POLL: Does Shopping Local Mean Spending More?

We've all felt that tension between shopping local and saving money, but a recent promotion by online retailer Amazon.com has some local shopkeepers crying foul.

Last week, Amazon.com announced that customers could use the company’s smartphone price check app to go into bricks-and-mortar stores on Saturday, December 10, price check selected products, then purchase that product from Amazon to receive a discount of up to $5.

Books were not included in the promotion, but the American Booksellers Association — as a conglomeration of independent retailers — felt the attack on fellow mom-and-pops warranted a comment. ABA CEO Oren Teicher posted this open letter to Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon:

Dear Jeff Bezos,

We’re not shocked, just disappointed.

Despite your company’s recent pledge to be a better corporate citizen and to obey the law and collect sales tax, you created a price-check app that allows shoppers to browse Main Street stores that do collect sales tax, scan a product, ask for expertise, and walk out empty-handed in order to buy on Amazon. We suppose we should be flattered that an online sales behemoth needs a Main Street retail showroom.

Forgive us if we’re not.

We could call your $5 bounty to app-users a cheesy marketing move and leave it at that. In fact, it is the latest in a series of steps to expand your market at the expense of cities and towns nationwide, stripping them of their unique character and the financial wherewithal to pay for essential needs like schools, fire and police departments, and libraries.

But maybe we’ve misunderstood.

Even though you’ve spent millions on lobbyists, fired affiliates in seven states, and threatened to shut warehouses to avoid collecting sales tax, maybe you really mean it now when you say you support a level playing field.

It’s up to you to show us.

In the meantime, indie retailers remain the heart of countless communities — offering discovery, energy, support, and unique experiences. See you on Main Street.

Linda Federico-O'Murchu contributed to this article.