In these difficult economic times, as a result of COVID-19, it is especially important to patronize your neighborhood businesses. Do it not only on annual Small Business Saturday, November 26, but every day of the year. Small independent businesses are at the mercy of suppliers, especially third-party brokers, who control the price they have to pay for merchandise. There are additional costs of sanitizing the store and providing protection to employees, who deal with the public during this ongoing health emergency. I don’t mind occasionally paying a little more to help our local stores survive. The employees go out of their way to help me find what I need. Customer service is their motto. As an independent mom-and-pop store, they don’t have the bulk-buying purchasing power that Amazon or large national chain stores have. The owners can’t negotiate lower prices from suppliers. This is why they sometimes charge a little …