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Honestly, so far the quickest delivery I've experienced was from local businesses. Some local stores switched too what is almost pizza delivery. I ordered gear

Honestly, so far the quickest delivery I've experienced was from local businesses. Some local stores switched too what is almost pizza delivery. I ordered gear at lunchtime and got it delivered in the afternoon. But it really depends on the supplier. 48h delivery has been hit and miss too recently. Now what the article doesn't say is that a lot of the businesses on "Le Panier Bleu" do not even have an online catalog and you need to call them. In these cases, it's pretty much the yellow pages with a different color.

filoleg 6y ago
Out of curiosity, what kind of shop was that local store that gave you a same day delivery and had a good inventory system? Asking because I noticed that here (Seattle), a couple of specialized niche stores do that, and it works really well, but i feel like there might be some reason for why only those kinds of stores do that. The one that comes to mind is Patchwerks (analog synthesizer store; disclaimer: I have zero affiliation with that store aside from being a happy customer). Their own online inventory system is a pleasure to work with, and they stock all kinds of rare items that are accurately reflected in their online system. Ordered around noon, picked up a couple hours later, it was a true pleasure to work with. What their website displays is in stock has always been in stock. Not even once the state of the inventory on their website didn’t match the reality. And yet, not any other more general store I’ve seen could even match it, whether it is a local or a larger scale store. For example, Guitar Center’s online inventory system is a straight up joke. What the website says is in stock at my local store is not in stock 99% of the time. And it cuts the other way around too. Which renders the whole website useless, as i have to call to find out what they actually have, so they can spend 10 mins of my life on hold while they are searching for an item. Then rinse and repeat if I want to check on another item or if i want to check another Guitar Center that is a bit further away in a nearby town.
- igrekel 6y ago
  It was a cooking gear store. They do not have much on the web but the person answering the phone knows the stock amazingly well. I suspect she may have a good inventory system under her eyes. I've been shopping for plants recently and there is a world of difference between two different nurseries.

filoleg 6y ago

Out of curiosity, what kind of shop was that local store that gave you a same day delivery and had a good inventory system? Asking because I noticed that here (Seattle), a couple of specialized niche stores do that, and it works really well, but i feel like there might be some reason for why only those kinds of stores do that. The one that comes to mind is Patchwerks (analog synthesizer store; disclaimer: I have zero affiliation with that store aside from being a happy customer). Their own online inventory system is a pleasure to work with, and they stock all kinds of rare items that are accurately reflected in their online system. Ordered around noon, picked up a couple hours later, it was a true pleasure to work with. What their website displays is in stock has always been in stock. Not even once the state of the inventory on their website didn’t match the reality. And yet, not any other more general store I’ve seen could even match it, whether it is a local or a larger scale store. For example, Guitar Center’s online inventory system is a straight up joke. What the website says is in stock at my local store is not in stock 99% of the time. And it cuts the other way around too. Which renders the whole website useless, as i have to call to find out what they actually have, so they can spend 10 mins of my life on hold while they are searching for an item. Then rinse and repeat if I want to check on another item or if i want to check another Guitar Center that is a bit further away in a nearby town.

igrekel 6y ago
It was a cooking gear store. They do not have much on the web but the person answering the phone knows the stock amazingly well. I suspect she may have a good inventory system under her eyes. I've been shopping for plants recently and there is a world of difference between two different nurseries.