One of my commitments over the past year and into 2011 has been to shift more of our dollars toward local businesses. Sure, I still buy stuff online and at some national chains, but I've also made a conscious decision to look for a local alternative wherever I can. \n\nWhen it came to printing new business cards for my husband's business, instead of taking advantage of the super cheap prices and free shipping from Vistaprint again, I turned to the directory on the Local First website for some guidance. \n\nI found a few local printing companies and contacted them all via email with a small introduction and a request for a quote for this relatively small project.\n\nSusan from Impact was the first response I received - long before others' responses started trickling in. After receiving quotes from various companies, I did a little bit of price comparison, and asked some of the companies a few more questions about recommendations for the right paper, about file types and fonts, and about turn-around time.\n\nWith regard to price, Impact wasn't the \"cheapest\" but they certainly weren't expensive. My quotes from a total of six companies ranged between $27.00 to $75.00 for comparable quotes: 500 cards, two-sided, full color on one side, with an aqueous coating.  Impact quoted me $55.00. Four of those six companies quoted comparably.\n\nSo what made me go with Impact? By the time I had finished all my comparing and asking, I'd had several email exchanges with Susan, and every response was so thorough and so friendly and so above-and-beyond, that I didn't really care. She won me over with excellent customer care.\n\nChristmas came and I fell off the map for a week, and you'd better believe she picked up right where we left off and was very understanding! \n\nYesterday I picked up the finished cards. And it wasn't enough that the cards turned out excellent. They close at 5 and Susan patiently waited for me after closing time, as I fought traffic on the 51 and then on the suicide lane on 7th Street so that I would be able to pick up the cards in time for my husband's business trip. \n\nSome people may say, \"meh... big deal. that's what they SHOULD do...\" But the truth is, it IS a big deal. I don't meet this level of customer care too often. So, when the product is great and the customer care is unmatched, the choice is obvious as to who will get my business.