I agree it's good to shop locally, but when the local price is higher then the other choice, how to decide?

when purchasing something I take into account that if I bought on the internet I'd had to in my own mind add the fact that I'm paying for the computer, the internet service carrier, the electricity, and the shipping and handling. But then I'd have to file a tax form with our state because they don't charge tax for my state from the internet. And if you have to send it back you would be charged doubly (their s/h and yours to send it back and their s/h to send you a replacement).

Shopping locally I pay for the gas in my car and the maintenance, the car insurance and tags, the drivers license. That the shipping and handling on the product are included, but if I have a problem with the item I can take it back for a refund quickly.

And either way you go it very well could be 23% or higher in charge card interest.

While I can say that in past years I used the internet for buying from eBay, after seeing the exact same items at Walmart have chosen for the most part now to shop at Walmart.

The decision is yours. If you as a senior citizen need to get out and about then drive to your favorite store. If you don't mind sitting home a lot then sure buy from the internet. When I shop I also get to eat at a restaurant and that's my day outing I allow myself.

I live in a rural area with a few locally owned & operated stores in my town.

I have had the same prob as The Terminator had.

They open when they want to & close when they want to--no matter what hours there storefront signs CLAIM their hours of operation are.

The resale stores are pretty decent-priced so I shop them.

But the craft stores have always been expensive. This is because they are selling on consignment & with the cost of the space for the consigners, they have to 'up' the price of their crafts. Everyone here is p!ss-poor broke & cannot afford the cost of these items.

I try to do my all my shopping local simply for the morality of it. And for the most part, I am able to do just that. The cost of gas has made it to where it is cheaper to use the local grocery & still save $$. The local grocery is much more expensive on their items, but the nearest chain grocery is 20 miles away.

I live in a very conservative area that has been hard hit in the past several years. The small businesses just couldn't compete with walmart.

There is a second hand store I went to, when I needed to sell things. I think the husband & wife were having a fight when we came in. The energy was so angry. So I felt like talking to them was like talking to a wall. I never went back. I was really excited about them being local & giving them my business but how do you deal with that?

Then a friend of mine owns a strip mall so I went to the places there to give them my business. This is also local. I went into one place that sells grilled cheese. Wow, I guess anything can be a business if the atmosphere is where people want to be. The people were friendly to the delivery man that was there & then acted like my husband & I were invisable or that they were doing us a favor. I wanted to order more food they were horrible. I have never been back which is saving me money. I also like my grilled cheese sandwiches better. We take sliced pepperoni & microwave it, make sure it doesn't burn & put that on the grilled cheese to blend in. YUM

Then we went to a Asian place & they charged us a fee for sharing our dish. We didn't go back. We would rather go to another area & eat the big all you can eat place.

The only local places I go to are the bank, library, grocery store which is also inferior to the ones we go to when we are in other areas.

I buy local whenever I can. Some of the others who gave answers apparently had bad experiences, but I have always found that the small businesspeople in my town bend over backward to give good service, and often have more interesting or better quality items to sell. For example, not long ago I stopped in at a local store to find a birthday gift for my daughter. The clerk greeted me cheerfully when I came in. When I told her my errand, she asked what my daughter was like and made several suggestions for unique items in various price ranges that I would never have thought of. Seeing that I walk with a cane, she brought me a chair and then brought things over to me. She even tried on a beautiful jacket I was considering so I could see what it would look like when it was being worn. After I made the purchase, she gift wrapped it at no charge, suggested a great card to go with it, and put the box in a reusable shopping tote that was easier for me to carry. Then she accompanied me to the door and helped me down the steps. Try getting service like that at Walmart!

It's true that sometimes you pay a little more at our local shops and restaurants, but I think helping to preserve the variety and vitality that small businesses bring to our community is worth it. These folks are my neighbors, and when I help them make a living, they help make my community a better place to live.

Our village shop is very handy but it has to be said, some items are often 30% more expensive than the local supermarket. But when I say 'local,' I mean '5 miles away,' so there the price of gas for 10 miles driving is added to the shopping equation.

I understand the village shop's high prices. She has such a relatively small turn-over, she has to charge to stay afloat. The supermarket serves a 2,000 community. Our shop serves 200.

I avoid shopping in local one-owner stores. The service is usually awful and the rules are absurd.

If you do not like the product or service, too bad.

I focus mostly on the big chain businesses.

If I am not happy, they will try to make it right.

Example; I take a video recorder to a one-owner shop. I need it repaired for video taping a wedding, 30 days later. I pick up the video recorder 28 days later, when they said to pick it up, and it is not repaired! The owner tells me that he did not even TRY to repair it. Decided was not worth his efforts. And then charged me $20 for the camera to sit on a shelf for 28 days. He did not even touch the camera all that time.

Example; I CALL a shoe repair shop. 35 minute drive from my house. Are you open? Yes! Until 5 PM. It is 11 am. I drive down, arrive at 11:45. The shop is closed. No one around. Not even a closed sign. I call and complain about driving 35 minutes. They never call back.

The only place I shop at a local mom and pop shop is at the fruit stand, I pay a little more, but all the fruits and vegetables I buy there are a better quality. Other than that I shop at name brand stores, and buy some clothes online.

Expenses for gas plus my time play a big factor. I'm lucky to live near a small town that has many shops and stores. But I do like the concept of one-stop shopping. Sometimes it's just easier to pay a few pennies more for something rather than to make a special trip. My biggest bugaboo is my drugs for COPD. At Walmart, even with my co-pay, one inhaler is $95.00. I can buy them online from a Canadian pharmacy in bulk for $20 each - the exact same drug, the exact same manufacturer - and even have it delivered straight to my door.

If the local price is fair, I'll buy. I won't go along with price gouging. A lot of stores in my little town gouge the tourists, and the residents too. Their excuse is, "we have to have it brought in". The same truck goes to the big, in town stores too. When competition exists they can sell for the same price as the in town stores do. Buying locally DOES help every one in your community. Do it whenever you can. It's money better spent, than a church donation, or national charity donation. It helps your neighbor, and by extension you too.

If it's the exact same item and there is a substantial price difference get the cheaper one.

But be wary, many large chains sell cheaply made lookalikes ( many by the same company) that are much lower in quality.

I also think it's good to establish a relationship with local businesses.But all the same, we need to save money as much as reasonably possible.

I guess my answer is.....It depends.