Do you shop online?

I am a big believer in the idea that we should support our local businesses as they provide jobs, and support for our community.  The problem that the small business has is how to compete against the online giants. However, like many seniors, I am on a fixed income and have to watch my budget and so I am not going to overspend. 

The other day I had a small problem with my car, the window on the driver's side would not open or close. If the problem was with the window on the passenger's side I would not have been too upset. 

It is the middle of summer and even though I have air conditioning I don't like to use it so I prefer to drive with my window open. Well with this problem I could not, in addition, going through a drive-through or having to ask for directions or go to the bank and use the car was not possible. I was surprised at the number of times I wanted to do something but because my driver's window would not open I could not.

So, I am not a mechanic, but I do have some aptitude on how to fix things if they are not too complicated. So, I went to YouTube and searched for the year and model of my car with my problem. I love that people have the time and energy and skill to fix a problem and to video their solutions. Over 500 videos came up with solutions to my problem. I took a look at about 6 of them and found one that was easy to understand and the video was easy to follow. All I had to do was get the part and replace it. 

The idea of supporting local business now comes into play. I looked up the part I needed on Amazon and it showed a price of $30.00 US plus delivery, taxes and duties so the final price was $48.00 US. 

I did the exchange and the price point for me in Canadian dollars worked out to be about $85.00 all in.

I went to my local auto parts store and asked if they had the part, they said they would have to back order and it would cost $280.00 plus tax, I was expecting to pay between $85 and $100.00 so I was a bit surprised. 

I said to the auto parts person," I guess I will have to go to the dealership to get the part."

 He said, "I call the dealerships stealerships because they charge so much."

I went to the dealership and they did not have the part but could also order it for me and I was told the part would cost $278.00 plus tax. I thought I would try one more auto parts store which had been competitive in the past, but when I went there, they said the price would be $376.00 plus tax and they would have to back order. At each of the places, the back order would take at least a week to get to me.

I went home and ordered the part from Amazon and it took two days to arrive and I put it in following the video instructions in about 15 minutes. Later the same week, my son needed a light bulb for his car and went to a local auto parts store and it cost him $110.00 for one light. Amazon sells the exact same bulb for $22.00 Canadian for two lights. I am willing to buy local when the prices are not too far out of line with online prices and that is one dilemma that many of us who are on fixed incomes are faced with, do we pay extremely high prices to support local businesses or do we stay within our own budget even it if means shopping online.