I love shop hops even though I typically don't buy a lot. I love to get new ideas and see fabrics, etc that my local shops don't carry. We have a state wide hop in MN but it's broken up into several sections of 8 or 10 shops and usually each section sponsors a bus trip which is reasonable and definitely the way to go IMHO. Yes there is some cost but I think of it as my entertainment as I don't golf, take trips or do other things that many people do.