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Had a large-format (for its time) chain store in Canada like that until 1996: https://www.tvo.org/article/what-happened-to-consumers-distributing https://www.tv

Had a large-format (for its time) chain store in Canada like that until 1996: https://www.tvo.org/article/what-happened-to-consumers-distributing https://www.tvo.org/article/what-happened-to-consumers-distr... Basically a catalogue store without shipping to your door.

seanmcdirmid 11mo ago
Oh Service Merchandise was a thing in the USA also, where I was living at in Mississippi at least. It was basically catalog focused store with a showroom. IKEA is kind of like that also, but you have to get everything yourself after picking it out upstairs. And Sears might have been like this at some point before I was born.
markus_zhang 11mo ago
Reading the history of Consumers (thanks, I never knew this existed): >In the 1990s, Consumers Distributing struggled to compete with Zellers and then Walmart Canada. Consumers Distributing sought bankruptcy protection in 1996. And Zellers went under just a few years ago...
- wild_egg 11mo ago
  Sorry to say but 2013 was more than a few years ago...
  - markus_zhang 10mo ago
    Oh I must have some bad memory unit…
- bdangubic 11mo ago
  I had hair when Zellers went under
chairmansteve 11mo ago
Argos in the UK was similar. You would go into the store and look up the product in a catalog. Then go to counter and order it, wait 2-5 minutes and they give you the product. I found it quite convenient.
- lmm 11mo ago
  They still exist. Tend to be pretty competitive on price, although they must be losing out to online shopping in a lot of places since they don't offer any showroom advantage.
  - adaml_623 11mo ago
    In my experience because you're picking up from the Argos you can do an instant return if you realize you ordered wrong (or the item is rubbish). Not perfect but a good way to get your hands on the product with an easy refund option
- georgefrowny 10mo ago
  Screwfix do this too. Just a counter with a handful of staff who go and get your items. If you pre-order it's waiting at the desk. Very handy for people who can order from the job site on the account and send the lad round to grab it. And a (relatively) unshittified website too because if jobbing tradies can't use the damn thing because it's too loaded down with ads and bullshit, they just won't.
  - walthamstow 10mo ago
    Screwfix is an all-round excellent consumer experience, for DIY or trade. The reviews on the website are often hilarious as well.
- rsynnott 10mo ago
  They're still there. Was surprised to run into one recently when I was in London (they pulled out of Ireland a while back, and I'd assumed they'd just closed totally at that point, because it _does_ feel like an increasingly marginalised business model.)
lytfyre 11mo ago
Little bit more specialized, but Lee Valley Tools [https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca] stores seem to still operate this way. Showroom (and a few computer kiosks) and order forms up front, then line up for them to pull the items from the back.

seanmcdirmid 11mo ago

Oh Service Merchandise was a thing in the USA also, where I was living at in Mississippi at least. It was basically catalog focused store with a showroom. IKEA is kind of like that also, but you have to get everything yourself after picking it out upstairs. And Sears might have been like this at some point before I was born.

markus_zhang 11mo ago

Reading the history of Consumers (thanks, I never knew this existed): >In the 1990s, Consumers Distributing struggled to compete with Zellers and then Walmart Canada. Consumers Distributing sought bankruptcy protection in 1996. And Zellers went under just a few years ago...

wild_egg 11mo ago
Sorry to say but 2013 was more than a few years ago...
- markus_zhang 10mo ago
  Oh I must have some bad memory unit…
bdangubic 11mo ago
I had hair when Zellers went under

chairmansteve 11mo ago

Argos in the UK was similar. You would go into the store and look up the product in a catalog. Then go to counter and order it, wait 2-5 minutes and they give you the product. I found it quite convenient.

lmm 11mo ago
They still exist. Tend to be pretty competitive on price, although they must be losing out to online shopping in a lot of places since they don't offer any showroom advantage.
- adaml_623 11mo ago
  In my experience because you're picking up from the Argos you can do an instant return if you realize you ordered wrong (or the item is rubbish). Not perfect but a good way to get your hands on the product with an easy refund option
georgefrowny 10mo ago
Screwfix do this too. Just a counter with a handful of staff who go and get your items. If you pre-order it's waiting at the desk. Very handy for people who can order from the job site on the account and send the lad round to grab it. And a (relatively) unshittified website too because if jobbing tradies can't use the damn thing because it's too loaded down with ads and bullshit, they just won't.
- walthamstow 10mo ago
  Screwfix is an all-round excellent consumer experience, for DIY or trade. The reviews on the website are often hilarious as well.
rsynnott 10mo ago
They're still there. Was surprised to run into one recently when I was in London (they pulled out of Ireland a while back, and I'd assumed they'd just closed totally at that point, because it _does_ feel like an increasingly marginalised business model.)

lytfyre 11mo ago

Little bit more specialized, but Lee Valley Tools [https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca] stores seem to still operate this way. Showroom (and a few computer kiosks) and order forms up front, then line up for them to pull the items from the back.