Quote Originally Posted by blackhillsbiker View Post
Hang in there! Sometimes I waffle about getting a better price elsewhere but I always end up buying at the LBS. I'm glad it's there. Amazon and Nashbar don't fix my bike after a crash in time for me to ride home that same day. They don't let me test out a saddle, or lights. They don't let me bring home a bike I'm considering buying to test out for a longer ride, and to show my husband. They don't give advice, help me to learn basic fixes, put money, time and expertise into building up local cycling venues. We all need to be careful in this economy. Sometimes we lose sight of the biggest bang for our buck, which is keeping local businesses afloat, which keeps the jobs in our communities, gives us choices the "big boxes" don't care to offer, give us excellent service after the sale, get to know us and suggest what would be best for us, not necessarily most profitable for them. We are a nation in jeopardy of losing independent booksellers, cafés, coffee shops, bike shops, yarn shops... and all the wonderful richness they bring to our daily lives.

Deb
Amen, Deb, amen!