Always:
It may be more important to help the poor buyer than a specific store.
1. One person not buying one time will not make a store owner poor
2. the store is in business to make money, not to help multiple poor people. Multiple poor people are helped by free giveaways, not for-profit stores.
3. It is no one’s job to encourage people to go into business.
I totally agree with you that entrepreneurship is much preferable to welfare, gmachs, free giveaways and the like. I am in favor of buying from businesses and supporting them. I am in favor of all people supporting themselves financially and not relying on others, we both pray for exactly that in bircat hamazon.
However, I do not think that Syag did anything wrong, nor do I think she will begin handing out freebies in front of all the local stores to drive them out of business. A proportionate response is due here. What she did was a judgement call and she was the best (and only) person to have the tools to make the judgement. Kudos to her.