Online ordering vs Buying from a store

For this entry, I am going to bring up some points that we are all guilty of on one side or the other.

Online ordering.
Pro: often (but not always) the best price due to low overhead. Do your research.
Con: Takes time to arrive, Can be damaged in shipping, You are not always covered if something is defective or damaged, Not always what you wanted/expected.
takes money away from your neighbour, town.

In store purchase.
Pro: You can usually actually see in person the item you are buying. You can make a personal judgement as to the apparent quality. You usually get direct local support from someone right there right away. In many cases, replacement of something damaged or defective is immediate.
You are supporting your local economy and keeping your 'neighbour' working.
Con: Pricing is based on the retailer based on his wholesale cost at time of order. If the market drops, he still paid the previous price to have it in stock. He has to make a living AND pay rent & utilities.  

In this hobby, most things are made overseas. The shipping industry has increased exponentially. Online ordering from a warehouse in China is now not an exotic purchase but an everyday part of life.

BUT: when people buy something online or from a big box store and expect the small 'mom and pop' store to provide free support when they never sold you the item in the first place. That is a form of stealing. The local retailer spends money to keep his store open. He has expenses that don't go away. The online ordering and box box stores have a much higher volume per expense and due to the massive orders they make, they pay less for the items. The local retailer doesn't make the same profit. You are paying more for the fact that he is right there, can usually fix you up, he can go above and beyond to keep you satisfied. He is also there with hard earned knowledge. it has taken time and effort to attain this knowledge. If you are a roofer, would you do someone's roof for free? If you are a auto mechanic,would you rebuild a customers engine for free? You have to make a living. So do they.

Sure you might pay a bit more for the knowledge and service, but it's there. right now.

Now if you think this is unrealistic, do a little math. Since you are obviously into this hobby, could you open a local store that sells quads and drones? Probably not. The cost of rent, the cost of utilities, insurance, accounting, staff, stock. all this adds up fast. Had a bad month sales wise? you still have those expenses. They don't go down either, if anything they go up. There are less and less hobby stores around every day.
 So if your local shop charges a few bucks more for the same thing. There is likely a reason. He's not trying to rip you off so help him out, spend a few bucks and maybe you can have someone local to help figure out why your latest quad just did a death roll.