I’m a big fan of The Simple Dollar. Through his blog, Trent introduced me to two books on my “books to live by” list (a list that will surely be a post one day soon): Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin and Getting Things Done by David Allen. He practices the art of frugality in a way I greatly admire. We often times think of frugality as just being cheap. But value is really at the heart of frugality.

I don’t have enough money to buy cheap stuff. This is a buying philosophy that I’ve been gradually working into my purchases. It doesn’t make sense to buy the less expensive product if it’s going to break down in one year. Especially if the more expensive product costs twice as much but will last four times as long. This philosophy places the whole value of a product above simple price tag comparison. Again, Trent illustrates the point extremely well here.

Another part of value is customer service. I hear a lot these days about how the smart retailers are setting themselves apart from the big box stores through knowledge and customer service. I appreciate the knowledge and friendliness in these shops. I am as excited as anyone about the move from big box stores’ low price/cheap product mentality to the more individualized care of mom and pop shops and local vendors. But this shift brings with it some complications.

As I’ve mentioned here and here, I’ve been researching some purchases lately that I would not consider insignificant. Spending more than $20 on a pair of jeans is a foreign concept to me, but I’m sick of them lasting a year and then falling apart. As for the research, I’ve done a combo of online research and in-store try-on. Through retail websites, forums, and blogs I’ve narrowed my search down to what I think I like based on quality, measurements, and style. Then I’ve gone into the few shops in Portland that carry the stuff I’m interested in to check the fit and look on me personally. Doing the legwork this way has been extremely helpful. I’ve narrowed my search down to a few pair that I’m sure will be great. But I’ve also found myself in a bit of a conundrum: buy local and support the shops I like or get the best price for the product?

Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about:

1. I work in downtown McMinnville, OR. About a half a block away from my office is Third Street Books, our local book store. Let’s say I go in there right now looking for a book I’m interested in purchasing, Getting Things Done by David Allen, for example. If I don’t find it on the shelf,  they’re going to check their computer, tell me it’s not in and that they can have it delivered to the store for me to buy. This would be fine, except that I can also order that same book on Amazon.com for $2-5 less. And with Amazon Prime it will probably get here faster.

2. Spring is coming around and the sun is peeking out. I need some new sunglasses. I check out a ton of glasses online, but sunglasses are one thing I will never purchase without trying them on first. I go to the nearest Sunglass Hut and check their selection. When I find one that suits me, I head home and find the same pair on e-bay sold by a reputable vendor for $40 less.

3. The jeans are the situation that is really tough for me. I know the clothing industry, like everything, is hurting right now. I go into these great little shops in Portland—Blake, Nolita and Local35.—and they give me great service and advice. They’re knowledgeable and they help me try on a ton of jeans and don’t bat an eye when I tell them I’m not finished with my research yet and that I’ll be back. But if I find the same jeans for $50, $100, or $150 less online, that’s a tough bargain to pass up.

I believe in good customer service. I believe in paying for it. I want the people I buy from to know and love their products. And I want those products sold locally.
On the flip side, I have limited resources and I want to save money and be frugal.

If you’ve followed me, I can’t even set up a clean dichotomy between high quality and junk or local v. the internet. There is some sort of equation that has to do with quality, service, and knowledge that must equal a fair price. But how do I find that? What is a fair price for helping me buy a pair of jeans that will still fit in six months or a year instead of just right now while I’m in the store trying them on?

So what do I do? For some reason it was very easy for me to make my sunglasses purchase online. I justified this by the fact that Sunglass Hut is a national chain. But does that change anything for the guy working there who missed out on a sale?

Sadly, Amazon.com and my local library get way more of my business than Third Street Books does. The jean shops are my real concern, but this goes for the sunglasses, too. If these shops go away, where do I try on the goods to make sure they fit and look right? Where is the service-oriented employee to walk me through the right purchase for me?

This is a subject that generates more questions than answers. I want to know what you think, how you make your buying decisions. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

UPDATE LINK:
Here’s a related post from Seth Godin’s blog that brings out another important point. Make sure you know the difference between luxury and premium goods.