I'm Commander Shepard and this is my favorite store on the Citadel

    I was reading an article today about how Amazon may start charging sales taxes in certain states in order to have distributions centers there that could conceivably make it to where Amazon could deliver products next day or possibly even the same day. Now of course I had to go to the comments section and see what the internet troglodytes were saying about this move. Of course the main issues were buying American, avoiding, sales tax, and buying locally in mom and pop stores. Fist issues about buying American is this most of the things we use today is not made here due primarily to American companies having outsourced to China, so consumer’s not buying things made here isn’t the fault of the consumer buying things made in China because let’s be honest damn near everything is made there unless it’s clothes or food. And corporations have made it that way, what gets me is Amazon also carries products made here and it’s a bit easier to find them with a little *gasp* effort. Now buying locally is a thing I do not quite get locally how exactly?  All I really ever see are chain stores my fiancé and sister both run what could be seen as local businesses for their areas but also ship their products just about everywhere; the main problem with some local places is that they simply do not carry what you are after. For example I used a local computer company to build me a computer I gave the guy all the specs  and I heard that he was supposed to be really good at his job. What I got was a $600 POS, oh it looked pretty but did not run crap and I had to purchase separately an external WI-Fi adapter…that was supposed to be built into it already. None of the specs were used at all and he put bootleg programs on it, and a graphics card that couldn’t run well anything at all oh and to top it all off the damn thing died in less than 6 months due to a error the guy made.

   So I ordered a Toshiba laptop from Amazon…most likely made in China and guess what…no problems. The guy who made my monster POS was getting good reviews  for one reason…he was a local preacher then of course I find out later that many people who sent it a computer for repair or whatever  either had to wait months or got back the comp unfixed or half fixed and were still charged. He sold the place to somebody else since then.  Many times people will go to a local mom and pop for things like crafts or it’s a restaurant I honestly have never seen a local place to buy things like games or well anything most are chain stores. One post I saw mentioned book store and how Amazon’s lower prices have made them all but disappear…no it’s not Amazon having lower prices even though that helps its selection . Local used bookstores are a crap shoot at best and most times their selection stays the same for months if not years or their prices are just ridiculous. I understand making a profit but it is when you charge almost cover price for a used book just due to who the author is. An example is a bookstore we used to have in Paris TN where I am from, me and my friends went there to buy our gaming manuals because back then you had to drive to a mall to get stuff like that. Dice are normally $10 for a very decorative set, but she was charging that price for unfinished dice ones that normally went for less than $4, and the previous mentioned silly book price was her as well. After she went out of business she tried to sell us the manuals for full price even though they were all out of date.

     The same goes for a chain bookstore the last time I went to one I purchased maybe $30 in books, one two that I was after were both almost $25 each so I skipped them…one I found in a digital version for $9 bucks and this book was fairly old. The other I got for $15 digital….hmmmmm. Another issue with used bookstores is they may only carry books that the owner approves of or some of that shockingly awful paranormal romance/teen bs that is popular now. But what if you wanted a book about say Alistair Crowley or that satanic Harry Potter? You’d be out of luck. Amazon helps you find obscure books or ones that a local or store doesn’t have not to mention a ton of other products that you just cannot find on a local level. Now I do love shopping at local pawn shops because you may find some things there that you won’t anywhere else and also cheaper…such as seasons of TV shows. People will go and use the store that carries what they want.  And if Amazon starts with adding sales tax hell just add it in to the feature price and nobody would really notice at all. Personally I’d rather they did not charge it but that is because like many humans I like to get a deal or at least feel like I am. It’s not about avoiding paying taxes…even though I may feel the government gets enough from us.

Seriously here in GA you have federal tax, state tax, land tax, your car tags cost more if you have a newer car, and sales tax….so if a person wants to order something that skirts some tax in more power to them. I mean damn rich people can write off or avoid some taxes all together…so if you are reading this and are one of those that feel  that a person should have to pay extra on an online order the by all means give the crooks more money and shut the hell up junior!  Local businesses go under due to many factors either they charge more than a competitor, have no selection,  or could just be bad at business to name just a few of the reasons. Yeah online retailers take business from locals, but many locals have started to run just an online business. And yes Wal-Mart does hurt small business but at the same time it’s competition and folks many hate to go there for any reason so small chain stores and local places get more business  just due to Wal-Mart being a wretched hive of scum and villainy…complete with mutants and other strange individuals.

      What hurts local business and the whole buy American thing is that American corporations want to make their products as cheaply as possible and sell it to the consumer for a far higher profit. And as we have seen and experienced there is nothing to stop them from sending manufacturing jobs away. Oh they can blame unions and I agree to an extent unions have gotten away from the original purpose they were created for, but workers do need protection from corporations. It was not that long ago that people were seen as no better than disposable tools, they still are really but in not such obvious means. But corporations found a way around it all…just send the jobs to places like China. And *gasp* the government lets them….and then sit wondering why there are no jobs and why the economy is in the tank…it’s all those bills they signed allowing this to happen under the various presidents.