After a month of surfing the Internet trying to find the most affordable good-quality equipment I stumble upon a Hydro shop in my own city and their prices were not much different for the most part! I ended up being in there for over two hours, and I knew exactly what I was there to get! Now I learn a lot from this forum and various other sites on the Internet but actually being in a Hydro supply shop full of working models and somebody who works there that knows what they're talking about can make understanding things a little easier. I also met 2 people who actually live quite close to me that are fellow growers, one guy even offered me some clones. I ended up buying the fan I was going to order off the Internet for $20 more because it was such good service and to help support my local grow shop! found out they get alot of used equip! they gave me a free jug of earth juice to boot!
prices from shops and Internet, you have to conciser do you really want to pay the exta shipping charges, AND wait the 5-7 days for your order? or will you just spend the few extra bux to drive down to your shop and pick it up there. it eventual evens out in the long run
You also have to consider the security risks with each approach. Very easy for a cop to hang out near the hydro shop and run plates on the cars in the parking lot, even follow a car home, to then harass you. Or, order off the internet from a store that is in a different jurisdiction, meaning that no local cop has a snowball's chance in hell of getting a subpoena on the store's records, meaning there is no practical way for your local law enforcement to know you did business with that store. I am a big supporter of patronizing local businesses, but in the case of local hydro shop vs. internet the security issue tips the scales the other way IMO.
idk, i think the cops rather hang out at the local smoke shop that sells glass pipes AND growing equipment and scales and stuff rather then a shop that sells soil nutes... if i were a cop i'd go to the smoke shop first...
My local shop is a little pricier than the net but I like the people that own it so I will pay the extra 5%. If your city is large enough to have a hydro shop I would guess the police are doing other things than scavenging for growers.
I think you've bigger concern would be seeing someone who you don't want knowing you grow then the cops. Or you car out front even. I've got a whole bunch around here, though I go to one way away from here when I do.