Thanks Amazon?

As a small business owner its up to me to give the customer good reasons to buy from me. Good prices, better product information, better guarantees, expert advice, in house servicing and after sale support to name a few. There is no such thing as customer loyalty anymore, we have to earn each sale every time. Only the strong survive.
The small retailer does have a lot going against it. E-Commerce has no sales tax, better buying power, and people who find it easier to tap on a few computer keys than get in the car. I share your frustration. My company, now sold, was in the music industry and had to compete with the likes of Yamaha who gave music stores incredible financing terms. We found our specialized market and gave great customer service and kicked butt in our section of the market place.