Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike P
I think that a brick and mortar shop needs a few things to survive:
Good selection, low overhead, and an online ordering adjunct. Plus, staff that makes anyone who walks in feel welcome. The days of the old curmudgeon behind the counter greeting newcomers with a grunt, don't cut it any more.
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Right about M&Ds - Surfland is the same way, great people, always very helpful and friendly. Always try to shop through my local tackle shops.
Sorry to go down a tangent here ... but on the larger local business scene ... while I try to shop locally as much as possible, some of the attitudes of these small, specialized boutiques is so crappy - so misaligned that they are doing themselves and our local towns a disservice by being short sighted ...
... most anything you can get in a local shop you can either get through a big box store or online ... and many of the online shops will service you better, as they know it's required for them to survive ... however that doesn't always translate to the small brick and mortar shops ... there is a small children's clothing shop in Newburyport where I used to shop for my daughter's clothes ... while it was a lot more expensive, the owner always treated us great and my daughter was very responsive to her in terms of selecting functional clothes and it made it easy for me ... but she hired a manager who is a complete idiot, and now I will not spend a cent in that shop - and I go overboard for my daughter so it is a loss for her ... but I am seeing this across the stores throughout the area ... it's a simple formula and easy, common decency ... unfortunately many lose site of it and their businesses won't last too long with that attitude ... especially in this economy.
That is why I like shops like M&Ds, Surfland, Saltwater Edge ... nice people, nice to people who come into the shop ... well stocked, leave one satisfied for shopping there. For the benefit of our local economies, hopefully these other idiots will catch on.