Originally Posted by
e2py
The below link presents the point of view from the bicycle retailer/LBS side of things and makes an interesting read:
Bicycle Retailer thread titled "Internet Mail Order is Killing Me"
Here's a preview: "I've had customers drag in more discounted mail order product through my doors these past few weeks than I have sold all month....."
Going to say this, in addition to my invaluable earlier post.
Any business, whether it's a bike shop or anything else, that doesnt' have a presence on the internets, isn't tapping into its full customer base. Local has lost all meaning for non-perishable products. There are even bakeries and pizza shops that are on the web, shipping their products worldwide in some cases.
I buy a lot of stuff on the web simply for convenience, not even because it's cheaper. Like all of you, my time is limited. So I "shop" late at night after the kids are in bed. The savings are only part of the attraction of buying on the web.