I’m guilty of wasting money. It used to be that buying local meant supporting local business and encouraging entrepreneurship. Today, with the dissapearance of the mom and pop shop and the proliferation of the big box stores, buying local just isn’t what it used to be.
The main reason to buy local now is for convenience and, that convenience comes with a hefty tag. For example, a few weeks ago I was looking for a new book on Programming Ruby for work. The book was $39.95 at Barnes and Noble down the street from me (didn’t have it at the local Borders), but only $26.37 at Amazon.com. The reason I strongly considered buying it at Barnes and Noble? Immediate Gratification.
Waiting 3 days would save me $13 on this purchase alone. The same thing happens but on a much more costly scale around Christmas time. I try to buy more and more locally made items around the holidays, realizing most of my loved ones don’t really care about the latest gadget, but sometimes you do need to buy the mainstream item, be it a new MP3 player, fancy coffee pot or power tool for dad.
Buying these items locally just doesn’t make sense. You can’t easily compare against other models, you’re often stuck with what is in the store. You’re almost guaranteed to pay full retail price for it or sacrifice the model you want for the model that is on sale. For these items, there is really only one option. Online.
If you’re feeling adventurous and don’t know what to pick up, visit woot.com, midnightbox.com or foxsfour.com for a few great deals served up once a day.
If you know the category you are looking for, browse Amazon, pricewatch.com or buy.com.
The thing I need to get in the habit of is breaking down and buying things early. It is October now and it seems ridiculous to shop for Christmas gifts, but it’ll ease the stress of the holidays if you do it now and you may even be able to get a better deal. Your friend’s and family’s interests are unlikely to change much in the next few months, so, unless your shopping for kids or teenagers that may crave the next big fad due this holiday season, buying something that is in vogue now will likely be just as appreciated in the holiday season if you had waited until the malls were packed and the prices were at full retail!
Hot Gift Ideas for This Holiday Season:
Vinturi Essential Wine Aerator
Factory-Reconditioned DEWALT DC4CPKAR 18-Volt Ni-Cad Cordless 4-Tool Combo Kit
on Nov 20th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Interesting that Barnes and Nobel can now be considered local.
When I buy local, its things that are created in the area (usually those ma and pop places, but I live in Indiana, so I suppose there’s more of them here).
Like local produce, or my Subaru. The reason? I try to prevent those extra shipping emissions from harming the planet if they don’t absolutely have to. I’d be interested in comparing the emission levels of B&N vs. Amazon- hard to tell with large entities like those.
If I have to pay an extra $13 for instant gratification AND to prevent global climate change, then it’s totally worth it. Not so much for me, but for my children’s children. And those polar bears.
I have a blog too, it’s new- http://cucumberwater.blogspot.com