Do you see small businesses struggling where you live?

Remember seeing a post on reddit where a guy was complaining about trying to get a replacement door switch for his microwave. He called one appliance business in his area and gave them the part number he clearly saw on the item and they laughed at him, called him dumb and said it didn't work like that, the next place he called said they could order the switch but it would take 3 weeks to arrive and cost like $100. He plugged the four-digit part code into amazon and found the exact item for like seven bucks and it arrived in 2 days.

it really seems like most lash techs, hairstylists, boutique owners really were the “mean girls” in high school.

Remember when Etsy was actually all handmade and vintage stuff? Now it’s just another Amazon

Goodwill is the peak example of stupid high prices.

I work in a small business barber shop. We are poppin, but most others around us are shutting down because they thought they could charge 60-100$ for a half ass cut. I’ve kept my prices at 20-25$ since before Covid. I take pride in doing good affordable work for my community. Small business owners nowadays  forget that’s what it’s all about.

I recently started working in a small music shop, specializing in flute refurbishing and repair. It's in high demand because flute is such a popular instrument and there are huge middle and high school where we live-so there is lots of business. He hired me (after I was his customer for a few years) because he was overwhelmed with business, which is a great problem to have, however, we have casually talked about how being a small business owner is romanticized and people thing being their own boss is easy. For the first 5 or 6 years of working, he didn't take a paycheck, and it was just him. Social media has made it seem like people can become rich overnight but it's not true. The amount of discipline needed to start working at the same time every morning when there is no one there to make sure you clock in...a lot of people don't have it.

I go to a coffe truck that opens at 6:00 a.m. I stop by on my way to work and I don’t have to wait till 9 am. Shes so reliable about her hours, I don’t have to guess if she’s open. Plus her drinks are good and reasonable price.

It wasn't a lie when the item label said handmade. It just wasn't handmade by us. 😁

I can't stand hearing "support small business" then going to a small business and seeing the gouging.

Greed is not limited to just big corporations.

I went to a place that was selling broken furniture—for hundreds of dollars. There were four women there all trying to sell stuff. The excuse for the price was that you would make that much if you fixed it up and resold it. I said so why didn’t you do that so you could justify these prices. The question was genuine. She was so pissed all four women screamed at me all the way out of the door.

I used to manage a boutique in Atlanta where the owners would buy products off Amazon and mark them up significantly. They even sold their own book, bought from Amazon, while claiming they couldn’t get it at a better price. It was frustrating to see them curating a beautiful store but relying on cheap sources. Now, as people advocate for supporting small businesses, it’s disappointing to realize many are just reselling Amazon products at higher prices. Supporting local shouldn’t mean overpaying for items easily found online.

In Poland it's common knowledge to never work in small/family business, especially restaurant. They're breaking labor laws on daily basis, and what's happening in the kitchen would make Gordon Ramsey have a heart attack.

I don't feel guilty at shopping at chains. Many of these big chain stores are providing local jobs.  I went out to lunch to a local small business restaurant and spent $25.00 including tip (and desert). The food and service was fantastic.  They closed during covid and everyone was so happy they were able to reopen about 2-3 years ago. They have to have a  product worth spending money on.

A small bookstore near me usually prices their books $2-4 more than on Amazon. They have been in business for 60 years and still going strong. I’m open to paying a little bit extra for small businesses, but double or triple is INSANE

I owned a small business for 40 years. Kept a close eye on every aspect of it, especially my customers. Sometimes I felt like there was so much business going on that I should expand....but I didn't. I could have purchased a huge house, cars etc. Didn't do that. I've been retired for 15 years now and still keep life simple. It's extremely rough for these people trying to be in business today.

It’s hilarious that people start crying when their business is failing on account of the entire business model being-“ let’s price gouge the customer”

How about you try starting a business with the model of “let’s add value to peoples lives”

🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

My thing is - when small businesses explain how they came to with prices, sure they may be pricing it accurately based on their expenses. BUT if people don't find value in their product for that price, it doesn't matter - it's not a sustainable business.

My mom had an art booth at a pop up artist market. Everyone was charging art prices even though they’re not well known (3k for a painting). My mom had a bunch of small things and was selling them for not too cheap, but cheap enough that regular people would think it's reasonable. She sold $500 worth of stock, others didn't sell anything. You have to know your audience.

 Edit: her artform is waay more technical than paintings too. So having small items under $100 really  encourages sales.