Re:Local Store? (Score 1)

I live in a relatively rural area, so it's hard to say what it's like in big cities, but I know of no physical shop within 180 miles (The only major city being St. Louis) that sells computer parts and has better prices than typical online retailers. Virtually all of them have at least 30% higher base prices for similar items, and the fairest prices on the best parts tend to be at big-box stores like Best Buy. Mom & Pop operations have prices almost twice that of online sellers for a similar, albeit lower-quality item. It is absolutely ridiculous. That is a sad, sad state of affairs that makes online retailers much more attractive, plus, in my case, it eliminates several hours of driving. As far as customer service, I've rarely met someone who was both knowledgeable and helpful, so that a lack of interaction in online ordering can be a positive experience. Of course, this doesn't include sales tax, which is about 8% here. Wonder if I can get modded +5 bitter?