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Message: <blockquote data-quote="WhimsyTheFae" data-source="post: 2431869" data-attributes="member: 8964">Wow, what a thought provoking thread.  It appears that we have some irreconsilable differences instigated by the pricing strategies of the "big boy" online retailers.  This seems to be magnified by our culture's quick reward lifestyle, promoted through fast-food, internet purchasing, automatic deposit/withdrawal, etc.In the short-term (and in some cases the long-term), these services are a boon to the average person and another blessing of advancing technology.  Unfortunately, this hurts the FLGS by luring potential customers to the online services.Is this the fault of the customer?  No, being able to get what you are looking for at a cheaper price (and in some cases being able to by additional product) is very helpful.  The roleplaying game market is a luxury market.  These products are not essential, therefore, saving money will improve a customer's means to provide essential products.Is this the fault of the online retailer?  No, being able to offer a product to the customer at a cost that will increase business and provide a profit is what capitalism is all about.  Businesses compete for customers and online, mass-retailers have an advantage in that arena (I am not talking about any illegal practices, as those are obviously against the law for a reason and I'll not accuse all online retailers of anything that I cannot prove - so, I'll remain cautiously suspiscious on that topic).Is this the fault of the FLGS?  No, being able to offer a product to the customer and provide a profit (see above) also forces B&M establishments to offer products at higher prices (due to extra costs).  As has been mentioned - timeliness, convenience, service and additional amenities are the weapons that FLGSes have to battle online retailers.  Unfortunately, these don't always make up for the "putting bread on the table" savings that online retailers provide.  This spiral of death is also partly responsible for declining service, as the FLGS can only afford to hire from the bottom of the barrel (the top of the barrel will work for more money at a high-end retailer).Is this the fault of the publishers?  No, being able to sell large volumes only helps their business.  It may be sad to see FLGSes suffer, but as the saying goes, "business is business".In the end, the online retailer can remain silent and hidden (unless sued for wrongful practices), while offering unbeatable prices.  The publisher can continue to provide product to whoever will buy.  Meanwhile, the customer and the FLGS wage verbal wars on the ethics of buying practices in a vain attempt to either defend their practices or shame the practices of the other.This is not a battle that FLGSes can win, they can only hope to tread water (obviously the best of them will be exceptions).  FLGSes only have two powerful weapons and one of them is more of an "explodes upon death" sort of weapon.  They can provide the best of service and convenience with the hopes of coming out alive.  Failing that, they can die off and when the online retailers have no competition and raise their prices and the customers begin to complain that the FLGS is not there for them... <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f631.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":eek:" title="Eek!    :eek:"  data-smilie="9"data-shortname=":eek:" /> By the way, I do approve of the shaming tactics.  Even if some of you are offended or don't give a rat's arse, others may not realize what they are doing and may rethink their practices (if you choose not to, that is your decision).  It may help their businesses.Sorry, not much in the way of helpful advice, just a commentary of what I see...YMMV</blockquote>

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