It has changed a lot over the years.* Lots of things are higher priced and lower quality than they used too.
* Staff depends on you particular store of course.

I agree buy local and support the industry whenever you can. One day when all the brick and mortars are gone you will wish you had.

There are just not enough of local to make it happen long term. The kids don't want to shop for anything and most the population is going for the best deal. They don't even wan to go to the grocery. So with a small percentage of folks will attempt to buy local until even those are gone.

Same goes with lets save a tree and pay bills online = less folks for opening mail and processing, which in tern causes stamps to go up

I'm in a small town and would love to find any regular small chain fast food within 10 miles, but no go

As I said " Wonder why that is " You are reading inbetween the lines RIGHT

Profit got to come from somewhere

Everything has a shelf life and many things in the current time is very shorten for reasons.

We will be launching two boats this morning. a poonton and a cruiser, WM is within 2 miles of our marina, at some point today i will be at WM, and im sure they will get me for a hundo or so, im ok with that because im not sure what i need yet, but they will have it. it will be something we need ASAP, not tomorrow or monday, im ok with paying more for this. I am thankful WM is so close to our marina.

its all about convenience, west marine stocks the stuff that you generally need right away and that convenience comes with a price.

Don't get me started on any parts store. Here's just one example. Walked into Auto Zone to get 27F size battery. Picked it myself off the shelf. Went to check out and clerk wouldn't check me out until I gave her a model and make of car so she could look it up on her computer to make sure it was the correct one for my "car". I told her it wasn't for a car. She insisted on a make and model. I told her Wellcraft Scarab. She said that she didn't have a listing for that make car. She refused to sell it to me. I walked out and never went back again. I have plenty more stories as I'm sure all of us have.

My West Marine must have hired an ex auto parts counter man. Tried to buy an engine side wiring harness and he looked at me like I was from Mars. Then he asked me the year/ make question and when I told him an 86 Formula he looked at me as if I grew a 3rd eye in my forehead and assured me nothing of the sort existed for something that old. This wasn't just the random salesman roaming the isle, but the guy behind the counter in the mechanical dept. Then again maybe West Marine cant get those type of parts?

I think brick and mortars of all types are really helping their own demise by not hiring help that is familiar with the products they sell. I will frequently go straight to a local store when need or want help with a purchase, but if I need to do all the research and learn more about the product than the salesman so I can tell him what to sell me then I'm just going online and ordering it myself at that point.