Lifestyle: shopping: when to ask

Self-tutoring about lifestyle and shopping: the tutor mentions a further story connected with changing a battery in a car.

I mention in yesterday’s post about changing a car’s battery just before it gave up. With the suddenness of the situation, a few other things happened, some interesting, that even lead back to other issues.

One trend I’ve found over the last few months is that, researching a product on the Internet, I discover it available, at a certain price, at a local store. Yet, when I get there, the price might be different, or else the product might not present. This troubles me.

Well, a couple of nights back, looking to change out the car’s battery, I researched the kind needed and then the local stores that might have it. Of course, even of a certain kind of battery, many variations are available. I discovered a very good one, at a very good price, at a local store: the website said they had 8 in stock. I excitedly got in the car and drove down there.

When I arrived, I was pleased to find almost no customers in the store. Although it was 40 minutes before closing, the staff seemed to be restocking shelves and preparing for end of day. A mere skeleton crew seemed to remain. It was a nice vibe.

I got a cart, having been warned that the battery was about 20kg, and found the battery racks. Of course I’d imagined just finding the battery I was looking for, lifting it from the rack, placing it in the cart, then paying and leaving, to be driving away 10 minutes later.

Not so fast: there were many types of battery, and they didn’t seem organized in any particular way. I searched the racks for about 10 minutes, finding three batteries (among about 40 kinds) that would fit the car. Yet, the specific battery I was seeking was not to be found; the ones presented weren’t the same value.

I couldn’t leave without a new battery, since the car (Car2) is my wife’s. “Nicely working car, happy wife,” could be the motto there. At the same time, I wasn’t happy about buying one of the batteries presented, since the kind I’d discovered online, of which supposedly 8 were available, was such a better deal.

I decided to ask. Since a skeleton crew was working, I had to wait a few minutes for someone who could help. He got intercepted by a couple of other people on his way to me, but finally arrived. I told him my story, then asked if it were possible that they did have 8 of those batteries, but they just weren’t on display.

The clerk was very understanding, and agreed that the battery I wanted was meant to be there, and indeed was a very good deal. “Give me a few minutes,” he said. Indeed, he did find the battery, back in the stores, even with the matching price from the Internet. For some reason, it just hadn’t been on the rack.

One wonders how often this kind of thing happens, and how many people, not finding the product they came for, just compromise and buy something else, or even leave to try to find the product elsewhere, when it’s sitting in inventory. In that case, I had to ask, because I needed the battery, and wanted that advertised one at the advertised price. The clerk immediately appreciated my situation, so was willing to find the battery for me. I’m grateful it worked out, but somewhat puzzled by the bigger picture.