In support of your local new age shop

[bogiesan]

I went virtual shopping.
Target order: 1) Jane Austen Tarot, 2) Jane Austen Tarot book, 3) Silicon Dawn set, and 4) pre-order Rachel Pollack's new "The Tarot Handbook," plus shipping, where applicable.
(All figures are US$ rounded up.)

Directly from Llewellyn's site, the publisher: $83, free shipping.
Barnes and Noble e-commerce site: $67, free shipping to my local store.
Amazon.com: $70, shipping free to $20 depending on which club or coupon you can use.
Overstock.com: $66, shipping $5-10 depending on club or coupon. (If I bought $85 in merchandise shipping would be free.)
If I order from my local shop, Crone's Cupboard, I will pay full list, no shipping, $85.00.
Barnes and Noble wins by a large margin, more than 20% savings. I could do that. But I don't mind paying the small premium, which is only about the cost of three lovely beverages at a locally owned coffee bar that buys only shade grown and fair trade coffees.

Scouring the used marketplace online, an original used Jane Austen set can be had for $135. A used Silicon Dawn set can be mine for $35-$100.

 

[Narwhallove]

I'd also like to point out, so can be working for a mom and pop. Yes, occasionally you all become like a family, but we know all about dysfunctional families too. Don't pay enough, don't offer benefits, you draw the worst hours on the worst days, often in spaces that are low rent...leaking, no air conditioning, toilet doesn't always work on demand, grabby bosses who can be really really poor business persons, if business is slow non-family is the first to go . . .

As the child of parents who ran their own small business, I can firmly attest to this. Long hours, weekends spent talking about the business, constant stress, constant work. And if something happens to one of those parents, it's kablooie for the kids.

That being said, however, thank you, Bogiesan, for linking to the Mother Jones article. I was vaguely aware that there was something going wrong on the other end, but this is a real grim awakening. I was already annoyed with Jeff Bezos's treatment of independent bookshops, with that infamous price check (http://www.change.org/petitions/ceo-amazoncom-stop-the-price-check-assault-on-small-businesses) and charging publishers with antitrust laws. My sister, a Seattleite, also told me that unlike Boeing and Microsoft (other big Seattle corporations), Amazon does absolutely nothing for the local community. But this brings it to a real human level. UGH. Makes me glad I canceled my Amazon Visa card and now I think I'll try to avoid it altogether.

 

[bogiesan]

...thank you, Bogiesan, for linking to the Mother Jones article. I was vaguely aware that there was something going wrong on the other end, but this is a real grim awakening. I was already annoyed with Jeff Bezos's treatment of independent bookshops, with that infamous price check (http://www.change.org/petitions/ceo-amazoncom-stop-the-price-check-assault-on-small-businesses) and charging publishers with antitrust laws. My sister, a Seattleite, also told me that unlike Boeing and Microsoft (other big Seattle corporations), Amazon does absolutely nothing for the local community. But this brings it to a real human level. UGH. Makes me glad I canceled my Amazon Visa card and now I think I'll try to avoid it altogether.

Big operations must be viewed in context. For instance, I work for a company that is conflict with some of our state and local economic development efforts focused to entice large computer cloud services or server farms to locate here in Idaho. With a quick ramp up of (possible but not guaranteed local) jobs during construction, the tax incentives and land deals reduce any benefits to a net of zero. After server farms are built, they consume huge amounts of energy and provide no tangible local benefits at all. The handful of jobs are meted out to experts form outside the region and the incentives tend to move the tax and utilities issues toward the negative.

 

[Annabelle]

Well, for me the choice is easy -- we don't have a local new age shop. So there's no decision to make about supporting "the local store" vs. the "big box store."

 

[AJ]

In researching Amazon's charitable footprint I find the above posts are correct. As a corporate entity Amazon has almost zero.
But I found this extensive article from the major Seattle newpaper dated April 2012 which explains Bezos outlook on the subject about 3/4 way down the page, and then includes some eyepoppers about his personal from his own wallet donations.

So there are always two sides to a story
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017883663.html

 

[bogiesan]

In researching Amazon's charitable footprint I find the above posts are correct. As a corporate entity Amazon has almost zero.
But I found this extensive article from the major Seattle newpaper dated April 2012 which explains Bezos outlook on the subject about 3/4 way down the page, and then includes some eyepoppers about his personal from his own wallet donations.

So there are always two sides to a story
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/text/2017883663.html

That's what the Internet's for, eh? Thanks for the additional research. I still like to support Crone's Cupboard here in Boise. The $100 or so profit they might make off of me and my tarot jones is not enough to make much of a difference in a year's balance sheet. But I can walk into the shop and be greeted by name. That's way cool. Can't do that at Abe Books or Amazon.

 

[AJ]

They are probably working on it

 

[gregory]

I support mine when I can

http://www.theravensrune.ca/

But the selection is very limited. She will get stuff in - but it takes AGES... I can see her point though. Mount Forest isn't exactly LARGE.

There is none close to me in the UK - well, one,

http://www.gaiahexham.co.uk/

but it is even more limited.

When in London, I support Watkins BIG TIME. My Visa starts to jump about in excitement on the train...

 

[Muir Aingeal]

I support mine by dropping off decks. At my local shop sometimes you can find some real gems on the cheap! Purposely I might add since I know the real price or what that now OOP deck is going for and price it for under $30 or so. I'd like to think that I'm doing my part by keeping the mystery and fun alive.


That's how the old shops used to be, finding some great deals on used decks and other treasures instead of the jacked up prices that you mainly see now.


The owner and I split the sale price by half.

 

[tarotbear]

Shop 'til you ...

This is on topic even if it wanders.

Soon after my book was published I approached a local 'New Age' shop - 1) to carry my book, and 2) to see about running tarot classes at the shop. First of all, the sign over the door said "Name of New Age shop and Tax Preparation" (I kid you not.) We had a meeting to discuss the class aspect. I had already been teaching Tarot for years and knew the ins-and-outs. At many places I taught I think the top price was $49/person for 7-8 weeks. I was making between $12-$24/hr depending on the system where I was teaching.

After a couple of weeks they came up with a plan and advertised my class - at $300 A PERSON for 8 weeks. After a month of advertising (to which no one signed up) they told me: 'YOU WILL HAVE TO LOWER YOUR PRICE TO TEACH.' I told them I wasn't the one charging the public $300 and that they should lower THEIR price. The shop went out of business within months after that.

"Support your local New Age shop?" Yeah. Right.