How many of you shop at small businesses for everyday needs?

ChicagoBlue2

ChicagoBlue2

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I do it a lot; the prices are cheaper, and plus, I don't have to go far to get what I need. Plus, if I need more than one of the item, I can get a bunch of the same item at these businesses. It's a good way to maximize what I can use.
 
I live in a very small town but there aren't any American Mom & Pop shops anymore. We have a Dollar General and a Family Dollar and a True Value hardware store and Sonic. Everything else is a Mexican or Asian restaurant.
 
The small stores in my city are far from cheap . I don't even go down town to shop anymore. A gallon of milk in a small store cost a lot more than in a big grocery store.
 
whatdidyousay! said:
The small stores in my city are far from cheap . I don't even go down town to shop anymore. A gallon of milk in a small store cost a lot more than in a big grocery store.
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That's the way it is here as well. I will go to the local CVs grocery store to get odds and ends that I can't find at Dollar General or Family Dollar. At Walmart, the Great Value milk is around $3.50/gal. Here at my local grocery store, it is $4.10/gal, and that is the cheap WIC milk. The organic milk is insane.

There is a small family operation not far from the University called "The Beach Shack" that sells name-brand clothing such as Hurley, O'Neil, Rock Jeans, Sanuks, etc. Their jeans are $120+. :shock: I have bought a couple of shirts and a hat from them when they were running a deep clearance sale, but I couldn't afford their stuff at regular prices. American Eagle is cheaper than this place is a lot of the time. Although, I've been buying most of my clothes at secondhand shops lately.
 
Small businesses are always more than big businesses, it's like that everywhere. Mark is just from another planet or under a rock or something.
 
The small stores are usually much more expensive. So we do usually end up at walmart. Well...if not we can always buy some stuff on other side of the border. There are some things that are much cheaper.
 
ambrosia said:
Mark is just from another planet or under a rock or something.
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I would like to see how long you would last at some of the grassroots deaf social events I've been to...albeit very briefly.....:giggle:

Some folks just don't get it, I just give up and move on.
 
green427 said:
I would like to see how long you would last at some of the grassroots deaf social events I've been to...albeit very briefly.....:giggle:
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Before or I got so annoyed I spontaneously combusted?? :D
 
The reason why the big box stores can have things cheaper then ma and pa shops is they have millions to burn and buy products to then sell at a cheap rate knowing if they offer something to everyone some one will bite.
Ma and pa shops in my experience have always been more expensive. Due to the fact small shops don't have the means the big boys have.


Maybe it's different in Chicago I dunno.
 
i believe in the twenty mile inclusion so all is local bought give locals a chance altho not always possible
 
hoichi said:
The reason why the big box stores can have things cheaper then ma and pa shops is they have millions to burn and buy products to then sell at a cheap rate knowing if they offer something to everyone some one will bite.
Ma and pa shops in my experience have always been more expensive. Due to the fact small shops don't have the means the big boys have.


Maybe it's different in Chicago I dunno.
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It is the same here in DC.

Yes, the idea of supporting small business is better for the economy but lower prices triumph all. Walmart is cheaper.
 
The only people who can afford to shop exclusively at small businesses are people with a lot disposable income. Especially if you're talking clothes, those tend to be boutiques with designer labels and are extremely expensive.

It's actually almost a vicious cycle. Walmart and their ilk are almost the new factory jobs. We manufacture very little any more, so stores such as Walmart become the next best bet for employment for people with no higher education, besides restaurants. But add to that stores like that are the only affordable places for then to shop. Also, just think of how many people Walmart Kmart and target employ. Imagine what would happen if everybody boycotted them. Not that that's feasible considering the large amount if people that those places are the only affordable places to shop. But hypothetically, if nobody shopped there and we put them out of business just think what would happen to unemployment.
 
shel90 said:
It is the same here in DC.

Yes, the idea of supporting small business is better for the economy but lower prices triumph all. Walmart is cheaper.
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unfortunatly the case everywhere,ethicaly i buy local but reality often not possible but the heart is there
 
caz12 said:
unfortunatly the case everywhere,ethicaly i buy local but reality often not possible but the heart is there
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I went to a flea market in a quaint neighborhood near DC and browsed through the small stores for shoes, jewelery, and clothes. I was dismayed to discover that the prices were out of my range. They charge way too much for simple items.
 
i love flea markets and car boots but since all the t.v antique programmes we all become experts and they expensive
 
ambrosia said:
Small businesses are always more than big businesses, it's like that everywhere. Mark is just from another planet or under a rock or something.
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I am NOT from Mars, okay? And I didn't come out from under a rock, either.
 
ambrosia said:
Mark is just from another planet or under a rock or something.
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ChicagoBlue2 said:
I am NOT from Mars, okay? And I didn't come out from under a rock, either.
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:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:
i-find-this-humerus-large.png

:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:
 
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