Guilt and the Local Economy

The economic downturn has effected everyone in one degree or another. It has made me more sensitive to the needs of local merchants and small businesses. These are often companies which, because of their small size, are not as resilient as larger companies, and therefore not as able to absorb the ups and downs of the market. I bake and sell cinnamon rolls as a hobby, and of the five coffee shops I once supplied, three have gone out of business, one is struggling mightily, and the fifth is having a hard time selling rolls.

So, I am sensitive to the local merchants, and really, really want to support small, local, independents as much as possible.

It is just hard. I am not alone in that assessment.

When it comes to books, I tend to buy everything from Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Prime member, which means that after paying one fee each year, we can order anything from them and it is sent within 24 hours and ships free 2nd-day. So, normally, within two or three days of placing my order, I have what I was after. For $3.95 more, no matter the size of the item, I can have it the next day.

That is hard to beat.

But I wanted to try. So, at Christmas, I really wanted to buy The Tale of Despereaux. There is only one independent children’s bookshop near our house, and it is a 20 minute drive from our house, but I went there. It was small, but pleasant, and had one remaining copy, which I immediately snapped up. The kind proprietor suggested another book by the same author, and being a sucker for books, I bought that one, too.

That of course is the value of the independent, local bookstore. Personal service. I paid for the books, and while I waited for them to gift wrap them for me (for free) I wandered next door to look at the grown-up book store (‘adult’ bookstore would convey the wrong impression). There I found a book that I had been wanting to read, Good to Great, by Jim Collins. HPC associate Geoff loved it, and loaned me his copy, but I want to own my own so that I can mark it up. However, the book was $29.99, and it was Christmas, and one ought not to buy things for himself at Christmas. So, I let it be.

After Christmas, I began pondering all of this. I still wanted the book, so I decided to try an experiment. What would be the cost of supporting the local economy versus not doing so? Pretty steep in this regard. If I were to buy Good to Great, here would be the consequent costs:

Local bookshop:
Price of book: $31.94 (including tax)
Time to drive to and from store, pick it out, pay for it, etc.: One hour ($20.00@$20/hour) I’m not paid by the hour, but I chose this rate just for arguments’ sake.
Cost of trip at $.20/mile: $5.00
Total cost: $56.94
Obviously, I wouldn’t necessarily incur all those costs. I’d probably try to combine trips so that the time and transportation costs would be reduced. We still might be looking at $35-$40.

Used, online:
Price of book: $11.49 (including tax and shipping)
Time to find and order online: 15 minutes ($5.00)
Total cost: $16.49
With this, I’ve saved a minimum of $20 and perhaps much more. My time is hard to calculate, since it is, in once sense, priceless.
Amazon.com
Price of book: $18.87 (including tax and shipping)
Time to find and order online: 45 seconds ($0.30)
Total cost: $19.17
With this, I’ve saved at least $15, and still have a brand new book.

If I were closer to the bookstore, perhaps things would be different. I’d calculate the value of the relationship with the store owner, the value of visibility as a Christian, the opportunity to meet other book lovers, and so on. However sheepishly I must do it, I find I’ll still be buying books from the big boys online. It is just too convenient. And cheap.