Shopping online vs. shopping local, which is better?

[irickchad]

Just wanted to gauge opinions of others on the forum on this subject. I'm lucky enough to have a great local dog store that sells pretty much every high class brand of dogfood aside from Orijen. (TOTW, Fromm's, Canidae, BB, Etc.) I feel the need to support such a great local business, but on average, they want $8 more per bag, of most foods than good online sites, compared to online sites such as chewy.com. It doesn't sound like a lot, but average in 1 30lb bag per month at $8/month and it adds up over time. So what do all of you GS.com members do? Shop local, or shop online? I know it's great to keep local businesses thriving, but an abundance of coupons and free shipping sure seem awesome, especially when you're on a budget!

[MichaelE]

I'm not driving 50 miles to go shopping for Lisl when I literally have the world at my fingertips via the internet.

The internet is a powerful medium.

I would support a local store if one existed.

[Gretchen]

I'm all for supporting local business, but when it comes to the bottom line - it's important that I'm the one who profits in the end. I do 50/50. I buy our prepared, frozen raw and cat food from the local store, and dehydrated raw 50% online from the brand directly.

[mego]

online for food, local store for certain healthy treats and a few other things!

[lemonadeicedtea]

I shop online for the majority of our supplies, but I'll pick up small goods/treats/sale items from local stores that have kind staff and don't bat an eye when we come in to socialize or work on our obedience. I consider it rent for using their space.

[Cheyanna]

Sorry, I am a capitalist pig. I buy what and where is cheaper for me. But I am constantly comparison shopping. Found an elevated feeder at local feed store that was cheaper than Walmart. When I bought it I told them they were cheaper than Walmart. Went back a few weeks later to get the same thing and they had added $7 to the price.


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[Chicagocanine]

I've done both, but generally I shop around and buy from wherever I can get the best deal.

[middleofnowhere]

Where I am right now, small local stores seem next to nonexistent or they don't keep late hours. We have the big box pet stores and big box everything else. When it is convenient for me, I shop the smaller hardware stores. WalMart may be cheaper than anywhere else but it is cheaper in a lot of respects besides price -- employees, suppliers, etc. I buy food from the manufacturer (small, family owned). I pay for shipping. My conscience (sp) feels good. No local store seems to stock the supplies I've looked for recently (schutzhund dumbells, fur saver collars) with the exception of a long line (15 ft & 30 ft) and Kongs. I got the long lines at Tractor Supply & Kongs there and Farmer's Association. I happened onto an "on sale" slop restricting feeder at Lowes (not exactly a little family place) - it took over for the Chum Bowl which wasn't cutting it with the current two and did the job. Price was right enough that it would have been fine just for the two stainless bowls.
I also try to shop made in USA/Canada or other countries that have somewhat reasonable working conditions. (ie try to avoid sweatshop made stuff).
I buy a lot of stuff used but not dog food! Got plenty of used dog food to pick up in the backyard!!!

[Jag]

I don't buy dog food online, but just about everything else. I want a certain quality and specific things which the stores just don't seem to have. Nothing is close to me, either. It was nice before we moved that everything was five minutes or less of a drive. Now, shipping beats the gas prices! I do buy my parrots' food online, because I can't get it locally. However, it's a small business I buy it from...so I'm good with that. In fact nearly everything I buy for my parrots comes from this one small online store. I have been acquainted with the owner since before she opened it. She knows my flock, and knows what I order. I will buy some dog toys from Petsmart, but not a lot.

[Chicagocanine]

Also wanted to add/clarify- for things like supplies/toys/foods I do look for made in USA/Canada, good quality items; I don't pick things by price alone or choose the least expensive/cheap made ones (I usually look at reviews and ask peoples' experiences if it's a bigger or more important purchase). What I do is look for good prices for the particular item and especially if it is something big or that I am going to be buying regularly, if I can get it for significantly less online or from a different store I will buy it there. For example when I bought a pet fountain, i chose the one that looked the best for what I wanted, but When I found the brand I wanted I looked around to find the place with the best price (turned out to be Amazon IIRC). For pet food I sometimes just choose the most convenient place to buy it though, like if I am going to be near a certain store that I know carries it, or go to the closest store to my house, I haven't found any website that carries the brands I've used lately for a good price that would make it wor ordering. I did order some cat food online when they had a sale.
I do shop in locally owned/small stores when possible, though.