Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just replying to encourage you. I think this is a great idea.
Thank you. Wish i could make it, let me know if you know anyone that can help
You should talk to this person
Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
251–260 of 310 posts
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#252Small business near me never seem to have online catalogues or stock levels. Hunting for a specific product (for example a washing line) might involve walking into 3 different shops and guessing which shop might sell what you need. When you arrive in the shop, they always arrange aisles differently so unless you have 20 minutes to hunt you might not find it either. Whereas online it's a simple search and click "buy n…
I don't understand how in 2021 small businesses have such a hard time with inventory / stock? I've always tried to support local, but lately I've given up on local bike stores near me house. Went in looking for simple things, spokes, tube patches, quick links for chains. Only to be stared at blankly with confusion or told they don't have said items in stock. I went home an ordered off Amazon in 2 minutes, arrived nex…
A small business is never going to be able to match the variety of an online store in terms of inventory.... they simply don't get enough customers to afford to hold every single possible variety of something like an online store. An online store can have customers from all across the country (and world), so obscure items will be bought by SOMEONE more often.
A small business isn't going to hold something in inventory that only one person every 5 years wants
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#253Earlier quoted context omitted.
It is productive. My local bike shop sells me bike parts I need, just not as conveniently or efficiently as Amazon. The ruthless pursuit of efficiency as it's own goal is a trap. Squeezing out every societal optimization is a very engineering centric mindset. There are many, many times where the most efficient solution to a problem isn't the "best" one, and we need to collectively get better at recognizing when that'…
That’s the odd thing though: Amazon has several disadvantages compared to your local bike shop (not being local, not being able to see your bike, not having a human who can talk to you, and not being able to hand you the parts right now ). That your local bike shop, despite starting with these significant advantages, manages to be less convenient and efficient for you is interesting and unexpected (and does not bode…
I chose bike shop arbitrarily. I could have said hardware store, cake supply store, game store, toy store, etc.
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#254Small business near me never seem to have online catalogues or stock levels. Hunting for a specific product (for example a washing line) might involve walking into 3 different shops and guessing which shop might sell what you need. When you arrive in the shop, they always arrange aisles differently so unless you have 20 minutes to hunt you might not find it either. Whereas online it's a simple search and click "buy n…
Maybe this is a good opportunity to create a "reverse Amazon" service for small businesses?
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#255Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think cars are largely to blame for the sorry state of small businesses. Before moving from America to Tokyo, I had never lived in a place with anything even remotely resembling a walkable city center where you can easily browse and pick up what you need from local businesses. Everything is separated by a 15min+ drive, and I likely need to get on the highway to get there. Atlanta was the worst for this. In Tokyo I…
And whenever a city in the US proposes some improvements to the ped/bike experience in a shopping area, the local small business owners will cry bloody murder. As someone who also prefers to walk to nearby stores, I feel no guilt whatsoever about buying stuff online instead of a local merchant. Amazon, for all its faults, has never showed up to a local planning meeting in my town to lobby against a sidewalk or bike l…
Why do you think that is? I'm not too familiar with local politics. Generally, I believe studies have shown that banning cars from main street in small/medium cities generally increases business, but I've heard of a phenomenon where all the non-main-street businesses make an uproar about how "unfair" it is that main street will be getting more business, and so the whole idea is scrapped.
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#256Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't understand how in 2021 small businesses have such a hard time with inventory / stock? I've always tried to support local, but lately I've given up on local bike stores near me house. Went in looking for simple things, spokes, tube patches, quick links for chains. Only to be stared at blankly with confusion or told they don't have said items in stock. I went home an ordered off Amazon in 2 minutes, arrived nex…
A small business is never going to be able to match the variety of an online store in terms of inventory.... they simply don't get enough customers to afford to hold every single possible variety of something like an online store. An online store can have customers from all across the country (and world), so obscure items will be bought by SOMEONE more often. A small business isn't going to hold something in inventor…
A quick link for a shimano chain though...
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#257Small business near me never seem to have online catalogues or stock levels. Hunting for a specific product (for example a washing line) might involve walking into 3 different shops and guessing which shop might sell what you need. When you arrive in the shop, they always arrange aisles differently so unless you have 20 minutes to hunt you might not find it either. Whereas online it's a simple search and click "buy n…
> Hunting for a specific product (for example a washing line) might involve walking into 3 different shops and guessing which shop might sell what you need.
The horror!
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#258Small business near me never seem to have online catalogues or stock levels. Hunting for a specific product (for example a washing line) might involve walking into 3 different shops and guessing which shop might sell what you need. When you arrive in the shop, they always arrange aisles differently so unless you have 20 minutes to hunt you might not find it either. Whereas online it's a simple search and click "buy n…
I don't understand how in 2021 small businesses have such a hard time with inventory / stock? I've always tried to support local, but lately I've given up on local bike stores near me house. Went in looking for simple things, spokes, tube patches, quick links for chains. Only to be stared at blankly with confusion or told they don't have said items in stock. I went home an ordered off Amazon in 2 minutes, arrived nex…
I work for a large outdoor retailer and the difficulties fulfilling bicycles is not unique to -any- store, big or small, right now.
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#259Earlier quoted context omitted.
Kohls solves this by giving you 120 day returns so I disagree. Plus you don't have to sort through everything and check the prices in store. Just wait for it to show up, try it out. Keep it if it's good, ditch it if it's not.
You have to wait for shipping, package the return, etc. That doesn't seem as convenient as trying on in the store, even with the added burden of travel to the store and sifting through sizes.
I don't know of any instance where my fashion style or an outfit needs to be fulfilled as fast as a fast food item in the drive through. Plus, I don't get why I got downvoted for posting an opinion on something that isn't even breaking any rules or coming off as any way negative or flaming.
Re: Chrome extension recommends local businesses while shopping on Amazon or eBay
#260I don't understand this fetish with small businesses. For certain industries they're great, but for retail? Many still pay minimum wage with no benefits, so the only one you're helping enrich is the owner who treats their employees as expendable. On top of that, retail really benefits from economies of scale, it's simply more efficient for both you and the business. That efficiency gets passed on to the economy to be…
Glad someone talked from the employee's angle, that's something I have been wondering for a while too.
I can't even remember the last time being a customer of "local businesses" other than restaurants, and don't see a reason to do so, morally or financially.