There has now been three instances within the same month where I have tried going to a somewhat local store to get what I want. In all instances I had to return without what I needed. This is a big part of what makes it hard to support your local stores, even ignoring that my physical nearby store is more expensive the downside of not being able to give them money for the goods I want is a big issue. The first thing I wanted was a small RC-toy car for my kids, I wanted a spesific type so I checked the webiste for my local store, they did advertise for it but no inventory counter was available. So I put the kiddo in the car and went down to see. All the “good” options was of course sold out and I did not want to get a lesser option so I had to travel to a nearby larget city to get what I needed.

The second time I wanted to get a RC-Car for dad so I did the same thing I looked up a few models on the webiste of the local RC hobby store. They seemed to have a lot of things in both enthusiast and beginner categories. When I got there no attractive options where available and the clerk did not seem interested in me at all. Apparently this was a store where you needed to be an expert to shop. Neophytes should go elsewhere. I feel like this is a bit absurd. Enthusiasts come from somewhere, they usually go trough a pipeline of some sort where you buy something affordable, but fun and then upgrade as you get sucked into a hobby. This store seemed to pretty much only sell pretty expensive gear and judging by the dust on a lot of the boxes, business was not booming.

The last example is from your average shoe store. I did find the right shoe here, but not in the right size. The clerk assured me it would be no trouble to buy the wrong size today (to be used as a gift) and then swap it on monday for the right size…

Come monday and oops this was a limited edition run that he could no longer order new pairs of. We did end up getting something sorted in the end but it took an additional visit from the gift receiver which is a hassle I tried to avoid.

These issues are just a few examples from long list of issues. Another major one is clerks not doing what I would call a good sale. When I buy a small bike for my daughter I would hope and expect that a good salesperson mentions helmets, reflektors and elbow protectors. The issue is that in the physical store the clerk need to mention this every time but in the online version someone just has to program it once.

All these situations would not have happened had I gone online, found the thing I wanted, clicked order and waited 2-3 days for delivery. It would have been cheaper, easier and a lot more convenient. I feel like there are very few physical stores worth visiting. Some notable examples when you are shopping for bigger things such as a tailored suit, a kitchen or a car.

I don´t know where I am going with this. End rant.