I work at a High School in California. We teach students in an Environmental Science class how to fly fish. We have purchased our equipment (for 35 students) from a local fly shop. We recently had to purchase replacement rods (a dozen) to replace broken ones (imagine that!) and add a few more for a larger class size.
[begin rant]
The shop would not take a purchase order (not a problem, the payment process is cumbersome). Then, after we told the shop we had check in hand, would not order the equipment until THEY had check in hand. (kinda crappy, as my town is 25 miles away, requiring two round trips) They told us that the equipment would be there last week. It wasn't. We called today, it still isn't there and we have no ETA...and they don't seem like they care. Guess which shop won't be getting my business ever again? This is the same shop we have worked with before, but the original owner (a hell of a guy) sold to a multi-shop owner.

And people tell me to shop local to save the brick and mortar stores. NOPE