Would You Pay More to Buy From a Locally Owned Chain?

[smokeyblue]

I'd really like to support local businesses, but sometimes they just can't compete with buying something online. I went to buy a snow shovel from my local Ace hardware. I could get this shovel shipped to the store for $10 less than they have it on-line. That's a 20% saving. I asked if they would honor the on-line price. They said no. It would cost more to get it on-line anyway. I politely told them it was free shipping. They went on to say well, we are locally owned and can't offer the same prices as corporate. Another worker chimed in and said, yeah some people might feel really bad about not supporting a local business. I just said thank you and I'd think about it and left.

This isn't the first time they've given me a hard time about ordering on-line. About 4 years ago I went to look for a garden stool/kneeler. Nobody even acknowledged me or asked if I needed help. I went and ordered online. Went back to the store to pick it up. The manager told me, oh you know you can order that here. I said, okay I'll keep that in mind. He said, you know we are a local business and don't get anything from online sales, you should really order from us. Next day I get a phone call from the manager and he again tells me that I should order from the store and not online. To top it all off he sends me an e-mail saying I should support the local economy and should buy directly from them blah, blah, blah. The only reason I went back is the fact they are the only store that sells this particular shovel.

I'm obviously not going to buy the shovel from them no matter what because of their behavior, aggressive tactics turn me off instantly. There's another Ace by my parents they would pick it up for me when they are going to my area. My question is, do you feel some moral obligation to support local businesses? Is there a point where you say the cost is too high and just get it on-line?

Personally, $10 is a lot to me right now. If I needed it right away or if it was only $5 more I might have just got it. 20% more is just seems too much to me.

 

[starry_solo]

While I like to support local merchants, I have never had a good experience with Ace Hardware. When I bought some tool to loosen dirt, it didn't work at all and I returned it. The people there gave me a hard time.

I would make sure, though, that the return policy says that you can return it to the store (for Ace's online site). If so, then I would buy it online and have it shipped to the store for free and if it doesn't work, then return it to the store

IMHO.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I'm mixed on the subject. I support several smaller businesses because I like to have services available to me locally.
What if Ace closed all the bricks and the next time you need a shovel you have to order it online. If you don't like it, you have to ship it back.
Not very convenient in a snowstorm.

After our last week of weather, with no trucks making deliveries it's nice to have actual stores with stores

 

[Tecbot]

i used to buy locally all the time but have been buying more and more stuff online...most stores don't pm online retailers where i live so I don't bother asking for pm's anymore. A big ticket item I save anywhere from $40-1000 buying online. My last purchases where sports jerseys for example I can buy them online for $39 each brand new with free shipping or go to a sports store and pay $180+ each pretty easy decision after a while.

I don't mind supporting local stores but I'm not going to throw money away to keep a store open either, if they are competitive and in the same price range I will buy locally.

edit: Ive never heard of ace but I live in Canada and I cant think of a b+m store that doesn't sell shovels or a house that doesn't have multiple shovels to make the kids shovel.

 

[Cruise]

When I'm in LA, I mostly order online or try to do one-stop-shopping. That's just the reality of horrible traffic and practically non-existent customer service.

When I'm back "home" visiting family, we go the local business route almost exclusively for eating out. For other shopping, it's mixed depending on what's available. There just aren't a lot of mom-and-pop type places left anymore.

I don't mind paying more if I feel like I'm getting the customer service to go along with it and the feeling that someone actually appreciates my business. But, no, I'm not going to pay more just to be treated like a number.

 

[smokeyblue]

I'm mixed on the subject. I support several smaller businesses because I like to have services available to me locally.
What if Ace closed all the bricks and the next time you need a shovel you have to order it online. If you don't like it, you have to ship it back.
Not very convenient in a snowstorm.

After our last week of weather, with no trucks making deliveries it's nice to have actual stores with stores

This makes sense to me. Maybe if they'd had said something like "we'd really appreciate your business". Give me a reason to want to buy from you. If the service isn't there I guess what it comes down to is the benefit isn't there for that particular business.

 

[brat]

Sometimes but not if I was treated like that. I would go out of my not to shop at a place that tries to guilt me. To be honest I have stopped shopping at certain stores when friends have been treated that way.Even if they do not earn money off your online purchase they are getting the benifit of corporates purchasing power that you help.

 

[clh2]

I'm a HUGE fan of family-owned local businesses. And, yes, sometimes it does cost more.

If we do not support our local businesses, then all that will be left are the big-box stores. Same with the restaurants.

I REALLY do appreciate the extra service that a small busines provides. Plus, the local buisnesses tend to support the local fundraising efforts (sports, school-related, pta's etc.)

One of my favorites is a pet-related store! Love the owners, and they love my dog!

 

[Swimalie]

I am a local, small business (just me!) so obviously I think supporting locally owned, non-chain businesses are a great idea. But I also think "non-chain" is big to me. To me, I prefer to shop at stores that are not part of chain stores.

As far as how Ace is acting, it would have been better if they would have just said "you know, you can by that here and we would appreciate your business" and left it at that.

 

[Kitzka]

I shop locally when possible. It's not always possible and sometimes it costs more but I love walking into the local kids clothing store and the owner or a clerk knows me by name, knows my DD, knows her size and has set aside a few items that she would love.

that being said i think the ACE was pushing it too much. I'm sure part of it was what the owner has dictated but i tend to shop at my local hardware store which has 2 locations. 1 in my town and another 6 towns away. I find the franchise owned businesses to be too uneven when it comes to service. I would prefer to shop at a big box store than a franchise. but that's just me.

lara

 

[CJMickeyMouse]

Their attitude is awful, IMO.

That said, if your dollars go out of town, they will never come back. Good luck getting Ace Corporate to support your local athletics, arts etc. They won't buy girl scout cookies or contribute to Little League.

You have to do what you have to do, but supporting local businesses really does benefit your community in a HUGE way.

 

[Darcy03231]

I tend to support local family owned businesses, even it costs a little more. For the most part I find I get superior service, which is important to me. This is where the smaller community based businesses need to shine if they want people to spend a bit more. If the service isn't there though, there is no reason to buy locally.

 

[JB2K]

I'd really like to support local businesses, but sometimes they just can't compete with buying something online. I went to buy a snow shovel from my local Ace hardware. I could get this shovel shipped to the store for $10 less than they have it on-line. That's a 20% saving. I asked if they would honor the on-line price. They said no. It would cost more to get it on-line anyway. I politely told them it was free shipping. They went on to say well, we are locally owned and can't offer the same prices as corporate. Another worker chimed in and said, yeah some people might feel really bad about not supporting a local business. I just said thank you and I'd think about it and left.

This isn't the first time they've given me a hard time about ordering on-line. About 4 years ago I went to look for a garden stool/kneeler. Nobody even acknowledged me or asked if I needed help. I went and ordered online. Went back to the store to pick it up. The manager told me, oh you know you can order that here. I said, okay I'll keep that in mind. He said, you know we are a local business and don't get anything from online sales, you should really order from us. Next day I get a phone call from the manager and he again tells me that I should order from the store and not online. To top it all off he sends me an e-mail saying I should support the local economy and should buy directly from them blah, blah, blah. The only reason I went back is the fact they are the only store that sells this particular shovel.

I'm obviously not going to buy the shovel from them no matter what because of their behavior, aggressive tactics turn me off instantly. There's another Ace by my parents they would pick it up for me when they are going to my area. My question is, do you feel some moral obligation to support local businesses? Is there a point where you say the cost is too high and just get it on-line?

Personally, $10 is a lot to me right now. If I needed it right away or if it was only $5 more I might have just got it. 20% more is just seems too much to me.

That's something everyone should keep in mind when dealing with small businesses that are attached to a "big" name such as Ace Hardware and True Value -- when you buy from the main website, you are buying directly from the company, and they may be in a better position to offer you a better deal (such as free shipping). When you buy from the neighborhood store, you are buying from a member of your community (who, in turn, pays royalties to Ace for newspaper/radio/TV advertising, store displays, etc.).

Whether or not you want to buy from Joe/Jane Neighbor -- that's up to you (since it seems that most of the people that visit the Budget Board have money to spend).

As for me, it's a mixed bag -- I don't see getting anything "special" by spending even more of my hard-earned money to buy the same snow shovel from a local (unless I have an urgent need for it) than I do from an online retailer or other big-box discounter.

Now, if it were, say a riding lawn mower, I may be inclined to go the extra mile and buy it locally, as I may have many questions down the road.

A good rule of thumb for any sort of price-matching is no one will PM any website (even their own).

 

[Brer Shay]

I'm a HUGE fan of family-owned local businesses. And, yes, sometimes it does cost more.

If we do not support our local businesses, then all that will be left are the big-box stores. Same with the restaurants.

I do try to shop locally owned, non-chain stores when possible. That being said, their selection doesn't always make that feasible. BUT, when everyone buys online or from BigBox stores, there won't be any of the small players left. That hurts my neighbors, me, my schools, my family in the long-run.

That being said, your local ACE was not customer friendly. Bad service should equal less customers no matter where you are.

 

[mjbaby]

I am generally willing to pay more for local goods and services, just because I believe that I ought to "live my values". If I want a robust, economically-sound community, I need to participate in that and not expect everyone else to do it. Concepts like "the 100-mile diet" and "the 100-mile holiday" are part of that commitment.

That said, I think what the OP has is less a pricing issue and more a customer service issue. I, for one, won't pay extra to a local business that has poor service, un-trained employees, non-customer friendly hours or similar issues. Merely the fact of being local to me is not enough for me to open my wallet.

 

[ilovejack02]

I am very willing to buy local and pay a bit more. I support my local grocery as much as I can. I buy all produce, meat and bakery items from them. Canned goods and such I try to use coupons with sales, but sometimes they are so much higher I just can't do it. They aren't always higher, one special Louisiana item I get there is almost 3.00 cheaper at my local grocery than at Walmart , go figure.

I support them because they are wonderful members of our small community, big contributors to our schools and churches and their customer service is A+.

In OP's Ace situation, most likely I would be so annoyed I wouldn't even consider shopping there.

 

[Princess Nancy]

We have an Ace within 1/2 mile of the house. We have Hometown Name Hardware 4 miles. Home Depot and Lowes are about 6 miles away.

I never thought of Ace as anything but a chain store. I do not know the people in there. They run national ads etc. The first one closed up about a year ago and now it is reopened.

Hometown name Hardware however is #1 in customer service. Grandma is usually there if you have a lawn or garden question. The boys are there to load your car. I appreciate their help and pay their prices, but rarely if ever are they 20% more! I appreciate that they are close as well.

Now if I were buying a big ticket item, I do not think they could compete. But then again, they do not have lumber or appliances.


I also shop at the local grocer. First off the service is fabulous, the food amazing and they employee all the local ids including my son. Oh, and since my son works there, I get 10% off everyday!

However in both of there cases, I believe in these businesses because they have great customer service and a good if not superior product.
I do not care who you are, I am not shopping your store if you hassle me!

 

[ssawka]

I used to try to buy locally, but now purchase almost exclusively online. Why? Because of where I live. The DC area traffic was recently rated the worst in the country. When I first moved here, I did not mind running out to the store to get something, but in the past few years I got really tired of battling traffic and wasting time just to find that the store did not have what I needed. When I purchase online, I can find exactly what I am looking for and at a better price. Add to that the 1 year of Amazon Prime I got for being a student, and I cannot find a valid reason to waste my time and energy schlepping to a store.

 

[lovesmurfs]

Barnes and Noble does this, too. I found a book online and then went to the store. They wouldn't match the online price -- and we didn't even get into the shipping issue.

I've gotten to the point that I will order online when it makes sense and when I have the time to wait for it to arrive. I'm willing to pay more to support store-front businesses, within reason, and 20% more butts up against "within reason".

 

[theparsons]

I'd really like to support local businesses, but sometimes they just can't compete with buying something online. I went to buy a snow shovel from my local Ace hardware. I could get this shovel shipped to the store for $10 less than they have it on-line. That's a 20% saving. I asked if they would honor the on-line price. They said no. It would cost more to get it on-line anyway. I politely told them it was free shipping. They went on to say well, we are locally owned and can't offer the same prices as corporate. Another worker chimed in and said, yeah some people might feel really bad about not supporting a local business. I just said thank you and I'd think about it and left.

This isn't the first time they've given me a hard time about ordering on-line. About 4 years ago I went to look for a garden stool/kneeler. Nobody even acknowledged me or asked if I needed help. I went and ordered online. Went back to the store to pick it up. The manager told me, oh you know you can order that here. I said, okay I'll keep that in mind. He said, you know we are a local business and don't get anything from online sales, you should really order from us. Next day I get a phone call from the manager and he again tells me that I should order from the store and not online. To top it all off he sends me an e-mail saying I should support the local economy and should buy directly from them blah, blah, blah. The only reason I went back is the fact they are the only store that sells this particular shovel.

I'm obviously not going to buy the shovel from them no matter what because of their behavior, aggressive tactics turn me off instantly. There's another Ace by my parents they would pick it up for me when they are going to my area. My question is, do you feel some moral obligation to support local businesses? Is there a point where you say the cost is too high and just get it on-line?

Personally, $10 is a lot to me right now. If I needed it right away or if it was only $5 more I might have just got it. 20% more is just seems too much to me.

Hmmmm you have a lot more tolerance than I would. I'd have politely demured to the clerk's comment when I picked it up, but to have the manager then call me at my home and email me to harrass me about making a local purchase over an Internet. I'd have had to tell him quite bluntly that perhaps if his sales people were as attentive as he is being they might have gotten the sale, but since they couldn't be bothered to wait on me when I was in their store, I went elsewhere. AND if he continued to harrass me about my purchases by calling and emailing me at home, that I would then have to take ALL of my business elsewhere AND let corporate know why. Sorry, but no way would I tolerate someone berating my choices in the privacy of my own home! I wouldn't do well at his store, but I'd try to be polite and just hmmmm and yes until I could leave, but to invade my home to harrass me....um, no way in blazes.

I can't tell you how many hours and hours I used to spend in bookstores....love everything about books, can't imagine ever being a Kindle type of person.....but I haven't been inside a local bookstore in YEARS. They have a million copies of the same "best seller" book, but zero of what I'm looking for most of the time.....special ordering it through them makes me feel like I'm really putting them out for doing their job....and the rudeness of the staff makes me wonder how and why ANYONE would spend more money to go there. Now I get my book fixes at the library and order things I want to own online, often for 40% or more less. Sorry, but even on the rare occasion that I have to pay shipping it's cheaper....and to NOT be mistreated. Oh, if only I could buy my groceries online all the time, lol.