Re: OT: Search tricks?

On Wed, 21 Aug 2024 22:11:55 -0700, Don Y
<blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:

On 8/21/2024 8:57 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:00:43 -0700, Don Y
<blockedofcourse@foo.invalid> wrote:
 

On 8/21/2024 7:08 PM, Jeff Liebermann wrote:

Has anyone else found a better scheme?  Quoting arguments?  etc.

>
Which web search engine are you using?  Google, DuckDuckGo, Brave,
Bing, etc:
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_search_engines>
Or, are you using the web site's server search feature to look for
products available from a specific web vendor?  I guess that might be
what you mean by an "*etail* site.

>
Exactly.  I'm going to PICK UP an item, today.  Which store will I drive
to?  Which carries the item?  Which has it IN STOCK?  Where, in the store,
is it located?

 
You didn't answer my question.  Are you:
[ ]  searching the entire internet?
[ ]  searching the vendors shopping site?

>
I am searching etailers' sites.  Whether that is Ace Hardware, Home Depot,
Lowes, Amazon, etc.  Any business that has a presence on the internet.
>

I already offered a few suggestions for searching the entire internet
with your choice of web search page and search options.  However, I
can't offer any advice on how to customize a shopping site, which is
under the control of the vendor.
 
As for "going to pickup an item today", I don't do much of that.  I
usually have the vendor ship me my purchases.  In general, the
inventory is accurate for items that use commercial delivery services
(i.e. automated warehouse).  I can't say the same for store inventory,
which is subject to various types of shrinkage, such as theft,
mis-filing, hidden behind other items, customer return problems,
packaging damage, open boxes, etc.

>
My latest "escapade" is the result of Amazon botching an order;
canceling it the day it was to be delivered.  So, now to find
those same items elsewhere having already lost the days that
I could afford to lose WAITING for their arrival.  "Who has these
items TODAY, in town and IN STOCK?"

Ok.  That means you know the maker and model of the item that you
intend to buy.  In other words, you're not searching for a item to
buy, but instead are searching for a vendor that has that item in
stock.

Most online shopping sites have filters to help you select products,
availability, shipping preferences, etc.  Pick a likely online vendor,
find the item that you intend to buy, and see what they have to offer
in terms of availability, shipping and nearby stores that might have
stock.  For example, if I find something on Harbor Freight, and the
item is not in stock, I can select another store that has it in stock.

I could spend the day driving from one store to another looking
through aisles to see if they carry them and have them in stock.

Or, you could spend a few minutes checking some likely vendors who
claim to have it in stock or claim to have expedited service.  Again,
because of shrinkage in retail stores, stock count from an automated
warehouse is far more accurate than stock count from a retail store.
Note that most stores do a physical inventory count once per year for
the benefit of the auditors, not the customers.

If you bought in large quantities from a wholesale warehouse, you
would probably ask for regular inventory counts of the items you
routinely purchase.  With such a report, you can order "from
inventory" and have a good chance of actually getting what you order.
However, in the quantities we buy for our own use, none of us would
qualify for such a service.

Or, I could visit web sites and try to get answers to these same
questions, venture forth and HOPE the "in stock" quantity listed
on the web site is accurate (it wasn't, at Home Depot).

Yep.  Good, fast delivery, cheap.  Pick any two.



--
Jeff Liebermann                 jeffl@cruzio.com
PO Box 272      http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Ben Lomond CA 95005-0272
Skype: JeffLiebermann      AE6KS    831-336-2558