As a matter of personal choice, I will buy from my local shops first. If there's something I want to order that is online, I check with them first to see if they can get it, or if they have a preferred online vendor. I'm willing to pay a little bit more to keep my locals in business than to keep an online retailer afloat. This isn't a rant against online retailing. I buy plenty of things online. However, something like my local shop is an institution I want to have around for a while, and not simply as a part time shop. So...I consider it my small investment for the knowledge I've received from them.