[digital-audiophile]

I don’t disagree at all. I know that most LFS are small and are owned by private citizens, with the exception of a few and we are lucky that these big ones do not try to put the little guy out of business like a Wal-Mart would.

I don't think any Canadian has a problem with a little bit of a price differential on consumer goods but as I mentioned in another thread that when shopping for highchairs on the weekend I found them to be more than $50 more here in Calgary than they are listed in American stores. This does not make sense to me, especially considering that Calgary is in the middle of a baby boom with more than 20,000 babies being born every year I don't think a lot of US cities are experiencing these same kinds of numbers but they still pay less. Another thing is that the dollar has been at or near parity for the past few months but brand new current issue magazines still have a large differential in price on the cover. This makes no sense to me.

Although I will continue to support as much local business (remember I am talking all business not just fish) as I can because I understand the value of buying local, but in the end it comes down to the almighty dollar. I am not a rich man by any means and if I can keep a few extra dollars in my pocket by buying from the US online (especially living in an expensive inflated city like Calgary) you had better believe I am going to do it.

We live in an age of global consumerism. Even 10 years ago it was not always viable to buy from another country, but with the internet at the state it is today it encourages price shopping and more competition. I would not be able to keep my job for very long if I continued to purchase pipe from a local mill at a greater price just because they are "nice guys from Calgary" I am already working with mills in Europe and Asia because they provide a better value for the company dollar.