The case for NOT supporting local business

JizzBeans

During times of economic hardship and now during Covid, we hear things like "support local business" and "Buy Irish", etc. It does seem like the right thing to do, but when you think about it, it doesn't make that much sense.


For example, there are two local stores in my area, a men's clothing shop and a medium to large size department store. They both have been in the town 20+ years, well known places and folks would often say "its been there donkeys years" or "id be sad to see it go" etc. And have names like "Jims Menswear" (Not real name)


However, with the expansion of the town over the years, chains in shopping centers and the rise of online shopping, the last 10 years or so have not been kind to either store. It's painfully obvious how dated both stores are, overpriced, not keeping up with fashion, dilapidated storefronts etc.


In the men's store window,no lie, you will see an outfit like a Ben Sherman shirt and boot cut wrangular jeans pinned to a back board with wrangular shoes, like boys used to wear in school, sitting on the floor in front. In the department store you will see, loads of shelves with tacky ornaments and knick knacks. It does have several departments to be fair, garden, home-ware, cloths etc but poor variety in each and quite pricey. And this is just two examples of many similar business'. Every town has them food stores, clothing, hardware etc.


How does it make sense to shop in these depressing awful places? And why are we set upon with this unfair expectation of helping out a local business that is struggling. If a business cant survive then it should fold, it makes economic sense, its how good economies thrive.




Thoughts?

unhappys10

This support Irish thing is usually a crock of sh1t.
Rip off Ireland puts anyone off who may want to buy local.

One example in my case. I wanted a pair of brand name boots. In the store here they were 160. I got the same pair on Amazon for 85 delivered. I could have just about gotten 2 pairs for what the Irish store wanted.

An extreme example but there are thousands of similar stories i'm sure.

I'll always go with the best deal. Got to look after number one.

mikeecho

There's a local home heating oil company, very very close to me, but I've stopped using them.

I've gone to another supplier who offers a better service.
They advertise their price online.
Offer the facility to order online
And are always cheaper.

Now the very local company will price match, but why should I have to haggle with then to price match .( They will price match, but never be cheaper)

It's easier to use the other company.

It's all about who gives the best value and convenience.

Heebie

unhappys10 wrote:

In the store here they were 160. I got the same pair on Amazon for 85 delivered. I could have just about gotten 2 pairs for what the Irish store wanted.

The ones you got are probably knock-offs that cost $10 to make.

RocketRaccoon

Shop local my bollox, shop whoever has the best deal. Supporting those shops is supporting price gouging.

I know, they have families etc etc etc. So do I, I'll spend wherever gives me the best price for the item I want.

Padre_Pio

Heebie wrote: »

The ones you got are probably knock-offs that cost $10 to make.

Doubt it, online is just cheaper.

Even if they were knock offs, Amazon would refund immediately and ban the seller.

enricoh

Surely if a clothing/ homeware business doesn't move with the times it won't survive? I don't bother buying clothes online after getting sizes and fabrics wrong numerous times. I think it's poor form trying stuff on in shops to get your size n then off to the internet to buy it.

On other stuff I'd pay I reckon 15%- 20% extra buying local v online- for handiness sake, having it there n then, no messing with couriers n missing the postman etc. Bit of a feel good factor buying local n helps in a small way keep the town alive. Bit of haggling narrows the Gap too! I'm in business myself (not retail) and appreciate the guy on the main street has a higher cost base than the lad operating out of his garage.
Over 20% and it's online all the way!

unhappys10

Heebie wrote: »

The ones you got are probably knock-offs that cost $10 to make.

No, they weren't.

Ceepo

unhappys10 wrote: »

This support Irish thing is usually a crock of sh1t.
Rip off Ireland puts anyone off who may want to buy local.

One example in my case. I wanted a pair of brand name boots. In the store here they were 160. I got the same pair on Amazon for 85 delivered. I could have just about gotten 2 pairs for what the Irish store wanted.

An extreme example but there are thousands of similar stories i'm sure.

I'll always go with the best deal. Got to look after number one.

Are amazon a good place to call on when the local sports club, school, town Hall etc etc are looking to raise some funds
I some how doubt it.

Usually people turn to local businesses for support. Great how that works.

The Belly

RocketRaccoon wrote: »

Shop local my bollox, shop whoever has the best deal. Supporting those shops is supporting price gouging.

I know, they have families etc etc etc. So do I, I'll spend wherever gives me the best price for the item I want.

That is a race to the bottom.

Poorside

Don't forget, the "big" stores are also employing local people.

Bikerman2019

When all the small local businesses have closed and gone, where are your daughters/sons/wives/husbands going to find work?


It is already happening and your are blinkered in your views. Why not close down all local businesses now and just order from the multinational warehouses like amazon. Stack it high, sell it cheap. That's if you have a job to earn the money to buy the stuff.


I know a village in Dublin where a hard german discounter came into a warehouse unit. Wiped out everything around it. Super cheap, employs about 6 people and cost 20 people locally their jobs.


Watch and see

Antares35

Cost would be the biggest factor I imagine. I've a lot of pets and our monthly food bill for them is higher than average. So we have shopped around. Cheapest place to get their food is online (per pet, it works out cheaper to feed them on premium quality stuff that we import rather than buying supermarket stuff).

I mentioned to our local pet shop before that the food I get online is much cheaper. With the sterling exchange we were paying 45euro for 12 kilo and he was charging 75euro for 10 kilo. He said best he could do was knock a fiver off. I understand, he has staff and overheads etc. But since I'm feeding six rescues, I don't have the luxury of supporting local. Maybe if I just had one!

JizzBeans

Bikerman2019 wrote: »

When all the small local businesses have closed and gone, where are your daughters/sons/wives/husbands going to find work?


It is already happening and your are blinkered in your views. Why not close down all local businesses now and just order from the multinational warehouses like amazon. Stack it high, sell it cheap. That's if you have a job to earn the money to buy the stuff.


I know a village in Dublin where a hard german discounter came into a warehouse unit. Wiped out everything around it. Super cheap, employs about 6 people and cost 20 people locally their jobs.


Watch and see

But where are daughters/sons/wives/husbands working now?


I presume your happy with the big multinationals here that supply the latest phones, social media platforms and medicines?

MrMusician18

JizzBeans wrote: »

During times of economic hardship and now during Covid, we hear things like "support local business" and "Buy Irish", etc. It does seem like the right thing to do, but when you think about it, it doesn't make that much sense.


For example, there are two local stores in my area, a men's clothing shop and a medium to large size department store. They both have been in the town 20+ years, well known places and folks would often say "its been there donkeys years" or "id be sad to see it go" etc. And have names like "Jims Menswear" (Not real name)


However, with the expansion of the town over the years, chains in shopping centers and the rise of online shopping, the last 10 years or so have not been kind to either store. It's painfully obvious how dated both stores are, overpriced, not keeping up with fashion, dilapidated storefronts etc.


In the men's store window,no lie, you will see an outfit like a Ben Sherman shirt and boot cut wrangular jeans pinned to a back board with wrangular shoes, like boys used to wear in school, sitting on the floor in front. In the department store you will see, loads of shelves with tacky ornaments and knick knacks. It does have several departments to be fair, garden, home-ware, cloths etc but poor variety in each and quite pricey. And this is just two examples of many similar business'. Every town has them food stores, clothing, hardware etc.


How does it make sense to shop in these depressing awful places? And why are we set upon with this unfair expectation of helping out a local business that is struggling. If a business cant survive then it should fold, it makes economic sense, its how good economies thrive.




Thoughts?

The real problem with these kind of campaigns is that they never work. At best they can put a business on life support, but they never save a business. This is ultimately not enough shoppers will buy into the campaign and will always seek the best value.

For the businesses you mention above - a buy local campaign will do nothing for them. What they generally need is a ruthless cost cutting exercise as well as significant investment. A huge problem for old retail particularly in small towns is that they are stale - they've been doing the same thing for the last 20-30 years since they started/inherited the business and have had next to zero investment particularly in the last 10 years since the crash.

Business, be that local, regional or multinational can only survive in a fair market if they are competitive. That means business needs to constantly innovate and needs to be constantly investing. It also needs to recognise when the game is up and not to be chasing losses.

JizzBeans

Another particularly toxic narrative is that "online shopping is killing the high street". The high street is not entitled to shoppers money.

And then to guilt trip said shoppers with selfish nonsense like "I employ 10 people" or "My employees have mortgages" is downright contemptuous.

Antares35

JizzBeans wrote: »

Another particularly toxic narrative is that "online shopping is killing the high street". The high street is not entitled to shoppers money.

And then to guilt trip said shoppers with selfish nonsense like "I employ 10 people" or "My employees have mortgages" is downright contemptuous.

True. Wasn't there talk a while ago from retailers who wanted an online shopping levy? Like, we are being told to limit social interactions etc so you would think online shopping would be promoted, but retailers wanted us to face a financial sanction for doing so. Then again that's Ireland - always the stick, never the carrot.

JustAThought

Drive the length of Ireland off the motorways - it is full of desolate bleak barren villages and run down town riddled with abandoned and empty units. If you want busy villages with local shops and part time jobs for your families and teenagers and little sweet shops to drop into and pick up a newspaper & have a chat & buy a something for an occasion for yourself or your kids then you should support local businesses. There is more to the economy and creating and sustaIning communities than getting a bargain price. Look at the miners towns in the uk - when the main businesses went everything collapsed and while generations have had to emigrate or live with no hope. There was a famous book in the 60’s written about the decline of rural Irish towns, the loss of the youth to no opportunities or local employment and the exodus of young and families from villages and areas that had nothing left open in them - this is exactly that over again.
‘No-one shouted stop’.

worded

Local bike shop or an online retailer ?
For me LBC is better

Tesco veg or local veg shop
Local veg shop if I can

I like to deal with the person running any business like plumber etc

Local coffee shop or Starbucks ?

The list goes on

Poorside

Bikerman2019 wrote: »

When all the small local businesses have closed and gone, where are your daughters/sons/wives/husbands going to find work?


It is already happening and your are blinkered in your views. Why not close down all local businesses now and just order from the multinational warehouses like amazon. Stack it high, sell it cheap. That's if you have a job to earn the money to buy the stuff.


I know a village in Dublin where a hard german discounter came into a warehouse unit. Wiped out everything around it. Super cheap, employs about 6 people and cost 20 people locally their jobs.


Watch and see

And how many people are shopping there?

Are you shopping there? Be honest.

smellyoldboot

The very idea and concept of owning and running a shop is capitalism at its most basic and pure. And the fairest facet of capitalism is that it in theory at least, offers everyone the opportunity to compete in the same market, you simply have to offer a better product or price to succeed.

In that regard we owe nothing in particular to local retailers. They provide a product or service with the aim of turning a profit. If someone else can offer the same or better product at a better price, they must play the game they signed up to. Compete or die. It's only fair.

Poorside

JizzBeans wrote: »

Another particularly toxic narrative is that "online shopping is killing the high street". The high street is not entitled to shoppers money.

And then to guilt trip said shoppers with selfish nonsense like "I employ 10 people" or "My employees have mortgages" is downright contemptuous.

Yup, I have a good friend that has a high street shop, it's a 40 minute drive for me and I dont know if he has anything I want, I really want to help him and have bought a few bits to show support, I know there are shops that are ' big' retailers near me that have what I want when I want it, and they employ people I know.

Rubberchikken

I have no problem supporting local until I get to the shop to find they don't stick what I actually want. I've neither the time or patience to go around the town to see if some local shop has it so it's a lot easier to get it online if I can.

I buy all our groceries locally, newspapers on Saturdays and Sundays from a small local family owned newsagent, coal in the local coop etc but we buy excellent quality pet food online as it's not available in any shop in our town, it's great value and over 10 euro is delivery free.

Local businesses need to get their act together. They can't just rely on the good will of locals.

Padre_Pio

JustAThought wrote: »

There was a famous book in the 60’s written about the decline of rural Irish towns, the loss of the youth to no opportunities or local employment and the exodus of young and families from villages and areas that had nothing left open in them - this is exactly that over again.
‘No-one shouted stop’.

Rural towns have always been black holes with little opportunity.
If you're not in farming or some local manufacture, then there's not really much point hanging around on the dole or minimum wage.
The 2008 recession killed off a lot of local businesses and forced a big move to cities. That's only going to happen again.

Besides, the majority of people don't want a rural life, living in a village that only has a shop, a pub and a church.
People go to college and realise there's more to life than the few square miles where they grew up.

Mr_Muffin

I'm barely making ends meet as it is, but now I'm expected to shop local and more often than not, pay more? No thanks.

Poorside

Mr_Muffin wrote: »

I'm barely making ends meet as it is, but now I'm expected to shop local and more often than not, pay more? No thanks.

I'm all for it, not spending more on the same item though because the owner is from the town or went to the same school, I know this sounds wrong, my family first and then I'll do what I can do.

Gerry T

I think when supporting irish its the producer thats important. So if its local butchers or a fruit and veg I don't mind paying a bit over the odds. But the likes of clothes shops, no i wouldn't. On line will remove all the high street costs which are substantial. The new "middle man" is the online retailer. If the goods are irish produced they you are supporting local.
Where possible its good to support local.

The Belly

JizzBeans wrote: »

Another particularly toxic narrative is that "online shopping is killing the high street". The high street is not entitled to shoppers money.

And then to guilt trip said shoppers with selfish nonsense like "I employ 10 people" or "My employees have mortgages" is downright contemptuous.

If you remove local shops you remove jobs and with every job you take away that is another person on the dole and amazon wins. Now i dont know about you but they pay f..k all tax here.

RocketRaccoon

The Belly wrote: »

If you remove local shops you remove jobs and with every job you take away that is another person on the dole and amazon wins. Now i dont know about you but they pay f..k all tax here.

How much are you willing to pay a local shop over the Amazon price? Personally I think its madness

The Belly

RocketRaccoon wrote: »

How much are you willing to pay a local shop over the Amazon price? Personally I think its madness

Well thats one view. However, if you remove a countries ability to provide for it self it will effect all of us so the extra 1 or 2 is worth it imo. With what has been said its biting of your nose to spite your face. Case in point the good ol USA.

bobbyy gee

Yes it's good to see empty shops on the town if old people want to go shopping they can walk 5 miles for some bread and milk

KyussB

It's about our countries trade balance, how buying local keeps us competitive internationally.

How economies of scale allowing cheaper/more-competitive prices inherently leads to monopoly advantage, when anti-monopoly laws are not strong enough or not enforced (and conversely: allowing massive jacking up of prices once the competition is eliminated, or when a cartel of like-minded companies wanting to jack up prices, are the only competitors left).

How excessive business rents make local business uncompetitive, due to over-financialization of our economy leading to the warping of the rental/property market.

How everybodies disposable income is being squeezed in order to give the powerful/wealthy/finance a greater share of the economic pie over time - driving people to give their money to the same powerful/wealthy/financial interests when buying cheaper products, instead of to local business and local people who are also being squeezed by the same interests, causing many of them to sell at uncompetitive prices...


So yes, this is all interconnected, with how every one of us are being shafted by the powerful/wealthy - with these conditions principally created by our gargantuan (relative to domestic sector) unregulated finance sector.

Being whores to international finance and monopolistic multinationals seeking favourable tax treatment and lax regulations, has a cost for our domestic economy - as does the corruption of our politics that is required to enable the lack of adequate laws/regulations and enforcement that these foreign companies want, as it creates the same rot in our domestic economy.

Kaybaykwah

Talking Canada here, but mainly bigger chains versus small doesn't always equate with bigger/cheaper. There is a local chain of hardware stores (Canac) that is much smaller than the other players like Home Depot and they sell a lot of products at sometimes half the price of their competitors. I always stake them out before I buy anywhere else.

unhappys10

Ceepo wrote: »

Are amazon a good place to call on when the local sports club, school, town Hall etc etc are looking to raise some funds
I some how doubt it.

Usually people turn to local businesses for support. Great how that works.

I don't care about the local GAA sports club who is run by a crowd with more than enough money. Also don't care about the local state ran school who isn't going to go under. Town Hall, give me a break.

It's about number one. I'm not going to work and consistently pay 160 for something that I can get for 85 and neither would you so get off the high horse.
Anyone who says they would is a liar.

Ceepo

unhappys10 wrote: »

I don't care about the local GAA sports club who is run by a crowd with more than enough money. Also don't care about the local state ran school who isn't going to go under. Town Hall, give me a break.

It's about number one. I'm not going to work and consistently pay 160 for something that I can get for 85 and neither would you so get off the high horse.
Anyone who says they would is a liar.

Not on any high horse I can assure you.
And why wouldn't you get something from amazon for half price.
That's the beauty of buying of the Internet, you are bound to come across a bargain from some retailer when you are in the market. No doubt some retailers are discounting items from time to time, as do local retailers when they have their bargain rails/shelf or sales.

But there is a lot more to buying local.
As someone who is self employed in the service industry, I know the cost to running a business, and I depend on local people buy my service. In turn when Joe/Jane come selling tickets etc for what ever fundraiser they depend on the like of me to support them.
Or when I'm looking for something, the person selling it or someone related will probably look for me services at some point. Like it or not that's the way things work.

Now I could take the me me me attitude that you are taking, but I wouldn't be in business very long.
Enjoy your time in your me me me bubble.

ted1

Heebie wrote: »

The ones you got are probably knock-offs that cost $10 to make.

Or they sell 100 paid a day. Get them cheaper from the manufacture, pay little taxes , have 1 staff per 10,000 sales, paying minimum wage.

It’s expensive to run a store in a town with a low turnover of stock.

unhappys10

Ceepo wrote: »

Not on any high horse I can assure you.
And why wouldn't you get something from amazon for half price.
That's the beauty of buying of the Internet, you are bound to come across a bargain from some retailer when you are in the market. No doubt some retailers are discounting items from time to time, as do local retailers when they have their bargain rails/shelf or sales.

But there is a lot more to buying local.
As someone who is self employed in the service industry, I know the cost to running a business, and I depend on local people buy my service. In turn when Joe/Jane come selling tickets etc for what ever fundraiser they depend on the like of me to support them.
Or when I'm looking for something, the person selling it or someone related will probably look for me services at some point. Like it or not that's the way things work.

Now I could take the me me me attitude that you are taking, but I wouldn't be in business very long.
Enjoy your time in your me me me bubble.

Oh I will, I'm not the one depending on anyone, so enjoy yourself

Ceepo

unhappys10 wrote: »

Oh I will, I'm not the one depending on anyone, so enjoy yourself

YET!!

The Belly

Ceepo wrote: »

YET!!

give it time that tune will change.

sheepskin1234

Haven't read any of the thread but I will not be going out of my way to support local businesses.

I see on my local (basically suburb of Dublin) facebook page people are posting "go out and support local!!". I think this is virtue signalling of the highest order.

Let's take a look at my towns businesses of mostly cafes/pub grubs:

- Most of the pubs/restaurants are there years and years and I think most of them are owned outright so no rent. They may have got payment breaks if they did rent.

- They got 350 per week while they were closed

- They got rates suspended for several months.

- They were operating takeaways while officially being closed, thus making income while still getting the 350 a week.

- They're getting restart grants - 15k+

- There's pent up demand so people are desperate to go out for food, drinks etc.

- The tax payers are paying 203 euro per week for each of their staff

- VAT cut


So why should I go out and throw my hard earned money to those who are raking it in? And it's not like the staff benefit, when they're being subsidised by taxpayers. Business owners laid off those who they didn't need anyways by now.

I mean look at the staycationers, that's how you get repaid for supporting local. You get ripped off.

An owner who has a pub/restaurant that is mad busy was on tv saying how it's a disgrace and how he's disgusted with the business closures.

When the time comes I'll be buying their tax returns to see how they did.

We're throwing silly money at businesses, they must be laughing behind it all. And then in a few years the tax payers will have to pay it all back anyways!

And lastly, I guess when people say "support local!" they mean don't buy in multinationals. WHO THE HELL WORKS IN THE CHAINS ONLY LOCALS. If you don't shop in your starbucks then it'll close and those locals lose their jobs. Even if I'm buying on Amazon I'm supporting local couriers. It's all tosh.

sheepskin1234

Ceepo wrote: »

Are amazon a good place to call on when the local sports club, school, town Hall etc etc are looking to raise some funds
I some how doubt it.

Usually people turn to local businesses for support. Great how that works.

Cut out the middleman sure and just use your savings and give it direct to your club.

BTW there's plenty of multinationals who support local causes!

sheepskin1234

Bikerman2019 wrote: »

When all the small local businesses have closed and gone, where are your daughters/sons/wives/husbands going to find work?


It is already happening and your are blinkered in your views. Why not close down all local businesses now and just order from the multinational warehouses like amazon. Stack it high, sell it cheap. That's if you have a job to earn the money to buy the stuff.


I know a village in Dublin where a hard german discounter came into a warehouse unit. Wiped out everything around it. Super cheap, employs about 6 people and cost 20 people locally their jobs.


Watch and see

We should never have rolled out electricity because the candlestick makers lost their jobs.

CoronaBlocker

unhappys10 wrote: »

This support Irish thing is usually a crock of sh1t.
Rip off Ireland puts anyone off who may want to buy local.

One example in my case. I wanted a pair of brand name boots. In the store here they were 160. I got the same pair on Amazon for 85 delivered. I could have just about gotten 2 pairs for what the Irish store wanted.

An extreme example but there are thousands of similar stories i'm sure.

I'll always go with the best deal. Got to look after number one.

I saved €2,100 on my kayak and surrounding bits and pieces by using (international) online shopping. My PFD alone was €95 cheaper online. Of course I feel terrible and guilty and sad... but I'm also very happy and wealthier sooooooo...

Wanderer78

CoronaBlocker wrote:

I saved €2,100 on my kayak and surrounding bits and pieces by using (international) online shopping. My PFD alone was €95 cheaper online. Of course I feel terrible and guilty and sad... but I'm also very happy and wealthier sooooooo...

An understandable outcome and feeling, but if we continue to behave as such, we increase the likelihood of economic instability, by reducing the velocity of money in our own economy. But I completely understand why people behave like this, I do myself, I always think, if the local price is similar to the alternative, even if it's slightly higher, and you can afford it, please go with the local option

Padre_Pio

CoronaBlocker wrote: »

I saved €2,100 on my kayak and surrounding bits and pieces by using (international) online shopping. My PFD alone was €95 cheaper online. Of course I feel terrible and guilty and sad... but I'm also very happy and wealthier sooooooo...

Where did you buy your gear?

The issue I have with Irish food and drinks manufacturers is that most of their money for services and equipment goes to the UK, yet they're the first ones to bleat about supporting Irish by supporting them.

Wanderer78

ReginaldSmythV wrote:

The issue I have with Irish food and drinks manufacturers is that most of their money for services and equipment goes to the UK, yet they're the first ones to bleat about supporting Irish by supporting them.

A large proportion of the wealth created, probably ends up all over the planet

Two examples:

1.) My local butchers opens at 10 and closes at 5. His food is excellent, though a little bit dearer than say Lidl, but I've no issue paying a bit more for better stuff. He is impossible to get to normally. I was in there pre-COVID when I had a day off and was giving out about the lack of business. I asked if he ever thought about changing his hours, opening late even one day a week and he laughed in my face.

Fast forward to this month, and there's a whole host of people who are now working from home or who are free during the day. Place is as busy as I've ever seen it, queues out the door. What's your man's first response........?

Jacks up the price on absolutely everything, have to squeeze every last egg out of the golden goose of course

.

2) Attended the fair / market in St Annes around the same time. Bought a few bits, including some pressed apple juice from a local farmer at €4 per litre. It was expensive, but nice and they obviously had to put work in to produce it, so fair enough.

They were also selling cups of mulled cider, which included some ginger cordial (basically ginger mi-wadi). They were selling that cordial for something like €12 per bottle. I started laughing, and said "sure you can probably pick that up on amazon for under a fiver" and she said "if you can get that for a fiver, send me a link because I get it for €7.50 and add on my own mark-up. I only have a couple of bottles here cos it doesn't sell very well".

Ignoring, for a second, the 60% mark-up on an item that required nothing other than to be transported.....I whipped out my phone and placed an order for 4 bottles on amazon, for £12.50 delivered. I even gave her the link. Two weeks later, passed the same stall and she had about 20 bottles of it sitting on a table with a sign that said "Now reduced....was €12, now two bottles for €20".

TL;DR - I'm all for shopping local. What I'm not all for, is someone pissing down my trouser leg and telling me it's raining. Globalisation has led us to realise that we are being taken for mugs. Everything in this country is a rip-off, none more so than anything which is"locally sourced, organically farmed, asbestos-free artisanal bollocks".

If your business is struggling because your prices are too high, then reduce your prices. Otherwise, it's not a viable business. Should it be more acceptable for Irish taxi drivers to charge more than foreigners because you're supporting local businesses? Or how about a plumber, painter, carpenter? Of course not. Then why should retail be any different?

Padre_Pio

At least that practice of reselling is dying out. I suppose the opposite though is showrooming, trying something on in a shop and buying it cheaper online.

JizzBeans

Even in the last week alone there has been a noticeable increase in the "spend local" noise. I refuse to spend local just for the sake of it.

3DataModem

There's about 4 Amazon employees in Ireland for every town (3000 employees, about 800 towns above a certain size threshold).