Mom and Pop store Vs Chain store

I support local stores until it reaches a point where I can't afford to buy whatever at that store (for example, our crate was an extra $150 at the local store vs buying online).  If it's just an inconvenience - maybe don't go out to a movie as often, for example 'cause I ay $7 for kitty litter instead of $4 - I'll support local stores. 
 
Our town is being overrun by Costco, Walmart, Home Depot, and all the other big box stores and I HATE IT.  We used to have such a nice small town community, and now we are starting to look like any ol' suburb out there. [:@]  It's all the city people who earned a ton of money, drove through town and said "Hey, this is a cute town. Let's move here." then realized they wanted all their big box stores... well go back where you came from if you want those things. We didn't ask you to move here. {/endrant}

I shop at Cold Spot Feeds, a local store. Fairbanks is a small town whose local economy can be very seriously and adversely affected by stores like WalMart (who have one huge store and now want to build another one--there is NO need for TWO WalMarts here). Their strategy of building more stores than they need in order to drive local shops out of business, and then closing their store(s) once they have sucked all the money out of it is legendary.

It's unfortunate that the Post and Base folks up here don't see how shopping at the Big Box Stores cuts off the local economy.

Recently an Old Navy (your place for cheap, sweatshop clothing from China), Petco (very few premium brands of dog food and little knowledge of local dog conditions), Barnes and Noble (we went to play Irish music for them for FREE on St. Pat's Day and were told to leave because they'd have to clear it with "Corporate" first), and Sportsmans Something or Other (lots more cheap Asian goods) opened up in a new strip mall.

I have little use for ANY of these stores! They are unfriendly, knee-jerk corporate people who know little to nothing of what it is to live here just below the Arctic Circle. Most of their goods are poor quality. They have no intention of even trying to fit in with the local friendly population.

Up here there is a tacit sense of taking care of each other. You have to be that way because in the winter you can freeze to death in about fifteen minutes, if you have an accident or are not dressed for the cold. Folks only started locking their doors in the last ten years. It was considered a social faux pas to lock your door, because if someone needed to get warm, a locked door meant death.

This community-mindedness is why these big stores are anathema to us up here. I avoid WalMart, I shop locally at our one bookstore that has new books, and I go to local feed stores because they are very knowledgeable and carry what I need.

Sorry for the soapbox, but I have good reasons for not liking those wasteful big stores.

For me, I can only find Blue Buffalo dog food at the PetSmart which is across the street from the WallyWorld.  PetSmart costs a lot more in general, Wally's being cheaper but more crowded, poorly trained and slllooowww pokey employees.  It drives me crazy to have to go there to save twenty five dollars on groceries and can't get my dog food there, and wait in a twenty yard long line with cranky kids yelling (or worse) while two cashiers act like lobotomy patients.  I have a mom and pop grocery close by that I like to support but they have a very limited variety of items so sometimes I have no choice where I shop.  Sheesh... Jules

I mostly shop at local stores, if at all possible. I work for small businesses, and I think they're great for the economy. I'd rather support local families than huge companies with possibly shady practices, anyways I'm fortunate to live in an area with a wide variety of local businesses. Tomorrow is my mom's dog's 13th birthday. I went into a local shop, and they're carrying hand made dog beds, now. He got a super nice, thick foam bed, covered in synthetic lambskin on top and pretty blue and green material on the bottom, for $39. It's a good sized dog bed, and similar products run $60+ at all the chain stores. Why not, right? LOL

Our town is being overrun by Costco, Walmart, Home Depot, and all the other big box stores and I HATE IT.  We used to have such a nice small town community, and now we are starting to look like any ol' suburb out there. [:@]  It's all the city people who earned a ton of money, drove through town and said "Hey, this is a cute town. Let's move here." then realized they wanted all their big box stores... well go back where you came from if you want those things. We didn't ask you to move here.

 
Here, here!
 
I pretty much buy all my dog or cat related stuff at one locally run business. The one time I took Maddi into a Petco, the employees ignored her (they loves pets, now don't they?) but the women that run this store adore Maddi and give her all sorts of treats, even though Maddi doesn't let anyone pet her. They always ask if I need help, but don't pester me about it if I say I'm just looking, (can't say that about a woman at an Abuchan Hardware recently!)
 
My family buys from big box stores because we don't have a ton of money, infact very little if any extra. But, I think we will be buying from local farmers this summer in an effort to support the local farmers rather than those out west that work for big box stores. I dislike them because most of the people who run them and work at them act like drones... if your LUCKY you can find someone at Home Cheapo to help you out with something... but, most of the time, NO ONE is in site when you need help.

Petsmart doesn't have the food I feed and I would have to drive there, so I hardly ever end up going.   I have a Pet Valu, Global Pet Foods and Bark & Fitz within walking distance, so I go to one of those.   They're all chains as well, but smaller (in the case of Bark & Fitz, very, very small) and better and with great staff what can give me advice and answer all my questions.   

I really like shopping at the small shops and getting to know the owners, etc.  But, I find they don't always have everything I need.  So,  I still go into the big stores too for convenience, price and selection.  I sometimes just don't have time to go to two places to get what I want.

Yeah, I feel like Walmart and similar stores, but especially Walmart, are creating people that need to shop there.  They employ people for cheap wages, they force their suppliers to provide goods at ever cheaper prices, which forces suppliers to ship their products from overseas because they can be made cheaper there.  Which means those suppliers don't buy/sell American made products.  Which means more Americans will be out of jobs or have to settle for low-paying jobs because that's what's out there.  Which means those people will shop at Walmart for the cheaper prices.  It's a vicious circle and my BF and I boycott Walmart.  Plus it sucks to shop there.

I agree that small shops don't always have what I need but the cost difference usually is a $1 or $2 depending on the item, if the small store has it, so I'll get it there instead of the chain.

I buy my food from a local store (only one store, not a chain). I think their prices are slightly higher than a large store, but the owner and I are members of the same kennel club and she gives members a discount. After the disount it ends up being the same price as the big stores (almost) so I don't usually go to the big stores anymore. The closest big store is about 40 minutes away anyway. The only problem we run into is that she often doesn't have enough food in stock. Other than that I like supporting my local businesses.

I tend to buy things at our local chain.  They're up to 5 stores, but they are the place that made high quality dog food readily available.  They also support local rescues.  They donate their house brand dog food to the county shelter so the animals are always eating the same relatively ok food while they're there and they sponsor two enormous pet events and the proceeds are donated to the rescues that participate.  Plus the staff is incredibly knowledgeable!

I walk into Pmart and no one knows anything about the products, the way the store runs, or dogs and dog behavior.  I go there for socialization and that's about it.  Ironically, the local place is in a huge warehouse, but it feels much friendlier and intimate than Pmart or Pco.  I don't mind paying a bit extra at the local place because I get so much more.

ORIGINAL: jensw

I support local stores until it reaches a point where I can't afford to buy whatever at that store (for example, our crate was an extra $150 at the local store vs buying online).  If it's just an inconvenience - maybe don't go out to a movie as often, for example 'cause I ay $7 for kitty litter instead of $4 - I'll support local stores. 

Our town is being overrun by Costco, Walmart, Home Depot, and all the other big box stores and I HATE IT.  We used to have such a nice small town community, and now we are starting to look like any ol' suburb out there.   It's all the city people who earned a ton of money, drove through town and said "Hey, this is a cute town. Let's move here." then realized they wanted all their big box stores... well go back where you came from if you want those things. We didn't ask you to move here. {/endrant}

i feel the same way. the town i live in used to be a nice small-medium sized town, but the edges still felt like you were living in the country. not any more. people who came through saw this as a nice place to live and immediately after moving here turned it into any other suburban area. what is more sad than that is the way the city and county council are continuously bending over backwards to get any and every "big box" to put more stores here. glad to see i'm not the only one who feels this way. 

ORIGINAL: jennie_c_d

I mostly shop at local stores, if at all possible. I work for small businesses, and I think they're great for the economy. I'd rather support local families than huge companies with possibly shady practices, anyways I'm fortunate to live in an area with a wide variety of local businesses. Tomorrow is my mom's dog's 13th birthday. I went into a local shop, and they're carrying hand made dog beds, now. He got a super nice, thick foam bed, covered in synthetic lambskin on top and pretty blue and green material on the bottom, for $39. It's a good sized dog bed, and similar products run $60+ at all the chain stores. Why not, right? LOL

i also feel this way. i have only ever worked for small businesses, and i try to support them as much as possible. small businesses breed innovation and entrepreneurship (sp?). without them our economy would become stagnant, and everything would become really homogenized. unfortunately small businesses are quickly disappearing from my town.

i also feel this way. i have only ever worked for small businesses, and i try to support them as much as possible. small businesses breed innovation and entrepreneurship (sp?). without them our economy would become stagnant, and everything would become really homogenized. unfortunately small businesses are quickly disappearing from my town.

I worked for a chain, for 8 months. It sucked, big time. I much prefer small businesses

I echo what Schleide said - I shop at a small, locally owned chain (3 stores) because they carry the food I want, will special order in just about anything I want, know me and my dogs when I come in and are very, very knowledgable about what the attributes, ingredients, pros and cons are of each food. Actual information about nutrition - not just which aisle and rack level to find it in.
 
Also, actually, PetSmart and PetCo don't carry Solid Gold, Innova or California Natural, so I couldn't price compare. I do buy some stuff there.  They have way more toys, accessories, etc.  Bought seat belts, harnesses and other stuff and took Pofi to their Head Start class for basic obedience and socialization.
 
And I do like supporting a local business.  We also try to patronize the local hardware store, though for some things, you're gonna end up at the big orange place!

I have to echo the sentiments of everyone else about the nicities of the little local stores. In the little store, even though they have some teenage or early twenties age girls working there, those girls know what they are talking about for the most part, and if not, they can always get one of the owners to tell you about it. One of the girls working there, although I haven't seen her for a while, so i'm not sure if she's not there anymore, or just because I haven't been in when she was there, was training a puppy as a service dog, I think for the Seeing Eye, and she'd bring it in to the store when she was working. I liked going in there to see the dog. The girls working there have also been there quite some time. So, as far as I can tell, they treat them well. They also don't do stupid things like try to take stuff out of Max's mouth like the people at the Pet Valu. Max took something from a bin in the Pet Valu, and the girl tried to get it from his mouth, while I told her not to do it. He would have given it up, considering he didn't even really like it (and once we got to the car, he refused to eat it), but she grabbed for it first. Max tried walking out the door with it, but I kinda said to him jokingly that we had to pay for it first, so it's not like I was going to just take it without paying. I would have actually traded him for something he likes better that would have cost more, but instead I just took one from the bin for her to ring up. When he took something from a bin at the little store, and there none of the same ones in the bin to ring up so we had to get it from him, the girl went and found a yummy treat to swap with him. I guess that just shows even more how the people in the chains can be clueless, and the people in the little stores know what they're doing.
The little place is also the only one in the area that carries the guinea pig food my sister uses for her guinea pigs, and they will also special order it for us in the 50lb bags.

The guy we used to buy our pet stuff from just retired...he had a wonderful little store but Global/Ryan's Pet foods came in and undercut all his business...his loyal customers stayed....always go for the small mom/pop operations...you get better service...