I am very lucky to have four good quilt shops around me. One a mile away, two about 12 miles from me, one north, one south, and another in New Hampshire about 15 miles away where there is no state sales tax. I am friendly with all the owners and none of them have yachts, nor do they drive expensive cars. They are good people who love their work, pay their local taxes and their employees. They all offer friendly, helpful service and I want them all to stay in business. Each store has a different look, different emphasis, and yes, prices have risen but they each have their sales and specials. So I shop them all for what I need, usually in small amounts and I always get encouragement and help with my projects from them. I also shop big chain store sales for batting sometimes, or notions with a coupon. It's hard when you're retired, so you have to pick and choose carefully, but I love the shopping experience and like to see and feel what I'm buying so I almost never shop online. Have you noticed the price of meat these days? And fresh veggies? The farmers aren't getting rich either, but that's how the world is. Everyone has a different outlook.