I make a point of spending my money locally when a local option exists. In the last year & a half I've contributed over $50K to Ark Cities businesses not counting everyday expenses such as food & gas. Just last month I bought a new 57" HD widescreen TV from Sparks. I deal extensively with Woods Lumber and rarely find anything to complain about. I think the lady that wrote the letter has an attitude problem.
If one is looking for a specific item that isn't carried locally then by all means buy out of town. If, on the other hand, you prefer to spend $15 on gas to drive to Ponca City to save $10 on a $100 item don't be surprised when you don't have any local options left.
I have recently become a devoted down town shopper. I have found that in most instances, the price is not much higher. When shopping at Wood's, I actually save money in the long run. They send me home with exactly what I need and nothing more (nothing less). No return trips to Ponca for me! Also, I am a big fan of Ace Hardware as they are always there to help answer my questions. I recently shopped at Jan's Sport Shack for school shoes and soccer kleets. To my suprise, I purchased new kleets for $15 (with a $5 off coupon) and was given a new pair of Nike's free to replace the school shoes purchased their that was showing premature ware and tear. Try getting service in Wal-Mart like that! No one can answer any of your questions, and I return about 35% of what I buy. It is all junk! Then you have to stand in line for 30 minutes to get your problems resolved and without so much as a smile from the customer service desk. How many times have you gotten home from Wally-world without a sack of something because they didn't give you time to get it off the turn table? I saw a list of items left 3 days after the new store opened with 6 spiral notebook pages front and back filled. Each line represented someone who got ripped off! I hope they all got their money back, but I doubt it. Another two worth mentioning: I know that Graves Drug and Brown's charge a little more than Wal-Mart, but the service and atmosphere can not be beat. My children love to get a drink at Brown's and do our after school homework on their couch. It is great fun and I love the Latte's. (I always grab a bag of Snickerdoodle coffee for home while I'm there. DELICIOUS!)
I always make an effort to shop downtown first! I get in and out quicker and am satisfied with my purchases and customer service given.
What you say might be true, however I went downtown to shop a few days ago. I went to Graves and was helped right away, but they are in the process of remodeling and could not find some of the things I needed. I walked across the street to Taylors and found it completely different. I walked in the store and walked around for about 5 minutes and never got any help. There were 3 people standing behind the counter and none of them ever said a word to me, or even offered to help. So, I ended up at Wal-Mart where they hade everything I needed, and was even helped by the employees.
I can never find help at Wal Mart. If I want something out of the Sporting goods counter, I usually have to walk to another department, and sometimes even to the front of the store, and have them call someone there. This weekend the same thing happened in the Jewelery Dept. I think they try to save money by having as few employees on duty as possible, and this translates to low customer service and long lines at the checkout. I try to avoid Wal Mart as much as possible, but there are times when I have to go there because there are no other options in town.
There was a letter to the editor on Saturday theat got to me. I spend mostly in town, I buy what I can here. The Lady had gone to the local lumber store and questioned if she received different treatment than a man, not really. There are several in the store who could care less who comes in and asks a question, the owner included. As a male I have gone in to price quote items I have build for others in town and really don't appreciate the service. There are certainly other businesses in town that act the same way. Want good service go to the Co-op, or to the Hardware store, or Westlake but not at stage. Seems at the stage they reverse the treatment, men don't stand a chance. Of course I have only lived here for a couple of years, perhaps it gets better when I become one of the good old boys.
One time my son and I went to the Wal-Mart toy section to find a board game he wanted. They were on sale, but the shelf was empty. We went to the sporting goods section and asked the young man at the counter if they would have more in back. He walked with us to the toys deparment, took down the info and said to wait there while he went to check. 30 minutes later, he had not come back. We went back to the sporting goods section to find him behind the counter again. I asked him if he found our game, and he just said "no". I was not a happy camper! Ha-ha! Another day, I purchased a rather large patio set on display by the check out lines. After I paid, I asked for help carrying it out. No one showed up for 20 minutes, so my two boys (6 and 7 years old) and I began carrying it out the store piece by piece. Funny thing is, we passed several employees on our multiple trips out the door (even 2 managers) and no one asked for a receipt. I'm guessing that if they stopped me to see it, they might be obliged to help us carry it out. Please note the chairs my boys were carrying were bigger than they are. It was obvious we needed assistance! No wonder they get so much stuff stolen! By the way, I got home without one cushion and 2 seat covers. After 2 months of haggling with their customer service department, I finally received them. Of course, they do not match!!! Suprise, suprise... A third incident... I ordered some glasses for my son in Wichita at a Wal-Mart (my son't eye doctor is in Wichita) and they said I could pick them up in 1 week in Ark City. After 3 weeks, they were still not available. They made me go to the Wichita Wal-Mart to pick them up. When we got to Wichita, they sent me back to Ark City. After another 3 weeks with glasses, they finally corrected their mix up. Next time, I will get my glasses through a local optimologist. Yet another reason to keep it downtown!
