[spongle]

That's what people portray us social minded Europeans as but realistically, the majority will tell local businesses to get fucked when it comes down to it.

Why? Price, poor products and service and "blame it on the customer" culture.

Local businesses have been hanging themselves for years on these fronts.

Amazon sorts the above perfectly and you don't have to leave your house.

[yardie]

Silly me. I bought a 50euro mouse from a local chain. I took it home and after 20 minutes didn't like the ergonomics. Then I got into a 20 minute battle of wits with the clerk (the clerk, not the manager or the owner!) because I had the gall to take it out the box and try and use it.

The entire time in the back of my mind I'm thinking I could have bought the damn thing on Amazon for cheaper and would not have to put up with this bullshit. As an American in Europe I'm sympathetic to some of these stores, but a lot of them are going out of business through their own incompetence.

Now I have a 50euro credit to a chain of stores that is bankrupt.