I like supporting small companies and local businesses, including local incarnations of chain stores. Browsing the nearby Borders, scanning the shelves, leafing through physcial books held in my own hands—this experience has a satisfaction that online shopping cannot match, and I know that if I buy all my books online, I risk losing the local experience forever.
Nonetheless, it appears I have unusual tastes in books, music, and other areas, because what is on display at the local store is too often not what I want, and what I want must be ordered. That's where I draw the line: if it must be ordered, I'll do it myself, thank you. That's when I'm especially thankful for Amazon.com and other online retailers.I usually find what I'm looking for, and it's hard to beat Amazon's free shipping on orders of $25 or more. Still, you can't assume you're getting a good deal, even with free shipping.
Today I discovered Amazon's Gourmet Foods section, and was surprised and pleased that my search on "Boyajian" turned up several items. I discovered the Boyajian folks when we lived in Norwood, Massachusetts, and I passed their headquarters (since moved) and small store as I walked to the train station. They have many good products, but I absolutely fell in love with the citrus oils. Lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit (alas, discontinued!), and the fabulous tangerine—these cold-pressed, natural essences put the power of citrus peel or zest into any recipe with ease. The flavors are extremely powerful and even a one-ounce bottle lasts a long time. I use them in dozens of ways, from stir-fry dishes to baked goods to drinks such as hot cocoa, Bay Punch, and Lime Daleys. [End commercial. No, I'm not getting paid by Boyajian. I really like their products.]
Because I have bought online directly from Boyajian (after both we and their store moved), I was able to tell that Amazon's prices are much higher than Boyajian's. This surprised me; I haven't noticed a similar problem with their books and CD's. I did a little investigating and here's what I found: A five-ounce bottle of Boyajian Lime Oil from Amazon costs $18.25, with free shipping if you buy something else to get the total up to $25. Directly from Boyajian, the same bottle of Lime Oil costs $11.50, plus $6.75 shipping. Hmmm, $11.50 plus $6.75 equals...$18.25! So much for free shipping! And at Boyajian you can get two bottles of Lime Oil for the same $6.75 charge.
Caveat emptor!
