Online Price $19.24 vs Bikeshop Price $35 Is A No Brainer

Went to bikeshop to buy new tube after suffering a puncture. With that puncture i had 2 punctured tubes. Tried patching the holes but didn't work. 1 of the tube was patched with sticker type patch(given by a cyclist). Other was with rubber cement + patch. Both leaked. All the while i carried a patched tube as spare & thought it ought to work...

Repairing is a way of saving $ & making the earth's resources last longer. It didn't work this time round. Mechanic told me that road bike tubes are hard to patch since there are slimmer compared to MTB tubes.

What shocked me at the bikeshop is seeing the price of the 8 speed chain of what it might cost me in future if i do need a replacement. I checked its price on chainreactioncycles.com:

It sells for S$35 at the bikeshop. Even with $11.99 shipping fee it is cheaper by $3.77. $3.77 might not seem much but it is around 10% cheaper. How often do you get a 10% pay raise?

Irresistible deal & what's killing local bikeshop businesses laden with killer rentals(manipulated by govt) is the free shipping on orders $250+. $19.24 vs $35 is a no brainer. Again this brings us to:

"From biz owner's point of view, there's a limit how low costs can go, a limit how much people will pay for stuff, but there's no limit to rising rentals."

When more & more businesses close shop which is why i wrote in the past about why i consider REITS risky. Wide gap for the prices is why the retail scene here is on very shaky ground. Not to mention that sinkies are being sucked dry of their retirement $ & high costs of living.

Online shopping is the preferred way when possible. No need waste time in infested malls & the myriad of foreigners in overcrowded tiny island.