Victoria merchants launch "Shop Local Victoria" movement

But you can't physically walk up to "Amazon" and buy the thing for pennies on the dollar -- you'll still have to order it and have it shipped to an American address or a middleman. And what's stopping you from having the thing shipped up to Canada?

As for that unit at that price on Amazon it's being sold by a third party dealer with only 4 ratings. Considering all other retailers selling this unit have priced it for $60 and up, I'd say what you're likely buying for $25 is a stolen or refurbished unit.

That's seriously you answer, Mike - that amazon is just an elaborate and the ultimate fence? C'mon, man!

And who cares if I can't walk into amazon? I walk into places here to do my research, buy it online and have it sent to a mailing house in WA state. It beats paying MSRP.

When I had my shop I couldn't compete on price so I tried to offer the most honest advice I could. You don't get free telephone support from the big companies. You don't free remote support from the big companies. You don't get to knock on the door ten minutes after the big box store has closed to pick something up.

When I had paying customers to service and jobs on the bench to take care of, I hated it when people were hounding me for free advice so they could go elsewhere to get the product cheaper. And trust me, after a while it wasn't hard to spot these people - especially when they said "well thanks for the advice, I'm going to Costco because it's cheaper". Then they had the audacity to phone back, tell me who they were and where they just bought the computer only to ask me how to set it up on the internet and for email while whining about Costco not helping them out.

And who cares if I can't walk into amazon? I walk into places here to do my research, buy it online and have it sent to a mailing house in WA state. It beats paying MSRP.

Since we're talking about Shop Local Victoria and local retailers, I just assumed that your pennies on the dollar statement applied to American retailers in Washington State, not a New Jersey-based outfit selling suspiciously cheap goods through Amazon and shipping them to a Washington State address.

OK, Mike: you can win at Vibrant Victoria, today.

I shop local if there is a benefit for me...

It seems to me that it's a major benefit to be able to walk down to a local establishment at your leisure and examine/handle a specific product... that you're eventually going to purchase at a cheaper price from some online retailer in another country that doesn't maintain a storefront and sales staff.

It seems to me that it's a major benefit to be able to walk down to a local establishment at your leisure and examine/handle a specific product... that you're eventually going to purchase at a cheaper price from some online retailer in another country that doesn't maintain a storefront and sales staff.

Ya, I guess it's nice. But I rely more and more on online reviews now when looking at stuff like electronics.

Food and clothes, that's what all retailers should move into. Those won't go away any time soon.

Ya, I guess it's nice. But I rely more and more on online reviews now when looking at stuff like electronics.

Food and clothes, that's what all retailers should move into. Those won't go away any time soon.

Well you can buy both online. We buy a lot of clothes and shoes from Lands End and LL Bean and others.

This makes me wonder when we'll reach the tipping point with increasing prices of booze at restaurants and pubs. Lots of drinks sell for exponentially more than what you pay at a liquor store -- say a vodka 7 -- for which you'll pay $6 or $7 a pop at a bar. If purchased at a liquor store the other 25 ounces of the spirit would cost you less than two or three additional drinks at that price.

In Australia restaurant patrons can bring their own alcohol (well, wine anyways) to a restaurant and have the server serve them. They just pay a nominal fee for the service and don't have to fork over $50 for a $20 bottle of wine. I wish we had the same here, if not for the oftentimes limited selection of wines, but mostly because of the exorbitant price for bottle service.

In Australia restaurant patrons can bring their own alcohol (well, wine anyways) to a restaurant and have the server serve them. They just pay a nominal fee for the service and don't have to fork over $50 for a $20 bottle of wine. I wish we had the same here, if not for the oftentimes limited selection of wines, but mostly because of the exorbitant price for bottle service.

I don't understand this though. If a restaurant is comfortable with making a "nominal fee" off a bottle brought in by patrons, why not just sell your own stock at cost plus the "nominal fee" (or a little more for the convenience of stocking the bottle)? Or maybe when this policy is in place, you still only get 20% of your patrons doing this, so the other 80% still enjoy paying the regular mark-up... and those 20% are tables that would normally go empty anyway.

But even that this type of policy is necessary shows you how silly pricing is for booze in general. You'd never need a "bring-your-own-ice cream" restaurant, where patrons can have staff serve you the ice cream you bring in, for a "nominal fee".

From what I hear it's quite the thing to do over there, especially if you're heading to a restaurant/eatery (think Little Thai Place or a similar outfit) that doesn't necessarily stock a variety of wines or cares to.

If you think about it the single most hyper-inflated consumer item must be alcohol at restaurants and pubs/bars. Is there anything else that costs at least 8x as much to purchase at a retail store (in this case a pub or restaurant) compared to a wholesale distributor?

From what I hear it's quite the thing to do over there, especially if you're heading to a restaurant/eatery (think Little Thai Place or a similar outfit) that doesn't necessarily stock a variety of wines or cares to.

If you think about it the single most hyper-inflated consumer item must be alcohol at restaurants and pubs/bars. Is there anything else that costs at least 8x as much to purchase at a retail store (in this case a pub or restaurant) compared to a wholesale distributor?

Someone, somewhere, wrecked the model. I should have to pay $30 to go to even an average nightclub, then pay less for drinks. But some turkey, somewhere, decided he'd make it free entry, then charge lots for booze.

The fact is, you are paying for the room, the staff to look after you, all the other junk in the price of the booze. When you go to a hockey game, you pay 10x or 1000x or infinity x more to see the game live, than at home. People will pay for that atmosphere. Trick is, don't charge $12 for a double hi-ball or $80 for a $25 bottle of wine unless you have some damn good atmosphere to go along with it.

Agreed. Problem is, even the lamest restaurant in town will charge the going rate for bottle service regardless of how nondescript their interior decor or service may be.

But by the same token why is the booze hyper-inflated in price and not the food? I mean I can go into the fanciest restaurant in town and order a phenomenal meal for a reasonable price. Same service, same atmosphere, same experience.

Throw in a glass of wine and you're paying $9 a pop for a glass from a bottle that cost no more than $20 at a BC Liquor Store. Order a drink and you're paying $7-$9 for an ounce of liquor and a few gulps of in-house cola.

^ Because wine is the optional "luxury".

So what does this tell about us as a society where we'll happily open up our wallets to pay exorbitant prices for mediocre alcoholic beverages at mediocre restaurants and pubs, but the moment a local retailer charges a few bucks more for an item we'll decry them as inefficient, money-grabbing, and hoping-for-a-subsidy merchants?

It's quite the phenomenon. Literally people will balk at a slightly higher price for a hammer at Joe's Hardware but they'll walk across the street and spend who knows how much to booze up a x-times the cost of buying the booze at a liquor store -- and they'll be happy to do it.

So what does this tell about us as a society where we'll happily open up our wallets to pay exorbitant prices for mediocre alcoholic beverages at mediocre restaurants and pubs, but the moment a local retailer charges a few bucks more for an item we'll decry them as inefficient, money-grabbing, and hoping-for-a-subsidy merchants?

It's quite the phenomenon. Literally people will balk at a slightly higher price for a hammer at Joe's Hardware but they'll walk across the street and spend who knows how much to booze up a x-times the cost of buying the booze at a liquor store -- and they'll be happy to do it.

It tells me people are willing to pay to have fun. They dont sell "laughs", "feeling good", or "friends" on Amazon. They sell tangible goods that are exactly the same as the tangible goods sold at merchants locally.

I wonder if we will ever see a store that is solely advice. Maybe even an admission fee to touch and play with items. Order and ship, then go pick up the items once a week... Not sure if there is any money in that.

There was that catalogue store in Mayfair way back in the day. What was it called again? I think it was a national chain. Go in, ask around, look at some products, then fill out your order card and have it shipped.

Matt.

There was that catalogue store in Mayfair way back in the day. What was it called again? I think it was a national chain. Go in, ask around, look at some products, then fill out your order card and have it shipped.

Matt.

Consumer something or other. I remember buying some home phones and stuff there.

Were the products significantly cheaper when purchased from such a catalog or were you just able to acquire a greater variety of product than what was available locally?

^I remember that store. It was where Toys R Us is now. They tried to get into the type of business Sears was running away from at the time. Of course, it failed. I don't recall exceptionally low prices.

Which goes to show, people in general would prefer not to order online or from a catalogue if they can get it right now, in person.

Consumer Distributors.

No, the prices weren't all the exceptional, they just had some pretty cutting-edge stuff, but this was before Future Shop, before London Drugs did electronics, before Wal-mart and before Zellers or whoever had electronics sections.

So they had cool stuff you could not find in department stores, so really their only competition was Radio Shack, but back then Radio Shack didn't do name brands, just their own like Realistic and Tandy. Maybe A & B Sound was a competitor back then, maybe the Sony Store was just showing up.

It didn't last all that long, for sure.