@savagewolf

great post and you make really good points. and to many extents i agree.

but i also have to agree with the others in saying its the market that determines somethings value. maybe the LBS, or atleast as we know it, is an antiquated concept that just can't be successful in the 21st century. perhaps its their failure to innovate and adapt to the market which has lead to their own failure to thrive.

its really hard to justify paying the premium of the exact same product at a brick and mortar just so they can make their overhead. and for some, this might be reasonable. but for many others it might not be. college students on a tight budget for example, other low income people, or people like me who live car free and are inconvenienced by all the time and effort it takes for them to order something I need. why should I have to waste so much time making multiple trips to a from an LBS to pick up a specially ordered product and on top of that pay the LBS premium, when I can just order from amazon for much cheaper and have it delivered to my doorstep???