<p>I bought mobile phones with mini and micro usb charging ports. The Verizon stores wanted $20 for the cable or $20 for a charger. They are a few bucks at Amazon - they will even sell them to you in bulk. They come free with many peripherals too.</p>
<p>Retail stores are good when you need it (or want it) fast.</p>
<p>Retail stores with prices as described above are the reason mail order is doing so well. And again, in a $2 vs $30 decision, sales tax is not an issue.</p>
<p>“We get hordes of shoppers from a nearby state …”
Never been described as a “horde” before … but I digress.</p>
<p>For persons who don’t live in high cost-of-living states, it can be hard to make the case that it’s “fair” for one state to collect sales tax and another doesn’t. But sales-tax/no-sales-tax is not a high cost unfairness. IMO the high cost unfairnesses are “barriers to entry.” CT residents pay nearly three times the cost for electricity that residents of NC pay. With margins like that you’d think companies would be clamoring to start new utility companies in CT. Nope. You need legislative approval, and the legislature isn’t granting any. Cigarette tax in Oregon is $1.18 a pack. In CT it’s $3.40, and in NY $4.35. (I’m purposely ignoring cigarette taxes in tobacco states, which are considerably under a buck a pack.)</p>
<p>My point is that Walmart and internet prices provide useful measuring point … just as MPG of imported cars provided a useful comparison in the 1970’s.</p>
<p>Interesting…</p>
<p>[Business</a> & Technology | Amazon to collect Tenn. sales tax in 2014, add 2,000 jobs | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2016424133_amazontenn07.html]Business”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2016424133_amazontenn07.html)</p>
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