I Want to Support My Local Shop, but Jeez...

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  • furmickc
    furmickc Posts: 43 Member
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    I usually buy my first pair of new shoes at the local running store, and then buy the rest from Runner's Warehouse or the like. I go through a pair of road shoes in 3 months, and I simply can't afford to pay full price.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
    I don't feel the need to support local businesses any longer, unless they are rearing free range hens or grass-fed cows ;)

    The best I do is avoid stuff from chain stores like Target, Macy's or H&M because they are made in crazy sweatshops where it's guaranteed that 12 year old children are making them all. Even Brooks Brothers have the made in bangladesh sticker which is appalling.

    Quietly buy whatever that's cheap and call it a day. It's impossible for you to save those little children sitting your *kitten* on the couch and working a 9 to 5 job in suburbia ;)

    You started a thread recently, asking for peoples' opinions on fat bikes, after having seen one in a department store. If you ask in a bike shop, they'll help you explain the pros and cons of that style of bike and how it's relevant to your needs. If you ask in a department store, they'll say "yeah we carry those we take cash and cards."

    A lot of people love to run, but not by themselves, so they go on group runs organized by the running store. A lot of people love to ride bikes but aren't competent mechanics.

    For a lot of people, buying local is purely a matter of self interest. It's about these places being around when you need them, not about the Bangladeshi seamstress.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,687 Member
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    I have hard to fit feet, so I need to try on shoes before I buy. Since shoe manufacturers insist on completely changing their shoes every year, I can't even go with the shoes I liked previously. My LRS has a good selection, and if they don't have a shoe in my size, they order it and I can try it a week later. Service is great. So I do try to buy enough to keep the local store in business. Once I've purchased and worn a pair of shoes for a while I will sometimes buy the next pair online, if I can find it cheaper or get a holiday discount, but wide sizes are hard to find on sale.

    For clothes OTOH, I'll buy less expensive things than the store carries. I'm not picky about my shorts, and most of my running shirts I get at races.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    A few years ago, I ran over a shard of glass and flatted. I was using glue-on tires at the time, and the sealant wasn't enough to fix it. So it was kind of a big deal. Luckily, I wasn't far from the bike shop I'd bought my bike at. They told me "We don't have the tire you want in stock, but we can order one for you. Would you like to borrow a wheel set until it arrives?"

    That tire is cheaper on the internet if I order from the UK, but the shop kept me riding while it was in transit. It would have cost a lot more than I saved to rent a wheel for half a week. And they lent me a really nice wheel set.
  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
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    I live in a regional city in Australia so it really depends on availability. Frankly service where I live is pretty non-existent at most places and choice is poor. Also I can buy something overseas and something in Australia online and chances are high the overseas item will turn up first.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    I frequent a couple of local cycling shops and for the most part their prices are on par with what I can get on-line and if not, they will usually price match unless it's just some crazy deal. If it was some massive difference in price though, no way...

    All that said, I shop the crap out of Amazon for various things too...and I've had some bad experiences buying cycling shorts and jerseys on line...none of that crap fits the same...you have to go in and try it on...but yeah, I buy a lot of crap on Amazon.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,121 Member
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    oocdc2 wrote: »
    Does anyone else struggle with the moral dilemma of wanting to buy local, but

    How is this a "moral dilemma"?







  • VegasFit
    VegasFit Posts: 1,232 Member
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    Yes and no. I mostly buy on line but athletic shoes I like to get advice and a fitting. We have two running stores here. One is fantastic and my last purchase from them was a pair of shoes that I never heard of the brand and I love them. The other running store in town I went to wanting to buy a brand I knew they carried and had the best selection of but they charge $20 to even try on shoes so that was a nope for me. But I assume he is charging $20 to offset the fact that people try on and then do order online.
  • robininfl
    robininfl Posts: 1,137 Member
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    No. Mass produced items, I buy them from whatever the cheapest source is.

    Local purchases? handmade items, most food, services of course. Buying the necessities for the lowest price leaves more in the budget for eating out and paying for house cleaning, etc. Things that keep money in the community.

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