Like most people I love a good deal!
I shop sales and I feel good when I save money!
I also really enjoy walking in a village, small town or a specialized shopping area where I can go to unique shops, eat at fun restaurants, hear the sounds of music and people having a relaxed, fun time together. These shopping areas are often a pleasurable destination spot for family and friends to gather and enjoy each other. You will find these specialized areas on the coast—like our hometown of Seal Beach—and in many other small towns, in the mountains and other communities. Like our town of Seal Beach, these specialized shopping areas are the life blood of the tourist community.
When people visit these unique shops, sometimes the items in the stores can cost a little more money. This is to be expected when we visit an area like this because of the cost to run the business in these fun specialty shopping areas.
I think we sometimes forget that the reason we are going to a specialized area like Seal Beach is for the experience! We are usually there with family or friends and if we make a purchase at one of the stores it will remind us of our time there.
No matter what we buy there, we will remember where we bought it and who we were with. Hopefully it will bring back fond memories later.
The Problem: When we go into one of these unique shops and we put on our “Let’s make a Deal Hat” there is a cost we might not realize. For instance: I was in a very unique beach retail shop recently. I was in downtown Seal Beach. While I was in the store, I was talking with a woman behind the counter, she was telling me that people will come into the store and scan items that she has for sale and look for the price of what it costs online on their cell phones.
Yes, sometimes the visitor can find the item cheaper online. But too often the visitor goes out of the store without making the purchase in the store. The store loses the sale.
The Cost: When stores lose their sales due to people “bargain hunting” in these specialty stores, like the store I was in, the loss of revenue effects the cost of doing business and they can eventually close down.
• When there are empty stores in a destination spot we like to go with our friends and family, we feel like the area is losing its appeal. It doesn’t seem as exciting to go there anymore when there are vacant stores.
• Once one or two stores start closing down, more stores in the area are at risk for closing because less people are visiting the area.
• The owners of the buildings the unique stores are renting also begin to feel the pressure of lost revenue as well.
The whole area can change to something we don’t want to visit anymore.
Looking at the bigger picture: I know we like a good deal, but when it comes at such a high price, is it worth it?
Robin Ray is a Seal Beach resident, leadership instructor and freelance writer.
