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Comment by bombcar | Hacker News Reader

Walmart + Target + Home Depot cover much of what I would have used Amazon for, and all offer free shipping in some way without joining any club.

Walmart pickup is great.

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Home Depot reuses SKUs for different products. When they fulfill an order from a local store it's a gamble if you're going to get the item you wanted. You also can't exchange those orders online and are forced to go to the same store it came from.

Best feature for home depot (and lowes) is that you can always constrain your query to the store. And when you do this, each product's page will show the the aisle and row the item is located at. (yes, I know the smartphone app will help you here but 100% of smart phone apps are bad, as are those who recommend them) Just spend a few minutes writing down your items & aisles and go visit the store. Trust me, it's better. The convenience of delivery just is not worth the stupid roulette that online retail has become.

I do this every trip. I take screenshots of the page per item (usually only a handful) once I get to the parking lot.

Then, I optimize my trip around the store to never double back.

It's worth it.

I did this recently for a lawn mower that wasn't actually at the store the website said. We went to the exact location and it wasn't there. We talked to customer service and they said they could order it for us. No thanks, Home Depot.

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