I went to a local shop today to purchase two Carbon Monoxide Detectors. The shop owner showed me his stock saying they were £27.80 each and of good quality.The price to me seemed a bit on the high side, so I said I would think about it,and left the shop.. On returning home,out of curiosity I went on line to compare prices. For The First Time I shopped on Amazon, and purchased the same detectors for £28.18 for two.That included batteries and delivery by post in 1-3 days. It's Up The Amazon For Me In The Future.
i don't think you can beat amazon on a lot of things. the interweb is THE place to shop in the modern world. the downside? its the major reason that retailers are closing there doors on the high street.
[gets on soap box] You have to look at the whole picture to see the truth, not just look at it from your side. You said I take that to be a non - national diy store? Look at it from the shop owners view. He needs to have stock on the shelf to sell instantly, he spends money doing this, as he can only afford to buy a couple of this, and a few of that (he has lots of different items to stock) as he only buys a couple he does not get much "discount" where as the big national stores get a bigger "discount" just because of the quantity they buy. So as he does not get much off, he has to sell the item at almost near cost, as he also has overheads, his shop, the heating and lighting for the shop rent etc, it all has to be paid for. If you buy online, the chances are the seller has no shop, so considerably less overheads, so saves money, so they can sell cheaper than the man in his shop. Also they probably only sell a very limited range, again, this saves money by having such a small range, but there are lots of online shops each being specialist, so unlike a local "hardware" shop, you have to go to several different shops to get all that you require. I recently brought something online, to save on postage, I asked to collect in person, I went to the address, (I was sort of expecting a run down shop) it turned out to be a very nice bloke sitting in his lounge counting out the products, and bagging it (no, its not an online drug store) he buys the product in, in thousands (he had boxes of them all around his lounge) so he has no shop, and no real overheads, so sells more, and sells for considerably less. I will never forget the letter I read in the Sun, many years ago. A lady was saying she thinks corner shops charge too much, (compared to supermarkets, no online shops then) but she was not looking at it from the shop owners side, as I have said, small shop owners spend money on lots of things to give you a wide choice, and have big overheads, supermarkets have buying power, small shops don't) So, please, before you sing the praises of the www, look at it from the other persons view. (He can not sell it to you much cheaper than he already has offered, but you can get it instantly, unlike the www, where you have to wait for delivery) [/gets off soap box]
I think there are two sides to this. First up, business is business. It goes both ways. If you're the buyer, you are looking for the best deal (how you define that is a matter of personal opinion). if you're the seller, you're looking for the best deal to make a profit to feed yourself and your family. The seller can't realistically expect the buyer to support him. The buyer can't expect both convenience and low cost. Some types of shop lend themselves to being online. Gadgets are a prime example. There is so much competition that there is simply too wide a range to be practically represented in a physical shop on the high street. Most of the retail price goes to the gadget manufacturer and the markup between one gadget and another makes little difference to the seller. One unit is pretty much the same as the next. Other types of shop lend themselves to being on the high street. Their wares vary widely, and it is a matter of a opinion which unit is the best to buy, and that can only be judged in person. As an example, a shop selling gadgets should be online. If I decide I want an iPad, then an iPad is an iPad and I'll find the cheapest supplier I can. No matter who I buy it from, I'll get the same product, with the same perks, and with the same features. On the other hand, if I want to buy the sunday joint, I want to see it. I want to know it is fresh. If I'm out to buy a plant I want to know how big it is, and how many root fibres are already breaching the drainage holes. if I'm buying furniture I want to sit on it or lie on it, and if I'm buying clothes I want to feel it and hold it against myself as I stand in front of a mirror. I hate cliches, but I guess its horses for courses. Its not one size fits all. You can't have your cake and eat it. If you snooze you lose...
