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Comment by mkasberg | Hacker News Reader

I've found recently that walking into the local Walmart, Costco, or grocery store is a better experience than shopping on Amazon, and I increasingly try to do it instead.

Need a spatula? You could look on Amazon and hope you get something relatively sturdy and that isn't filled with chemicals harmful for cooking/eating. Or, you could walk into a local grocery store or Walmart where they probably have 2 or 3 to choose from, they've already researched and selected the best items to stock, and you can feel and see the item before you buy it. I like to think that if enough people realize Amazon is selling garbage and start doing this more, Amazon will need to respond to consumer demand (or will fail).

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I would tend to agree that in person is better/safer, but

> they've already researched and selected the best items to stock

I'm not convinced at all that the store buyers research and choose with materials consideration (such as BPA and other things we wish to avoid in our food products). Still, it has a better chance than from Amazon. In fact, if the Amazon listing says "BPA free", can you trust it? Is there any way to believe that it is verified? (almost certainly not)

Costco fits this model, I think. You might only have one selection for something but you know it’s a quality product and is usually a good deal.

I try to buy from retail stores when possible now, but it's getting so hard.

I needed a new mouse for my gaming PC recently. I live in Brooklyn and the nearest Best Buy to me closes at 7pm. I tried to get one at Target but it was $35 online and $65 in-store (and $32 on Amazon). They said I couldn't price match against their own website, but I could buy it online and choose in-store pickup. But because the store was closing in less than 2 hours, same day pickup was not an option. Asked if I could order pickup for tomorrow and just give it to me right now, nope, system won't allow it. Thanked the employee for their help and bought it on Amazon.

Similarly, I want to buy from local music gear stores but they all close at 7pm and most are closed on weekends. I'm not taking a vacation day just to try out a synthesizer. Sweetwater isn't local but at least they're not Amazon and they're reliable.

Problem is, you still get shit quality from Walmart. They optimize for lower cost items. Everything from the spatula to clothing I'd have to rebuy from Walmart, in 3-6 months anyway. No thanks. I want quality items, and I want a store I can trust to get that at. It isn't Walmart, and it's no longer Amazon.

TL;DR: Even if you're buying "the same thing" from Walmart, it's likely a lower quality version. Many manufactures make lower-quality Walmart-specific SKUs.

See: https://www.fastcompany.com/54763/man-who-said-no-wal-mart

That is true also. I would never buy a TV from Walmart. That said, there have been some rare moments where tech reviewers have looking into Walmart budget computers and found quite decent fundamentals. Still, chances are it's a miss.

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