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Prices and selection are better, fellow consumers’ reviews generally are far superior to the knowledge of the floor salespeople in a retail store.

I’ve noticed more and more in recent years, asking someone for help in a store is generally useless. The people working there generally have no knowledge of the products in their own stores. It makes for a frustrating shopping experience unless you know exactly what you want, and exactly where on the shelf it is, so you can grab it and go.

"I’ve noticed more and more in recent years, asking someone for help in a store is generally useless. The people working there generally have no knowledge of the products in their own stores. It makes for a frustrating shopping experience unless you know exactly what you want, and exactly where on the shelf it is, so you can grab it and go."

Just MHO, but it seems like retailers can't or won't decide what they want to be. If they want to just be warehouses where I go in specifically for product X and just need to retrieve it, then they can get by with minimum wage drones and need a better inventory/location service.

If they want to be a full service retailer, then they ought to invest in quality help and train them (or hire people with experience).

My local Lowes doesn't appear to find it necessary to keep their inventory current. I walk in and an item that shows in stock online is missing or isn't where it's supposed to be. Then I get a blank look from the floor people when I ask for it because they don't even know what products they supposedly carry.

But in the same store, one of the appliance guys is probably the best I've ever met bar none. Like a walking encylopedia of their product lines.

I'm always curious if he gets paid the same as the drones he has to work with.

You get good help, and from the manager no less—if you’re a good-looking college-aged chick. I’ve said before through clenched teeth, “It takes 3 of you to tell her that sh—? One of you, get over here!”