Could I be a Retail Wretch?

Here’s the thing as far as dealers are concerned: if you find one that can provide the gear you like, provides service, support, loaners, takes trade-ins and will work with you, you should treasure them. I have had a couple of long term relationships with dealers when I was located in New York and they served me well. There is some value in that, and that is worth paying a few dollars more-- you need an odd part? Help on trouble shooting? Want to try a piece of gear at home before you commit? In the long run, you may actually be better served by that (and find it more cost-effective) than price shopping for each item to save a few bucks. However, it is up to the dealer to be able to meet this kind of service level, and it’s not common. If you find such a dealer, you’ll probably want to continue to do business with them purely out of self-interest.

There is no moral issue here. The OP is not behaving unethically. He is under no obligation to abide by someone else’s personal code of conduct and anyone suggesting that he is does not have any basis for it in my opinion.

But there is a problem with doing this: Your local dealer folds and goes away. Then it is your loss and his loss.

I used to have the opinion that it was just good competition to get the best price I could no matter what.

Then one day in a totally different hobby I lowballed a local dealer into giving me a price on an item that I could have gotten for less from a big internet provider. He came close enough that I bought from him. I felt good about buying local and getting a decent price.

A good bit later I learned that his business was struggling and barely hanging on and it occurred to me how much I would lose if he was gone.

And if you haven’t noticed small specialized business are dying and almost non-existent. At first it was the big box stores and Wally-marts. Then it was online sales.

Bottom line is, if you value having a local provider then you better do business with him even if it costs you more. That is pretty much my mantra these days. But it isn’t a moral or ethical issue at all.

There is no moral issue here. The OP is not behaving unethically.

...But it isn’t a moral or ethical issue at all.

Are you suggesting your moral and ethical standards are 'the' standard? : )

There is the widely shared rule:

Don’t take something without giving something of equal value in return

If you visit a dealer, and take his time, and profit from it (knowledge is profit) with the goal of then taking that profit and using it to further profit elsewhere and give nothing in return, then yes, you are breaking a commonly held ethical standard.


There are, of course, those who proclaim that tipping is taxation, but never tell the wait staff that before ordering.

Best,
E

When I first got into this hobby almost 50 yrs ago now, what I really wanted deep down was not to be advised by a manufacturer or dealer or publication on what was "the best" for a given topic. I really didn’t want or could afford the best at the time. What I wanted was to eventually uncover all the secrets I could **for myself**...never mind what someone else thought was great. Heck, I had ears, I knew most things in audio might just come down to taste...what makes someone else’s tastes better than mine?? I just wanted come to **understand** audio as best I could, not fall into the trap so much of what others, who didn’t necessarily know what I wanted, might, or might not, think I wanted. I sorta wanted to cut out the middle man, as it were. But, I felt **entitled** to that line of approach IF I maintained a true willingness to try to uncover that knowledge for myself...to do the work, talk to people who might have more knowledge than me and see what they say, buy some things, experiment, learn to read between the lines with ads and reviews, to try to learn at all opportunities and to try think about what I was doing as a learning process...no matter how long it might take me. A lifelong journey and all that.

And I Certainly did my share of listening at place A and buying at place B, back in the day. But, the world has changed. Now not as many b&m stores are left. The internet has changed the landscape and many of us and many a retailer has had to adapt and change along with the times.

If there were still b&m stores everywhere, then everyone would likely still be shopping that way...and choosing for themselves how they might like to approach dealing with those establishments. But, it’s a bit different now...and more consumers are perhaps caught between the rock and the hard place of nowhere to audition.

You can say that I’m not loyal or moral about it or whatever and I’m fine with that I think, but the way I look at it, I only have so much money. I can’t support every establishment I’ve ever visited. I don’t do that with non-audio stores. If you have that kind of money to work with, then I honestly might salute you, but for me, with audio, I’m either spending that money on myself or I’m just giving it away. When I want to give my money away (and sometimes I do) I just look for a good charity and call it a day. I can’t save the world and everyone in it.

Just sayin’.

Regards,
John