Going to a Store: Over It

And yes I am curious.

 

this is a timely thread for me. here are some experiences ive had in just the last two weeks. its almost as if brick-and-mortar stores are trying to destroy themselves.

1) shoes - been having plantar fascitis issues and wanted a better pair of shoes so i went store to get a pair of new balances sneakers. i asked for size 12 and the dude said "let me measure your feet". it was unnecessary, but i obliged him. he told me im 12.5 or even 13. i told him i always wear 12 and so he said he would get both. so i try on the 12.5 and they are too big. the 12's fit perfectly and i want to buy them. he tells me he will sell me the 12's, but will have to mark them as non-returnable since he measured me as a 12.5. so i bought them online instead. free delivery and returns.

2) kick pedal for my drumset - needed a new one and wanted to support the local (non-guitar center) music store. i find the pedal i want, but when i asked what the return policy was he said store credit only. what if i got home and played with the pedal for 2 minutes and realized i didnt like it? so i bought online instead. it was delivered to my house for free in under 24 hours and had free return policy.

3) home depot - my shed only had two 8x16 vents and i wanted to add four more. i needed outdoor soffit vents (kind with screens on them) and went to HD to buy some, and three different people told me they didnt sell anything like that. got home and bought them on amazon...free next day delivery. i also saw that HD did indeed sell what i was looking for.

you would think that at a time when everything is moving to online that actual stores would be a little more accommodating and make a better effort to compete. in the case of the kick pedal, it was actually $8 more at the music store, but i didnt mind paying that so i could support a local business. and i know that if a bolt comes off or something happens i can bring it up there and they will help me out...but to have a store credit only return policy when you're trying to compete with amazon??? just seems crazy to me.

 

The employees of your average Home Depot are worthless. Everyone should know this by now as just a simple PSA. If you know what you need and where it is it's a great place.

 

every once in awhile i will come across an employee who knows where everything in the store is and is actually a lot of help. ive had people there that have saved me a lot of money by explaining how to fix something myself instead of hiring a plumber, handyman, ect.

i went 0-for-3 last time i was in, but there are a few ron swansons working there. they are obviously over-qualified for the job, but they are indeed out there!

 

I just have my robot Butler go to the store for me and return it if I don't like it. Get with the times

 

I don't think I've bought a piece of musical equipment at a brick and mortar place since.....probably the early 90's. No hyperbole. Even before the internet, I preferred shopping via catalog. Always looked forward to the new Lone Star Percussion catalog coming in the mail. Nowadays, it's mostly the Woodwind & Brasswind. Hell, I bought a Yahama closed hi-hat stand on Amazon a few days ago.

The one anomaly for this is the Lowe's in Kingwood. I'm there probably every other Saturday. I've always had good luck with their employees. I had a guy walk me though installing a ceiling fan a few years ago. And another guy do the same for installing a screen door. When I'm shopping there for a specific item, I go online first and find it and it will say the exact isle and section it's located in the store. I still love browsing that place on a Saturday morning looking for my next project. Especially the outdoor section.

Browsing through the grocery store? Yeah, no thanks. Kroger Quick List FTW.

 

Does "barn paint" come in any color other than "barn red"? Honestly curious. Looking for a good color of dark/deep red to paint a door....

I'm glad somebody caught that.

 

getting out of bed: over it

 

So...white paint that you turn into other colors?

eta: just looked it up, you're just talking about heavy duty outdoor paint, I'd never heard the term "barn paint"

 

My SO goes into a panic when she enters a grocery store or is confronted with cooking a meal. It’s a good thing that I enjoy cooking. Going to a grocery store? It’s a mixed bag, usually because I’ve forgotten to bring my bags from the car with me and HEB charges you a quarter for one of their plastic ones. That, or I’m driving the old clunker that I inherited that I’m too cheap to get rid of. It generally has one cloth bag in it, so along with getting the small cart to push around the grocery store, the one that always turns out to be too small because of all my impulse buying, I end up buying HEB bags anyway. Mixed bags. Austin has a recycling ordinance. The Lege got rid of it somehow, but everyone pretends that it still exists, including HEB.

Life is strange.

 

For most things, I'd rather order online than go to a store, but not for groceries. My wife has been experimenting with it, and I don't like it a bit. Sometimes, she'll order 1 bag of apples, and they'll deliver 1 apple. The picker can't find my bread and does some substitute -- but I know the bread is there, on the bottom shelf, and he's too lazy or too rushed to spend the time scanning for it. Or how is the bread from their bakery, is it the right combination of soft and crusty you want in a baguette? What fruit -- don't know, I need to look at the fruit and the prices to decide. What meat, don't know, is the steak cut thick this week? Is there a special? Look at the eyes on the fish, Mr. picker, and tell me if they look clear. I can't really delegate this task to anyone else.

 

I have no problems going out and shopping around for myself....I just put on my headphones and listen to music or a podcast while I do my thing

I don’t like doing it for other people tho, especially when it’s for things that will be hard for me to find

I’m also not down with other people doing my groceries for me...I’ll be damned if they deliver me moldy grapes, apples with bruises all on them, trash peaches, the bread that’s about to expire, etc

 

I don't mind going into a store as long as I have my airpods and can listen to my own soundtrack.

No headphones. not shopping for me.

 

I have spent over 7k on Amazon alone this year. It's my addiction while stuck in an airport. Grocery stores irritate me, but I'm a foody and cook 5-6 nights a week when home, so it's a must. The spice isle is pretty much heaven to me. I think I have every spice created in two cabinets. Love experimenting and winning.

 

Not necessarily relevant, but interesting nonetheless.

 

Toys R Us is coming back.

 

As far as B&M stores go, Furniture stores will always be around. Some items people want to feel prior to buying. I'd never buy a mattress online.