Quote Originally Posted by Iolaus
The bottom line is price, followed by selection and fit. I am a consumer, not a connoisseur.

You offer selection and custom fit, they offer pricing with limited selection and fit. If I'm not particular about the tartan, and I find one I like at $80 compared to the exact same tartan for $120, I'm going to get the $80 model. If only 1 or 2 of that company's selection appeals to me, and I already have them, then I'll start looking at other options.

As far as fit goes, I have limited funds; I may appreciate and want a custom fit, but as long as they generally taper toward the top, and I get what I paid for, I'm going to be happy. There's a difference between my jeans and a pair of custom fit suit slacks; I don't expect custom fit for my casual jeans. If I want something a little nicer, then yes, I'll start looking at local options first.
Understood... that's definitely a valid perspective.

The other side of the coin is the "walmart vs. small town business" view or the "Buy American Made" type view (don't mean to leave out Canada or the UK). I'm not going into politics or a national / cultural speach, just presenting another side to the argument. It's not black and white (cost vs quality)... there is a gray area.

Please don't take this as a knock on anyone, just another way to look at things.