We have an old hobby shop here and it has been owned and operated by the same guy for about 40 years. He doesnt fly much anymore but he still loves his hobby. He and I see one another on a regular basis just because I like to visit with him and he has most all of the essential extras a modeler needs. I immediately found myself in a dilemma when I got into the hobby. I am big on supporting local businesses, especially mom and pop businesses but as has been beaten to death here, he is about 20% higher. I thought about it for a few days and decided that talking with him was my best bet since I really wanted him to get my money.. I went and we discussed what I would pay online for my 1st plane, engine, radio, servos and misc gear. He looked in his old faithful catalog and explained that he could match the prices for the big stuff but he couldnt afford to on the small stuff. I agreed and he ordered everything he didnt have and didnt charge me a penny for shipping. I buy everything I possibly can from him. I probably overpay for balsa, glue, props and all the nic naks I can get off the wall but the extra cash adds up to about $50 a year over what I would pay online and I get to visit with my friend at least 1 time a week. He understands that I would be foolish to buy from him, and I realize that since he buys at a lower volume it costs him a little more to provide the same items. So we meet in the middle whenever we can and we are both happy..