I already dont have friends but Im gonna be hated for this one.

There seems to be a lot of people here that get down on others for not supporting their LBS. To you I ask, do you discourage those who frequent Starbucks or Blockbuster? I used to be able to go to my local coffee shop and sit comfortably on their nasty couch, chat and people watch. Along came Starbucks with their get in get out atmosphere and their coffee drones turning coffee into a McDonalds type transaction. And Blockbuster??? I know not everyones gonna understand this but they came along and what happened to your local video store that carried porn? Where do you guys get your porn now, order it online or go to a specialty store? Of course everyone has different needs and wants. You may say the consumers have spoken by taking their money elsewhere due to either lower prices or quality of service or just comfort in uniformity. I cant blame people for spending their money elsewhere and not supporting the places I thought were important. It's part of reality and the way things work.

Why chastise the consumer? Why not suggest that your LBS needs to change with the times and meet the peoples needs if they want to stay in business? I'm not saying they have to lower their prices, but people will go where they feel their money is best spent. The LBS will just have to make sure the difference in cost will have to be justified by the services they can provide.

Its not fair for anyone to get upset that Im not spending more to keep a business running just because THEY want it around.