Good friend closing business after 28 years.

[Katzndogz]

It usually doesn't work that way though. You are more likely to have 3 vendors selling an item at $7.00 versus 300 vendors selling an item at $3.50. The more competition there is the more beneficial to the buyer. And you won't have 300 vendors selling an item at $3.50 unless they are making a profit at that amount.

I don't think I agree with you on this. Perhaps if there was the case of a monopoly, the price might be higher than the 300 vendors, but as long as there's two or three HUGE companies competing against each other, you can be sure that the price is going to be driven down to just about as low as it can possibly be.

Think about it. Say Walmart is selecting either Vendor A or Vendor B (both are wholly independent of each other) to provide them with product X to stock in their 600+ stores nationwide (which is a HUGE amount of business).

Do you think that those two companies are going to mess around with high prices, or instead try to offer the lowest imaginable price to Walmart?

I think they're going to opt to try and offer the lowest possible price...

.
.

But you see, those two or three HUGE vendors aren't in just one area. That would not allow them to acquire and turn the kind of volume they need to turn to get the prices down and still make a profit. I think one big box store that was not part of a much larger network would not be able to compete as well with the Mom and Pop stores because there would not be enough price and variety differential that the customers would give up the personal touch and convenience.

So take office supply. We used to have maybe a couple dozen or so smaller office supply stores in our market area. But once Office Max came in followed by Office Depot and Staples, there are now several of each of those big box stores in our area all competing with each other. They employ a lot more people than the small stores employed, but they offer a much wider variety and much lower prices than the small stores offered. And there are hundreds of each scattered across the country.

To compete with them in a nearby mountain community, a shop owner does stock most essential office supplies--pens, mechanical penicils, paper clips,, avery labels, etc. but also is the local UPS outlet, maintains a limited quick copy and fax service, as well as offering some additional products that people buy when they neeed them. When folks need just one or two items they'll dash in there and get it, paying a considerably higher price, rather than drive the 15 miles to the nearest vendor in the city. There are creative ways people find to compete.

Still, when we lived in that community, we fought tooth and nail--successfully--to keep a Wal-Mart Super Center from coming out there. We did not want to lose the quaint character of the rural community, we LIKED our small quaint shops and stores, and a Super Center woiuld have put most out of buisness. We figured Wal-Mart had plenty of other places they could locate.

If what you say is true, that the people who lived in that community didn't want a Wal-Mart, then Wal-Mart would not have had any customers, the customers would have remained loyal to the quaint shops and stores. Wal-Mart would have gone out of business rather quickly due to lack of customers. The big box stores put small stores out of business. The owners and employees go to work in the big box stores and have fewer problems and make more money than if they had stayed in business themselves.

There is almost no way that a big box store can compete with a well run and creative independent.

Communities that fight major stores usually end up with the store moving a few miles down the road. They still suck customers off the poorly run small guy who still goes out of business.

 

[Foxfyre]

I don't think I agree with you on this. Perhaps if there was the case of a monopoly, the price might be higher than the 300 vendors, but as long as there's two or three HUGE companies competing against each other, you can be sure that the price is going to be driven down to just about as low as it can possibly be.

Think about it. Say Walmart is selecting either Vendor A or Vendor B (both are wholly independent of each other) to provide them with product X to stock in their 600+ stores nationwide (which is a HUGE amount of business).

Do you think that those two companies are going to mess around with high prices, or instead try to offer the lowest imaginable price to Walmart?

I think they're going to opt to try and offer the lowest possible price...

.
.

But you see, those two or three HUGE vendors aren't in just one area. That would not allow them to acquire and turn the kind of volume they need to turn to get the prices down and still make a profit. I think one big box store that was not part of a much larger network would not be able to compete as well with the Mom and Pop stores because there would not be enough price and variety differential that the customers would give up the personal touch and convenience.

So take office supply. We used to have maybe a couple dozen or so smaller office supply stores in our market area. But once Office Max came in followed by Office Depot and Staples, there are now several of each of those big box stores in our area all competing with each other. They employ a lot more people than the small stores employed, but they offer a much wider variety and much lower prices than the small stores offered. And there are hundreds of each scattered across the country.

To compete with them in a nearby mountain community, a shop owner does stock most essential office supplies--pens, mechanical penicils, paper clips,, avery labels, etc. but also is the local UPS outlet, maintains a limited quick copy and fax service, as well as offering some additional products that people buy when they neeed them. When folks need just one or two items they'll dash in there and get it, paying a considerably higher price, rather than drive the 15 miles to the nearest vendor in the city. There are creative ways people find to compete.

Still, when we lived in that community, we fought tooth and nail--successfully--to keep a Wal-Mart Super Center from coming out there. We did not want to lose the quaint character of the rural community, we LIKED our small quaint shops and stores, and a Super Center woiuld have put most out of buisness. We figured Wal-Mart had plenty of other places they could locate.

If what you say is true, that the people who lived in that community didn't want a Wal-Mart, then Wal-Mart would not have had any customers, the customers would have remained loyal to the quaint shops and stores. Wal-Mart would have gone out of business rather quickly due to lack of customers. The big box stores put small stores out of business. The owners and employees go to work in the big box stores and have fewer problems and make more money than if they had stayed in business themselves.

There is almost no way that a big box store can compete with a well run and creative independent.

Communities that fight major stores usually end up with the store moving a few miles down the road. They still suck customers off the poorly run small guy who still goes out of business.

In this case that didn't happen. The effort was not anything against Wal-Mart, but was the desire of the community to retain a certain character. That all happened something like 15 years ago and we have since moved into the city, but there is still no Wal-Mart out there. There are a half dozen tiny communities out there, most unincorporated, all within a few miles of each other and all watching each other's backs. The folks out there will drive into the city, 15 miles away, for most of their shopping. But there is a large enough market base out there--large enough to support a Wal-Mart--to support the Mom and Pop stores with spur of the moment purchases or when folks need something in a hurry and don't want to drive all the way into the city to get it.

Had that Super Center gone in, however, the folks naturally would have gone there for the stuff they drive into the city to get. And because it was right there and convenient and cheap, they would have bought a lot of the stuff they normally bought from the mom and pop stores. And that would have eroded the market so that most of the mom and pop stores would not have survived. It is simply human nature.

 

[Unkotare]

As I mentioned earlier, your inability to think about issues beyond the shallowest surface level is incredibly shocking.

I'd say that you're like a child, but that's not fair to kids, who have very creative and vivid imaginations.

Not sure how to describe you....

Like a child? A child stomps her feet and screams 'It's not fair!' the way you and some of the other loonies here are. Your lefty emoting isn't 'deep,' it is juvenile and self-indulgent. Go fuck yourself.

The conversation has been primarily about price beyond price tag. If consumers increasingly care less about supporting their local economy, and care less about the consequences of choosing a product or service only based on its price tag, there’s a chance that there will be some much larger “costs” they will have to pay down the road.

This isn’t a conversation denouncing competition, or the concept of capitalism (as you shallowly seem to assume). It’s a conversation that explores some of the dangers of a population that is increasingly becoming more and more disconnected with the community around them, and less concerned about who or what they are giving their money to.

Capitalism will work and thrive under a well-educated, well-informed population who give thought to the choices they make in the marketplace.

However, if we have a population of Unkatores – for example – the consumers would be easily swayed by only price point and surface quality of the product, and nothing beyond that. The slimiest of companies who undercut and squeeze would prevail, and the brightest companies who take care of the community and the environment, would end up failing, as their deeds would go unnoticed to the ignorant population...

..but on the bright side, there'd be no more 'lefties' anymore, right?


.
.
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[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qS7nqwGt4-I]Baby crying - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Unkotare]

Note to self...Unkotare is a troll...noted.
I suggest we let Unk troll away and ignore him/her...surely no one is this simple-minded...wait..

Ignore reality and make it go away? That seems consistent with the rest of your attitude here.

 

[Unkotare]

I run through a number of shovels every year. The ones made in China (most of them) are made of Chinese steel. Big surprise there huh? What I have found is the metal deforms faster and the fiberglass handles snap easier than the USA variety. I "save" money with higher quality shovels.

Then as a consumer you can make that choice.

 

[KevinWestern]

I don't think I agree with you on this. Perhaps if there was the case of a monopoly, the price might be higher than the 300 vendors, but as long as there's two or three HUGE companies competing against each other, you can be sure that the price is going to be driven down to just about as low as it can possibly be.

Think about it. Say Walmart is selecting either Vendor A or Vendor B (both are wholly independent of each other) to provide them with product X to stock in their 600+ stores nationwide (which is a HUGE amount of business).

Do you think that those two companies are going to mess around with high prices, or instead try to offer the lowest imaginable price to Walmart?

I think they're going to opt to try and offer the lowest possible price...

.
.

But you see, those two or three HUGE vendors aren't in just one area. That would not allow them to acquire and turn the kind of volume they need to turn to get the prices down and still make a profit. I think one big box store that was not part of a much larger network would not be able to compete as well with the Mom and Pop stores because there would not be enough price and variety differential that the customers would give up the personal touch and convenience.

So take office supply. We used to have maybe a couple dozen or so smaller office supply stores in our market area. But once Office Max came in followed by Office Depot and Staples, there are now several of each of those big box stores in our area all competing with each other. They employ a lot more people than the small stores employed, but they offer a much wider variety and much lower prices than the small stores offered. And there are hundreds of each scattered across the country.

To compete with them in a nearby mountain community, a shop owner does stock most essential office supplies--pens, mechanical penicils, paper clips,, avery labels, etc. but also is the local UPS outlet, maintains a limited quick copy and fax service, as well as offering some additional products that people buy when they neeed them. When folks need just one or two items they'll dash in there and get it, paying a considerably higher price, rather than drive the 15 miles to the nearest vendor in the city. There are creative ways people find to compete.

Still, when we lived in that community, we fought tooth and nail--successfully--to keep a Wal-Mart Super Center from coming out there. We did not want to lose the quaint character of the rural community, we LIKED our small quaint shops and stores, and a Super Center woiuld have put most out of buisness. We figured Wal-Mart had plenty of other places they could locate.

If what you say is true, that the people who lived in that community didn't want a Wal-Mart, then Wal-Mart would not have had any customers, the customers would have remained loyal to the quaint shops and stores. Wal-Mart would have gone out of business rather quickly due to lack of customers. The big box stores put small stores out of business. The owners and employees go to work in the big box stores and have fewer problems and make more money than if they had stayed in business themselves.

There is almost no way that a big box store can compete with a well run and creative independent.

Communities that fight major stores usually end up with the store moving a few miles down the road. They still suck customers off the poorly run small guy who still goes out of business.

This is how I see it. I think the majority of shoppers fall into the category of “not caring” when they make their purchases (folks like Unkatore), and if a Walmart were to come to a particular town, the majority choice to shop at the big box store (because they offer the best price) would ultimately put the little guys out of business.

So therefore, sometimes it takes the effort of the smaller group of more well informed community leaders to step up and block Walmart from entering in their community in the first place. They have to be the ones to protect those who do not think, care, or take responsibility for their purchases.

Now I completely understand that some people do not have a choice and are forced (for financial reasons) to go with the lower price vendors for certain things. But this isn’t the case in the majority of situations, in my opinion.

.
.

 

[Katzndogz]

But you see, those two or three HUGE vendors aren't in just one area. That would not allow them to acquire and turn the kind of volume they need to turn to get the prices down and still make a profit. I think one big box store that was not part of a much larger network would not be able to compete as well with the Mom and Pop stores because there would not be enough price and variety differential that the customers would give up the personal touch and convenience.

So take office supply. We used to have maybe a couple dozen or so smaller office supply stores in our market area. But once Office Max came in followed by Office Depot and Staples, there are now several of each of those big box stores in our area all competing with each other. They employ a lot more people than the small stores employed, but they offer a much wider variety and much lower prices than the small stores offered. And there are hundreds of each scattered across the country.

To compete with them in a nearby mountain community, a shop owner does stock most essential office supplies--pens, mechanical penicils, paper clips,, avery labels, etc. but also is the local UPS outlet, maintains a limited quick copy and fax service, as well as offering some additional products that people buy when they neeed them. When folks need just one or two items they'll dash in there and get it, paying a considerably higher price, rather than drive the 15 miles to the nearest vendor in the city. There are creative ways people find to compete.

Still, when we lived in that community, we fought tooth and nail--successfully--to keep a Wal-Mart Super Center from coming out there. We did not want to lose the quaint character of the rural community, we LIKED our small quaint shops and stores, and a Super Center woiuld have put most out of buisness. We figured Wal-Mart had plenty of other places they could locate.

If what you say is true, that the people who lived in that community didn't want a Wal-Mart, then Wal-Mart would not have had any customers, the customers would have remained loyal to the quaint shops and stores. Wal-Mart would have gone out of business rather quickly due to lack of customers. The big box stores put small stores out of business. The owners and employees go to work in the big box stores and have fewer problems and make more money than if they had stayed in business themselves.

There is almost no way that a big box store can compete with a well run and creative independent.

Communities that fight major stores usually end up with the store moving a few miles down the road. They still suck customers off the poorly run small guy who still goes out of business.

In this case that didn't happen. The effort was not anything against Wal-Mart, but was the desire of the community to retain a certain character. That all happened something like 15 years ago and we have since moved into the city, but there is still no Wal-Mart out there. There are a half dozen tiny communities out there, most unincorporated, all within a few miles of each other and all watching each other's backs. The folks out there will drive into the city, 15 miles away, for most of their shopping. But there is a large enough market base out there--large enough to support a Wal-Mart--to support the Mom and Pop stores with spur of the moment purchases or when folks need something in a hurry and don't want to drive all the way into the city to get it.

Had that Super Center gone in, however, the folks naturally would have gone there for the stuff they drive into the city to get. And because it was right there and convenient and cheap, they would have bought a lot of the stuff they normally bought from the mom and pop stores. And that would have eroded the market so that most of the mom and pop stores would not have survived. It is simply human nature.

So the real gripe is that the money people spend in the city would have stayed in the community. It's human nature to not want to be price gouged for convenience. Are you suggesting that the people in the community fought tooth and nail to preserve their right to overpriced goods and poor service?

I"ve certainly seen people fight tooth and nail to preserve overpriced substandard goods and poor service. I just don't know why they do it or how they justify it.

 

[KevinWestern]

Baby crying - YouTube

Impressive & clever response, Unkatore.

You really know how to tear someone to pieces.
.

 

[Foxfyre]

If what you say is true, that the people who lived in that community didn't want a Wal-Mart, then Wal-Mart would not have had any customers, the customers would have remained loyal to the quaint shops and stores. Wal-Mart would have gone out of business rather quickly due to lack of customers. The big box stores put small stores out of business. The owners and employees go to work in the big box stores and have fewer problems and make more money than if they had stayed in business themselves.

There is almost no way that a big box store can compete with a well run and creative independent.

Communities that fight major stores usually end up with the store moving a few miles down the road. They still suck customers off the poorly run small guy who still goes out of business.

In this case that didn't happen. The effort was not anything against Wal-Mart, but was the desire of the community to retain a certain character. That all happened something like 15 years ago and we have since moved into the city, but there is still no Wal-Mart out there. There are a half dozen tiny communities out there, most unincorporated, all within a few miles of each other and all watching each other's backs. The folks out there will drive into the city, 15 miles away, for most of their shopping. But there is a large enough market base out there--large enough to support a Wal-Mart--to support the Mom and Pop stores with spur of the moment purchases or when folks need something in a hurry and don't want to drive all the way into the city to get it.

Had that Super Center gone in, however, the folks naturally would have gone there for the stuff they drive into the city to get. And because it was right there and convenient and cheap, they would have bought a lot of the stuff they normally bought from the mom and pop stores. And that would have eroded the market so that most of the mom and pop stores would not have survived. It is simply human nature.

So the real gripe is that the money people spend in the city would have stayed in the community. It's human nature to not want to be price gouged for convenience. Are you suggesting that the people in the community fought tooth and nail to preserve their right to overpriced goods and poor service?

I"ve certainly seen people fight tooth and nail to preserve overpriced substandard goods and poor service. I just don't know why they do it or how they justify it.

The point made is that it was a collective choice of the people in that rural area to preserve the character of the area. They had no quarrel with Wal-Mart. Probably most shopped at Wal-Mart regularly. But they drove into the city to do it. And that left the spontaneous business to the local vendors who added to the quaint atmosphere that the community found aesthetically pleasing.

Now 15 years later the folks in that community still drive into the city to shop at Wal-Mart or wherever. And the Mom and Pop stores still exist.

Had the Super Center gone into that community, however, the people would have shopped at the local Super Center instead of driving into the city. And that would have mostly eliminated the spontaneous market enjoyed by the Mom and Pop stores, most of which would have gone out of business.

It isn't much different than folks fighting any kind of C zoning in or near their quiet neighborhoods even though it would make it more convenient to them to have it. Sometimes we do put aesthetics ahead of convenience.

 

[Unkotare]

I think the majority of shoppers fall into the category of “not caring” when they make their purchases (folks like Unkatore), and if a Walmart were to come to a particular town, the majority choice to shop at the big box store (because they offer the best price) would ultimately put the little guys out of business.

So therefore, sometimes it takes the effort of the smaller group of more well informed community leaders to step up and block Walmart from entering in their community in the first place. They have to be the ones to protect those who do not think, care, or take responsibility for their purchases.

If there was a market for pretentious douchebaggery you would be a fucking billionaire, you self-adoring shitstain.


Maybe some enlightened being such as yourself should be appointed the Purchasing Czar and dictate for all the ignorant masses what they can buy and from where. That way you could protect the unwashed lower beings from making 'mistakes' with their choices. Those who can't think, care, or take responsiblity should be guided by people like you who know better, right?

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

 

[Unkotare]

Baby crying - YouTube

Impressive & clever response, Unkatore.

You really know how to tear someone to pieces.
.

Do you need your binky?

 

[KevinWestern]

I think the majority of shoppers fall into the category of “not caring” when they make their purchases (folks like Unkatore), and if a Walmart were to come to a particular town, the majority choice to shop at the big box store (because they offer the best price) would ultimately put the little guys out of business.

So therefore, sometimes it takes the effort of the smaller group of more well informed community leaders to step up and block Walmart from entering in their community in the first place. They have to be the ones to protect those who do not think, care, or take responsibility for their purchases.

If there was a market for pretentious douchebaggery you would be a fucking billionaire, you self-adoring shitstain.


Maybe some enlightened being such as yourself should be appointed the Purchasing Czar and dictate for all the ignorant masses what they can buy and from where. That way you could protect the unwashed lower beings from making 'mistakes' with their choices. Those who can't think, care, or take responsiblity should be guided by people like you who know better, right?

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

I'm just saying that sometimes people who recognize that there's a broader picture beyond their purchases (and care about the consequences) need to stand up to protect those who don't. I'm not saying people who don't are unintelligent, I'm just saying that many people just simply don't care..

Many mom and pop stores across America have been wiped out by the big box stores.
As a result, money is being shipped out of America's local communities into centralized headquarters thousands of miles away. This is not a healthy and sustainable trend, and I try to do my part in preventing it from happening.

I'm sorry if you take this as being pretentious; I just think it's the truth.

 

[KevinWestern]

Baby crying - YouTube

Impressive & clever response, Unkatore.

You really know how to tear someone to pieces.
.

Do you need your binky?

Yes, I do.

.
.
.

 

[Katzndogz]

Many Mom and Pop stores deserved to be put out of business and wiped out.

Inglewood fought and successfully kept out a Wal Mart. It did open, a short distance away in North Redondo Beach. Ironically, the people of Inglewood had complained for years that their Mom and Pop stores sold substandard and over priced goods. The produce in these little stores was old, wilted and withered. They were quite happy to drive to Redondo to get cheap products from Wal Mart and moochelle said that Inglewood was a "food desert" where fresh produce was either unavailable or too expensive. The consequences to people who misuse their customers is that they go out of business.

There really is no way a big store can compete with a well run and creative independent who turns a failing business into a "boutique" enterprise. I"ve seen it dozens of times. I've done it myself more than once. I've done it in different kinds of businesses. I've done it in a law office, a dog grooming business right down the street from Petco, and in a failing mom and pop grocery store.

 

[saveliberty]

Another point is that local stores understand the importance of staying local. They typically are more likely to purchase their needs locally, which strengthens the local economy even more. Also, all those charities and school fund raisers are heavily supported by local businesses. When you hurt a local business, you are really hurting the community.

The local lumber yard shutdown a few years back, now I have to go one town over for lumber. What if more folks had bought local? My local hardware store IS still here. I try to buy all my stuff there. Now, I will buy paint elsewhere, if the cost is more than $3 or $4 more a gallon. Again, coverage is a big factor in which paint is really less expensive. Sometimes the more expensive stuff is really a bargain.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Not really familiar with this Unkatore poster...does he always act like a spoilt 10 year year old? Reminds me of a sudo-conservative TDM.

 

[Foxfyre]

I think the majority of shoppers fall into the category of “not caring” when they make their purchases (folks like Unkatore), and if a Walmart were to come to a particular town, the majority choice to shop at the big box store (because they offer the best price) would ultimately put the little guys out of business.

So therefore, sometimes it takes the effort of the smaller group of more well informed community leaders to step up and block Walmart from entering in their community in the first place. They have to be the ones to protect those who do not think, care, or take responsibility for their purchases.

If there was a market for pretentious douchebaggery you would be a fucking billionaire, you self-adoring shitstain.


Maybe some enlightened being such as yourself should be appointed the Purchasing Czar and dictate for all the ignorant masses what they can buy and from where. That way you could protect the unwashed lower beings from making 'mistakes' with their choices. Those who can't think, care, or take responsiblity should be guided by people like you who know better, right?

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

I'm just saying that sometimes people who recognize that there's a broader picture beyond their purchases (and care about the consequences) need to stand up to protect those who don't. I'm not saying people who don't are unintelligent, I'm just saying that many people just simply don't care..

Many mom and pop stores across America have been wiped out by the big box stores.
As a result, money is being shipped out of America's local communities into centralized headquarters thousands of miles away. This is not a healthy and sustainable trend, and I try to do my part in preventing it from happening.

I'm sorry if you take this as being pretentious; I just think it's the truth.

The free market is an impersonal beast with no altruistic motives. As Adam Smith once said: 'It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest' Yet the free market serves us all well just the same.

The problem is not the big box stores. The free market has always been fluid and constantly changing as new products, innovations, and services are developed by humankind. We all appreciate the speed, efficiency, and practicality of modern transportation, but it came at the cost of all those gorgeous, picturesque carriages, commercial wagons, and the magnificent horses who pulled them. Now only a tiny remnant of the manufacturing base to create them remains. We all love our computers and cannot imagine life without them. But it came at the cost of wiping out most of the market for typewriters and many other devices. A mere shell of the manufacturing infrastructure for those products remains. I loved driving into a station and having my oil checked, my tired inflated, my windshield washed while somebody filled the tank with gasoline. But would I go to a station still offering such services rather than going to the self service station where gasoline is 15 cents cheaper? No I wouldn't. So, full service stations are almost non existent.

The pay phone has given way to the cell phone. The old TV antennas gave way to cable and wireless television transmissions. The folks who used to make butter churns don't have much of a market anymore. Milk isn't delivered to our doorsteps anymore. Newspapers continue to shrink in the wake of more and more internet communication.

If the big box stores provide a convenience, affordiability, and products that the people prefer to the small shops, then that's just the way the mop flops. And the market has to shift again.

Those unable to adapt and adjust to changing markets suffer. All the rest thrive. That is simply the way it has always been.

So we won't accomplish anything but additional suffering by attempting to do away with the big box stores to return to the less efficient small shop system. Nor would that help us regain our manufacturing base. Both buy and sell the same products and services. If American products are superior quality and comparable price, that's what they will sell. If Chinese products provide them more profit, most will choose that route. Most won't buy an American product if it is twice the price for comparable quality.

The answer is in regaining our manufacturing base by creating a climate that makes our products more affordable and more desirable than somebody elses. We need an economic climate that makes us competitive again. If we would focus on that, everybody prospers, and the guy in the OP would likely still be in business.

 

[Katzndogz]

People are happy to buy local, if they think they are buying from their friends. They won't buy local if it's just for the prinvilege of paying more for less. Independents have to offer something more, something different than a big box store. It cannot be business as usual just like the big stores do.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Another point is that local stores understand the importance of staying local. They typically are more likely to purchase their needs locally, which strengthens the local economy even more. Also, all those charities and school fund raisers are heavily supported by local businesses. When you hurt a local business, you are really hurting the community.

The local lumber yard shutdown a few years back, now I have to go one town over for lumber. What if more folks had bought local? My local hardware store IS still here. I try to buy all my stuff there. Now, I will buy paint elsewhere, if the cost is more than $3 or $4 more a gallon. Again, coverage is a big factor in which paint is really less expensive. Sometimes the more expensive stuff is really a bargain.

Yep...I budget $12,000 a year for local charities and support 13 of them. We also provide printing for material cost only to schools and churches.
Go to any community charity event - who makes up half the crowd? Local business owners...you know..the rich bastards that don't care about anyone.

 

[Unkotare]

I think the majority of shoppers fall into the category of “not caring” when they make their purchases (folks like Unkatore), and if a Walmart were to come to a particular town, the majority choice to shop at the big box store (because they offer the best price) would ultimately put the little guys out of business.

So therefore, sometimes it takes the effort of the smaller group of more well informed community leaders to step up and block Walmart from entering in their community in the first place. They have to be the ones to protect those who do not think, care, or take responsibility for their purchases.

If there was a market for pretentious douchebaggery you would be a fucking billionaire, you self-adoring shitstain.


Maybe some enlightened being such as yourself should be appointed the Purchasing Czar and dictate for all the ignorant masses what they can buy and from where. That way you could protect the unwashed lower beings from making 'mistakes' with their choices. Those who can't think, care, or take responsiblity should be guided by people like you who know better, right?

Meanwhile, back in the real world...

I'm just saying that sometimes people who recognize that there's a broader picture beyond their purchases (and care about the consequences) need to stand up to protect those who don't.

I'm sorry if you take this as being pretentious; I just think it's the truth.

You post that steaming load of pretentious bullshit and then say "I'm sorry if you take this as being pretentious"? WTF? At least be honest about being a pretentious douche if you really can't help yourself.

What a self-important piece of shit.