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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Tatsukun" data-source="post: 2409835" data-attributes="member: 15511">Ok, another Tatsukun example-Well, you know, people have always wanted to communicate with loved ones living far away. Originally, they had to actually go visit. It took a long time, and was expensive. Then, somebody had the idea that everyone could write what they wanted to say down, and one guy could to the traveling. It was called writing a letter. It was pretty cheap, but it still took a long time. Visiting took a big downturn as people wrote more letters. People only traveled if it was important, and not usually more than a few times a year. Then, somebody had the idea of transmitting those letters over telegraph lines. It was pretty cheap, and instant. Suddenly nobody wrote letters for things that had to be sent quickly. For basic things, writing a letter (now called mail) was still fine because it was cheaper and you could send anything (like items). Next, somebody made the phone, which was somewhat cheap, instant, and of great quality. Quickly, the telegraph was dead. Mail still hung around because it had changed into package delivery. Visiting still hung in there, but only for important things. …..So how many of you send telegraphs? Phones are cheaper, better quality, and much more convenient. How many people still write letters? Email is cheaper, faster, and just as good.  Now, of course, these are all broad generalizations. There are plenty of exceptions for all these statements. But, in general, they are true IMO. So, should we hold a fund raising event to save the struggling telegraph operators who are being squeezed out by these huge phone companies? No. Starting a business is a kind of social contract, offered by the proprietor, and (hopefully) accepted by the customers. If I start an orange selling shop on main street USA, I am offering a contract…I will…Come to my shop a lot of hours in a week, and work hard at making it a good placeProvide oranges to people whenever they want themThe customer willGive me enough money that I can pay my bills, and survive. If the amount of money I need to live is below the amount of money people are willing to give me for the oranges, I can survive. If it isn’t, I can’t survive. Online retailers are not evil. They just are more efficient. They need to be given less money to survive, so they can offer lower prices. Saying that you should support a LGS simply because it is local, and small, is like a local shop putting a sign in the window saying “I have five sick children, please give me money”. That’s charity. Charity is fine, but it’s not business. That said, if you can offer somehow better oranges, or dare I mix clichés, apples. You can survive. It sounds like Dristram’s shop is offering the proverbial apples. The question is, are you willing to pay enough money to keep him alive for the apples he is offering? I hope people are, it sounds like a nice shop. If I lived near him, I would probably buy his apples. I hope this made sense, I’m pretty tired right now.        -Tatsu</blockquote>

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