When shopping at an indie LSS, how much...

I expect them to be a bit more than if I go to Hobby Lobby, Michael's or JoAnn...but not too much higher...I'll accept a 5% increase without too much hesitation but any more and then I do start looking at my other options. When I compare to prices online, I make sure to include shipping into the cost...a piece might be a buck or two cheaper on ACOT but shipping is going to increase the overall cost of the item.

My LSS has pretty good prices, IMO - they are in line with Scrapbook.com or ACOT and sometimes a bit cheaper (plus, no shipping, so a win for me as I have the items in my hot little hands right then and there). The drawback to my LSS is that they are pretty picky at what lines they carry, so not everything is available. And they can't always order everything. I was looking for some Crate Paper - their Poolside line - and the owner decided not to order it for some reason so that was a bummer. I don't go there as often as I could for that reason.

My LSS is almost always 50 cents higher for anything up to $4.99. Above that gets higher, but everything I purchase is usually pretty close in range or I just get it elsewhere. That store would frustrate me.

My parents run a small craft shop here in the UK, and I have always been surprised by the RRPs of the things they sell. It seems like almost every other retailer must be taking a big hit and selling for much less than the RRP. The RRP is also often a random price, not a nice round number, so my parents will often have to 'round down' to make it a sensible-sounding price.

The prices in your original post sound like they are the recommended retail prices for those items.

We still have 2 LSS in the county. One really isn't that local to me, but it is very close to the airport so I will stop in if I'm in the area. I'm mostly buying stamps & dies these days and was a little irked when they increased the $15 stamps sets to $15.50. I don't make a special trip and the $.50 isn't enough of a deal breaker to make me stop going when in the area and buying. 

I was in the second store last week and they have increased their prices a little over 12% since my last visit, so the $15 stamp set is now $16.89. Because I can almost always get free shipping, their price difference is high enough to make me shop online.

I love touching & seeing product, so do want to support local stores but if they are more than 5% about the MSRP it has to be something I really want NOW and can't find elsewhere.

The price difference on the washi tape you quoted is insane.

I'm willing to pay somewhat more but not crazy more prices like you quoted in the OP. As a former retailer myself, I get it that they have all kinds of hidden overhead. But they also have to get it that there are other places to shop and that they need to at least try to be competitive.

My LSS is super inconsistent with pricing so it would depend on the item. Most things are very reasonably priced, but the store and the selection are very small :/ You can't have it all I guess

Since I only have access to one LSS, I pretty much pick what I want and ignore what the price is. I don't buy things there that I can readily get at a big box (like adhesives) and luckily my LSS carries lots of stuff I couldn't get without placing an online order. They specialize in Doodlebug, Bella Blvd, Graphic 45 and KaiserCraft. The partners that run the store are a great team: one is a scrapper and one is a businessperson so they've got good product and (so far) they seem to be in it for the long haul. They have been in business since 1996 so they really seem to have a solid business model. We used to have 7 LSS in our small state, now they are the only LSS left: all the others are gone.

Lately, they seem to have shifted more towards classes, Copics and coloring so time will tell if their shift away from scrapbooking is working out for them (I'm sure it will). I really like their tiny treasure of a store. They downsized their square footage but the store is laid out so well it is still packed with lots of goodies. Although I don't spend much on scrapping anymore (I've been using the stash for quite some time), they get my scrap dollars when I feel in the mood for some eye candy and inspiration.

I go for the stuff I can't find elsewhere so the price is pretty much irrelevant. It's more of a "yes or no" decision.

I don't have a lss that has anything I would want to buy. So this is from past experience, I would have given them anywhere up to 15% leeway, but only on paper and embellishments that I really need to see and/or feel in person. You can't get name brand lines at the box stores and if you just want a few sheets here and there, then shipping wouldn't be worth it on-line.

I'm currently wearing a T-shirt that says "Support your local mom and pop". (Tragically, I bought it online.) I really try to support local business and would especially try to support a local business that I want to stick around. We no longer have a local LSS and I miss the opportunity to see good stuff in person so I'd suck it up for a modest markup on relatively inexpensive items. If I buy online, I also have to factor in shipping and duty so I'd consider that cost too.