Quote Originally Posted by tzvia View Post
The few that have a pair want full list! No wonder I am buying more and more on the Internet. I want to support the local LBSs but not at full list price.
I'm probably going to regret this....

There are so many things wrong with your statement.

For one, you imply that someone charging you full list is ripping you off. That's simply not true. Margins are small in this business. Why do you want to deny business owners the ability to make some money? It might come as a shock to you, but most people are in business to earn a living. If you remove the profit motivation, most people simply wouldn't bother to start a business at all. Most business owners, me included, work far longer hours, evenings and weekends, than the average non-owner. We do it because we love what we do. Nonetheless, I wouldn't work this hard, for this long, if there was no financial reward in it for me. We owners work our tails off, and there's nothing wrong with our making some money from that hard work.

Secondly - service and selection don't come free. You want good service? That requires hiring good employees. Who need to be paid. Who are paid from the margin on the products we sell. You want selection? Where do you suppose the money comes from for business owners to finance their inventory? Money-losing businesses can't afford to hire good people, or keep a wide selection of product on hand.

Now, I should tell you I love to find something on sale as much as anyone else. And you'll find end of season and prior season items on sale @ TE. Great bargains to be had on some of this stuff. But a full-price business model allows me to hire great staff, have a huge selection, and take home something for myself at the end of the month. And I simply will not apologize for that. I hope we attract customers that value the service and selection we provide, and who recognize that those things don't come cheap.

Susan