Turn federation off and browse /all. 90% of content is the same 4-5 posters or very niche magazines that are full of posts exclusively submitted by the magazine owner. Comments are a bit more varied but you can’t throw a stone without hitting one of about 7 frequent commenters, which also includes the 4-5 post submitters.
You can shop online and still buy local. I’m not sure why you’re convinced this is an either/or scenario.
Personally I don’t have the time for a ton of brick-and-mortar shopping and my work requires specialized materials that aren’t made locally but often do require a bit of “shopping around.”
Turn federation off and browse /all. 90% of content is the same 4-5 posters or very niche magazines that are full of posts exclusively submitted by the magazine owner. Comments are a bit more varied but you can’t throw a stone without hitting one of about 7 frequent commenters, which also includes the 4-5 post submitters.