wednesday, march 7, 2012
kansas state collegian
page 5
LOCAL BEAR
Look for the fourth section on March 14th
Computer Systems
Engraving Services •Sports Trophies •Recognition Plaques •Medallions & Ribbons •Name Badges & More
Repair Services
•iphone, ipad, ipod & other Mobile Devices •Computer Repair •Virus & Spyware removal •Data Recovery
Help Manhattan Thrive at
(785) 538-5777 2311 Tuttle Creek Blvd (Inside Blue Hills Shopping Center) www.bearkan.com
• Shoe Repair • Orthotics • Comfort Shoes Olson’s Birkenstock AGGIEVILLE 1214-B Moro • 539-8571
1128 Moro St. • 785.776.2252
www.olsonshoes.com
Do you think a Newegg or Buy.com “service professional” is talking to suppliers and advocating for your needs? Having discarded personal service to buy from unknown persons named Peggy (a la Discover Card), we have cut off the chain of communication. Products become commoditized and, because price is all that seemingly matters, manufacturers are racing to the bottom. As we abandon the “get what you pay for” principle, truly excellent choices for a reasonable price disappear for many products and services. We are coming to the place where we can’t pay more for a better experience even when we want to. What’s worse is that many people think the cheap thing is quality because they haven’t experienced anything better. The same forces act upon employment opportunities. In days past, a career in small business was more enjoyable. You got to listen to people’s needs, offer them quality solutions, and see them return often. Merchants and customers were on a first-name basis. Helping people was actually fun. Go ask a worker in a department store (another threatened business model) how much fun their job is today.
• Justin • Ariat • Durango • Cinch • Levi • Wrangler & more... If we don’t have it in stock we will special order it.
e Visit T h fe rn Ca Sale Ba
7-2:30 M-F 7-1:30 Sat.
Mon. - Wed. 10-5 Thur. - Fri 10-6 Sat 10-4 Sun 1-5
785.776.6715 8426 E. Hwy 24
There just aren’t that many businesses that truly help us anymore—not if it means we need to pay someone to be there for us. Big box retail first accomplished selling more product with fewer workers. Online retail is moving massively greater amounts of product requiring even fewer workers. The loss of small business retail means not only the loss of jobs, but also the loss of many job choices including salespersons, buyers, bookkeepers, managers, installers, service techs, HR professionals, etc. and the other small businesses that support small retailers with business-to-business products and services. And we wonder at the failure of rural American towns & the flight to the cities; increasingly growing landfills piling up disposable products; the income gap between rich and poor & the plight of the 99%. Someone start a protest. But governments and corporations didn’t make these decisions or force us to end up here. We are doing it to ourselves in the way that we spend our money. Where we shop signals what we want – and it apparently isn’t an increasing supply of quality jobs or longer lasting consumer products that we don’t need to keep throwing away. So if you are ready to protest your own purchasing decisions, are you going to listen to yourself or ignore your own plight? Jeff Koenig, Entrepreneurial Consultant Open 4 Business
Locally owned and operated since 1993.
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