Montana is one small town all spread out lol... seriously though, 90% of our state is areas with less than 2,000 in population. We have 7 major cities/towns and a handful of larger towns that range around 10k people. Where we live is under 2k but we're halfway between to major cities. Finding what we need in MT is difficult, for anything. We have to travel for everything. The biggest thing you hear here is "I can get it cheaper at _____ so I'll drive." That being said, we also have a very large population of elderly people who do not drive/travel or go to the city to get what they need. They shop local and they understand that prices are higher here because it's harder to keep the doors open. I think the consensus is that everything is up, so there's nothing we can do about it. Because MT is a small town, we have a lot of support for small business. Shop local is a big thing here. Keeping the mom and pops from closing is also a big thing here.
Not sure how you're considering raising your prices, but I'd say if you're doing it in small increments like 5-25 cents per item, people won't notice much and that's a huge increase in your revenue across the board. If you're raising a dollar, that's a different story. I would ask - what are you comparable to? What does the closest shop to you charge? Do they compare in product and being local or are they SBux? If you can increase by 50 cents or less, I say just do it. You'll likely not have much push back. And don't announce it either! Just let them notice on their own. If you're their fave and I'm guessing you are, they won't care or notice. 🙂
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