Do you use online supply sources, if not, why not?

[Lawntimes.com]

In todays world if you aren't pressed for time then you probably have gotten too old to remember all of the things you were supposed to get done.

I know that's how it is around here.

Any way, if you don't use an online source for buying supplies, why don't you?

What's the REAL reason for spending more time purchasing items that can be procured online for the same price (most times) as jumping in the truck and heading into town?

[Ultracut]

i use both the dealer and go online

[ian]

i order some parts on line from the U.S.A. because it's cheaper than buying from my local dealer i also order some parts on line from australian web sites and usually buy heavy/odd shaped [ expensive postage ] items or things i need immediately from my local dealer

[Rodfather]

my dealer comes first.

and it depends on what i am looking for and how soon i need it too before i go online.

[HLD]

I buy online or through catalogs rarely and only when needed. Priority for my dollars is local first, in-state second, big conglomerates third.

I often find that when I buy online, it takes just as long or longer by the time I've found it and gone through the check-out procedure as it would have to just work in a stop at the store along with another trip. Add in the wait for shipping and there's no time saved.

But mostly: I support my local guys first and often. We lost our hardware store this winter due to lack of business and now everyone bitches about driving 20 miles to buy a bolt and a nut. But you'd always see the same people parked at WalMart or Lowes before our little hardware store closed, so I don't see why they should complain. Pisses me off.

[Dvmcmr]

I hear ya Wayne, and tend to agree, however the more things change the more one has to change with it.

We had a local hardware store. Until this spring.
They couldn't compete with lowes and home depot, which both have a store within 10 miles of here.

The local hardware store was always more expensive, and the selection was always less than driving another 10 minutes to get what you wanted, or needed for less money.

At the end of the day it's a no brainer.

I understand your area is different from here, by a great measure, but we still reminisce of the days when business was all done locally.
That just doesn't exist here anymore.

[HLD]

Understood.

The main problem is, though, every other Brick and Mortar business in town suffers when another goes out of business.

Now I have to drive 20 miles to buy that bolt and nut, well as long as I'm here I might as well stop at Wally-World and buy my groceries, too. On the way home, well, as long as I'm shopping why dont I just gas up here? It's 4 cents a gallon cheaper, after all... Oooh. I'm going past Lowes, maybe I'll get the lumber to build Fido's new dog house.

Meanwhile our local gas stations, grocery store and lumber yard see fewer sales than they would have, all because there isn't a place to buy a bolt and a nut here in town.

It's a fight we've faced for some time here, and sounds like you face there too. Rural areas are awesome in so many ways, but there are big challenges to them too.

Maybe I'll just see if I can buy the old farm back home and live off the land.

[Lawntimes.com]

Originally Posted by HLD

Maybe I'll just see if I can buy the old farm back home and live off the land.

There is a certain allure to that these days.

[Mean Green]

I support my community and my dealer is one of my biggest customers. I can go in to my dealer anytime and get free advice too. Good relationships are a must in any business, has taken me quite awhile to build these up. Don't get me wrong though, some things I will purchase online, things my dealer doesn't carry.