Keeping revenue in Kenora

I went into Lowery’s in Kenora yesterday to evaluate an Acer laptop computer that an associate wanted to buy.  Turns out the laptop was about two steps down from the model I have and about one step up from the average laptop.

As I was looking I realised the price was almost the same as the laptop I bought a few months ago from Best Buy in Winnipeg.  I can’t blame the guy for selling at that price because in a small town there is a far smaller market and more costs associated with freight but from a consumer’s point of view it just doesn’t make sense to buy something that’s effectively $100 more expensive for a lesser model.

In another instance, after I came back from London on the last visit fresh off playing with my sister’s TomTom, I knew I had to get one. I went into Donny B’s to look at theirs, and they had a couple of Magellan models and a few others but no TomTom’s.  I nearly bought one last Christmas in Walmart for about $280 but when I came back the next day it had gone.   So eventually I bought a refurbished TomTom GO 720 from Tiger Direct for about $187 including shipping.

I would have loved to keep my funds in Kenora and bought from a local business but it’s just not economical.  I was speaking to the guy in Lowery’s and he said he can’t keep a bigger inventory because of the cash needed to do that. I said that he should try and eat some of the cost for awhile to see how it goes.  I always look at local businesses before I ever buy anything ever since I heard an advertisement on the radio last Christmas about spending money in the community helps businesses pay extra taxes, which helps the city look after the city more and provide a better service to the residents in Kenora.

It’s too bad more people in Kenora don’t spend money on larger purchases in Kenora – the extra revenue would allow retailers to offer lower prices, which in turn would allow consumers to save cash on freight or petrol for car trips to Winnipeg.