Originally Posted by
dwmckee
They go out of business when no one shops there anymore. Good, well run shops have a variety of income sources that allow them to keep good staff on hand to offer service like assistance in finding the right component, etc. Online sellers can have significant selling costs as well like shipping, and marketplace selling fees (ebay, Amazon, etc.) which can scrape off nearly 15% of the sales price and keyword advertising expenses that can take another 10% or more of potential margin. Some good local shops CAN be a great and economical resource as long as they have a decent amount of business to cover their overhead. They do go out of business however when no one shops there...
I'm on your side with this one, but the complete lack of LBS with the qualities you mention in my area indicate its very difficult. Maybe its because I live in an expensive area where the rent costs must be astronomical and you'd need a huge amount of business to cover the overhead.
+1 for Jensons, my package ordered on Monday 10pm is here this morning at 8am! LA to SF Bay Area.