Good point, Michael, regarding the cut brands likely to want to work with small retailers. Any suggestions on how to find out who those wholesalers are? I think it would be great if small retailers could find wholesalers willing to work with them on pricing.

Thank you, Tracy. That is an interesting market developing there in Rochester. Appreciate you sharing.

Thanks for talking about those new smaller formats. That is, I think, exactly the trend that Bridges and Whetsel are pointing to. Small town retailers have a big chance to be more responsive and appreciative of customers than those new smaller boxes can be.

Excellent points, Rick. I appreciate your perspective as someone who has chosen to live and do business in a small town.

And I like the idea of a neighborhood grocery. Hart’s isn’t walking distance from me, but I since I live in the city, I can drive and be there in about five minutes. It IS a littler pricier than Wegmans, but the beef they are now carrying is from a local farmer that I know and have purchased from directly. So while I might do the bulk of my name brand shopping at the bigger chain (Wegmans), I will also gladly shop at Hart’s because they carry something special that I really like. And, I’ve been introduced to other local and regional farms for other products through them.

I grew up in a small town, and I do miss the stores and shops that knew me by name, knew my brothers, my parents… and although I don’t foresee having the same experience here, there are still little niches that can be filled by small business owners who want to create space where the customer feels like more than just a customer. SBOs with heart can really thrive when they find the right place to open their doors.

Thanks for sharing this post, Becky! :-)

You as a small town shop owner have a built in advantage over big box and on line shopping. You KNOW you customers and they know you. You can provide a service on a personal level that they can’t. I can’t speak for everyone, but I would expect the majority of folks would rather spend an extra few percentage points and deal with a friend than stand in a line at a big box. The same goes for waiting for the UPS truck to arrive with your bargain.

If a shop owner make it a point to know his or her customers and goes out of his/her way to keep the relationship personal, they will go a long way in attracting people away from the computer or the large parking lot.

On the other side of the coin, you don’t have a price advantage. You never will. Don’t establish personal relationship with the people who walk in your door, and you can not succeed.

Customer relations is the only real edge you have.