Rant about shopping locally

Jimbuna · 02-20-19, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reece

The biggest enemy of the retail stores is eBay.

I take it you haven't heard of the likes of Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, Target, Aliexpress, Costco, Kohls etc, to name just a few.

STEED · 02-20-19, 07:11 AM

Another problem here is Business rates are a mess, the bigger the land mass the more they pay without taking into account their budgets/profits.

Reece · 02-20-19, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

I take it you haven't heard of the likes of Amazon, Walmart, Etsy, Target, Aliexpress, Costco, Kohls etc, to name just a few.

I know and have used some of them but 99% of my online purchases is done through eBay. I do have to say Jim that I get better value from the UK than the US or here in Australia. I purchase all my BMW motorcycle parts from Motobins, the price difference is astounding.

Skybird · 02-20-19, 07:21 PM

Evolution is about adaptation to changing conditions in changing environments. Be successful, and live. Fail, and go extinct.

I have seen raises in prices claimed to be base don service -while service was not there or was bad. Also, I saw enormous price increases over several years.

When I have a good shop, I accept to pay a bit more there. I know it. But this plus that I will to pay, must have a counter value in service or quality, and it has limits. And I define what limits I accept, and what is off limit - not them and their needs and wishes.

City centres will suffer from the fall of local shops and big warehouses. Well, I have no answer to that. Thats how it goes.

I try to diversify my buyings, nevertheless. I do not always buy in the same place and supermarket. I refuse to buy everything from Amazon or othe rplatforms that already are de facto monopolists in many niches and branchges of their business. I try to avoid helping monopolism. I also dop not like to depend on just one pricder of things, and by that also allwojg n him to profile me better. I want to remain a random event in their schemes.

Buying "bio", "eco", "politically correct", "fair trade" etc, gets zero recognition from me. ZERO. Many according labels achieve right the opposite of what they intend, fair traded coffee for example is anything but about fair trade, it simply is stupid, it motivates farmers selling their better beans separately and for higher than the fair trade prices, and only delivering their inferior, bad beans (that are so bad that otherwise they cannot sell to anyone else) into the fair trade mechanism with its guaranteed minimum and bonus prices - that way consumers pay overpriced prices for uncompetitive, bad coffee, supporting a first class market manipulation scheme. Getting ripped off and being proud of it! Thats what they do not tell you on TV about fair trade coffee. It shoudl better be labelled as "stupid coffee". Oh, and the eU energy coksummation labels and CO2 emission numbers and stuff like that I also completely ignore - the latter always, the first almost always. I do not buy a refrigerator to save the world, I buy a refrigerator to save my food and cool it. If that can be done with a reaosnable abalncx ebetween price and power consumption, nice, but if there is some ideologically hypped low power rate advertised at too high price, I ignore it. Realistic pragmatism. The ideology part can be taken care of by those who feel concerned, I do not. I maybe did, long time ago, but I grew older since then - and apparently wiser.

Eichhörnchen · 02-21-19, 01:29 PM

It's safer to shop from home... you don't have to go out onto the dangerous roads to get your stuff

Skybird · 02-21-19, 02:55 PM

As a matter of fact it is safer indeed - regarding certain warranty conditions. If placing online orders you enjoy a widened legal protection where in a shop you would - regarding these aspects - be completely depending on voluntary accomodation by the shop owner or mother company. And I found that especially big chain shops are running a tight regime on this. Also you have a right to step back from any orde rplace donline for a certain ammount of time. In a shop you have none and again base on their goodwill.

Jimbuna · 02-22-19, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skybird

As a matter of fact it is safer indeed - regarding certain warranty conditions. If placing online orders you enjoy a widened legal protection where in a shop you would - regarding these aspects - be completely depending on voluntary accomodation by the shop owner or mother company. And I found that especially big chain shops are running a tight regime on this. Also you have a right to step back from any orde rplace donline for a certain ammount of time. In a shop you have none and again base on their goodwill.

I'd add to that, using a credit card gives further safeguards but in every instance possible.....PAY IT OFF IN FULL AFTER EVERY PURCHASE.

Skybird · 02-22-19, 04:31 PM

Nah, in real world shops I only pay cash, never plastic. No cash accepted - no shopping done. Online I also never pay with credit card, only use - WHEN I MUST - a third party payment service, and just one not several.

I prefer not to use many different and ever changing shops online, so that my bank data does not fly around in every place and gets send back and forth with just any transaction. Amazon, Ebay, two other shops - thats all I filed my data in. And that already is too much, I fear.

As a matter of fact I once owned a credit card, than cancelled it due to non-use, then got another one for a very small bait-fee, and cancelled that, too. I hold no credit card anymore. I do not need my driving license in my wallet since I have no and never owned a car and do not drive (last time I did is 30 years ago), and carry my ID card only with me when I know I need it, which is on 364+ days a year I do not need it. When I lost my wallet twice in the past couple of years and honest finders called me due to a note in it, they both times were puzzled that there was no such stuff inside and they expressed their sorrow that it already was "stolen". It wasn't.

Health insurrance card I only carry with me when I visit a doctor and its a new quarter of the year (they ask for it every new quarter). I only have money as I need it inside my wallet, and a note with my contact data, and an emergency note with medical instructions. In Germany, people must have an ID card, but there is no obligation to always carry it with you.

02-20-19, 07:11 AM	#2
STEED Lucky Jack Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Down Town UK Posts: 27,695 Downloads: 89 Uploads: 48	Another problem here is Business rates are a mess, the bigger the land mass the more they pay without taking into account their budgets/profits. __________________ Dr Who rest in peace 1963-2017. To borrow Davros saying...I NAME YOU CHIBNALL THE DESTROYER OF DR WHO YOU KILLED IT!

02-20-19, 07:21 PM	#4
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,612 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Evolution is about adaptation to changing conditions in changing environments. Be successful, and live. Fail, and go extinct. I have seen raises in prices claimed to be base don service -while service was not there or was bad. Also, I saw enormous price increases over several years. When I have a good shop, I accept to pay a bit more there. I know it. But this plus that I will to pay, must have a counter value in service or quality, and it has limits. And I define what limits I accept, and what is off limit - not them and their needs and wishes. City centres will suffer from the fall of local shops and big warehouses. Well, I have no answer to that. Thats how it goes. I try to diversify my buyings, nevertheless. I do not always buy in the same place and supermarket. I refuse to buy everything from Amazon or othe rplatforms that already are de facto monopolists in many niches and branchges of their business. I try to avoid helping monopolism. I also dop not like to depend on just one pricder of things, and by that also allwojg n him to profile me better. I want to remain a random event in their schemes. Buying "bio", "eco", "politically correct", "fair trade" etc, gets zero recognition from me. ZERO. Many according labels achieve right the opposite of what they intend, fair traded coffee for example is anything but about fair trade, it simply is stupid, it motivates farmers selling their better beans separately and for higher than the fair trade prices, and only delivering their inferior, bad beans (that are so bad that otherwise they cannot sell to anyone else) into the fair trade mechanism with its guaranteed minimum and bonus prices - that way consumers pay overpriced prices for uncompetitive, bad coffee, supporting a first class market manipulation scheme. Getting ripped off and being proud of it! Thats what they do not tell you on TV about fair trade coffee. It shoudl better be labelled as "stupid coffee". Oh, and the eU energy coksummation labels and CO2 emission numbers and stuff like that I also completely ignore - the latter always, the first almost always. I do not buy a refrigerator to save the world, I buy a refrigerator to save my food and cool it. If that can be done with a reaosnable abalncx ebetween price and power consumption, nice, but if there is some ideologically hypped low power rate advertised at too high price, I ignore it. Realistic pragmatism. The ideology part can be taken care of by those who feel concerned, I do not. I maybe did, long time ago, but I grew older since then - and apparently wiser. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert. Last edited by Skybird; 02-20-19 at 07:44 PM.

02-21-19, 01:29 PM	#5
Eichhörnchen Starte das Auto Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: The Fens Posts: 17,380 Downloads: 5 Uploads: 0	It's safer to shop from home... you don't have to go out onto the dangerous roads to get your stuff __________________

02-21-19, 02:55 PM	#6
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,612 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	As a matter of fact it is safer indeed - regarding certain warranty conditions. If placing online orders you enjoy a widened legal protection where in a shop you would - regarding these aspects - be completely depending on voluntary accomodation by the shop owner or mother company. And I found that especially big chain shops are running a tight regime on this. Also you have a right to step back from any orde rplace donline for a certain ammount of time. In a shop you have none and again base on their goodwill. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.

02-22-19, 04:31 PM	#8
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,612 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Nah, in real world shops I only pay cash, never plastic. No cash accepted - no shopping done. Online I also never pay with credit card, only use - WHEN I MUST - a third party payment service, and just one not several. I prefer not to use many different and ever changing shops online, so that my bank data does not fly around in every place and gets send back and forth with just any transaction. Amazon, Ebay, two other shops - thats all I filed my data in. And that already is too much, I fear. As a matter of fact I once owned a credit card, than cancelled it due to non-use, then got another one for a very small bait-fee, and cancelled that, too. I hold no credit card anymore. I do not need my driving license in my wallet since I have no and never owned a car and do not drive (last time I did is 30 years ago), and carry my ID card only with me when I know I need it, which is on 364+ days a year I do not need it. When I lost my wallet twice in the past couple of years and honest finders called me due to a note in it, they both times were puzzled that there was no such stuff inside and they expressed their sorrow that it already was "stolen". It wasn't. Health insurrance card I only carry with me when I visit a doctor and its a new quarter of the year (they ask for it every new quarter). I only have money as I need it inside my wallet, and a note with my contact data, and an emergency note with medical instructions. In Germany, people must have an ID card, but there is no obligation to always carry it with you. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.