and you're upset about it, you don't tell the customers about it. If you can't handle it that you might spend a lot of time assisting people and have them decide not to buy anything, it seems pretty clear that a career in retail is not for you. Edited March 21, 2017 by Catwoman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 I wouldn't have but this is the only store in Houston that carries what i wanted Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.