Originally Posted by
carpediemracing
We get another bit taken out monthly, the miles/rewards/corporate/etc fees. This bit is a lot. If I got paid in salary the fees we pay on the monthly bills I'd be getting a 400% raise, and we're not a big store. In other words we could hire 4 more people for the cost of just the rewards/miles/etc fees. Since we have, usually, 2-3 people working each day, it would be a huge increase in personnel. Or a huge increase in profits. It's a LOT of money that we pay for those extras, and that's not including the transaction fee.
Therefore I try to buy things with checks from stores I care about, esp if it's under $200 or so. I make exceptions for the amount - I paid for my frames using checks.
For bigger purchases I tend to use my card (it has a rewards type thing on it). I also use the card if I figure the huge company has worked that into their margin (Tire Rack, Newegg, etc) or if the prices are high for smaller quantities (Mouser, McMaster).
If I couldn't buy it with a rebate credit card, I would go to another source. Checks are history plus they give you about zero protection. Like I said earlier, my Amex gives me almost 1.5% cash back. Smaller stores need to change quickly and offer something unique or go out of business.