Checking local availability online - by any means necessary

[Zeya]

Let's share any knowledge we have here regarding checking online availability. The point here is to avoid burning increasingly expensive gasoline and wasting time just to find out that your local store doesn't have the set you want in stock.

Walmart will sometimes show you if an item is available locally, just by viewing the item on walmart.com.

But in another thread, it came to my attention that you can do a little "hack" to check availability at local Targets. (Credit goes to member glewisorg on this.) You can use this URL
http://www.target.com/gp/store-info/fin ... B003F7TSOE" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
but change the last part to be the ASIN product code of any product that Target carries. You can find an ASIN for a given item by going to it on Amazon; they list the ASIN on their product page.

For ToysRUs, you can use their "in store pickup" link on a product and it will show you local stores that have it in stock. I wonder if there's a better way for TRU though.

Does anyone have any other tricks like the Target one above? Any nationwide stores I'm forgetting about? Maybe B&N or Borders?

[ncbarrett]

Keep in mind, the inventory system is not always accurate. More than once it was wrong for me.

[brixter]

BN.com has a "Find in Store" button on the product page. I've found their inventory accuracy to be the best of any of the big retail stores (particularly TRU).

[atmail35]

For Borders I've found calling the store works pretty well if you know what you are looking for. They don't carry Lego on-line so the inventory look-up won't work. Back in the fall when I wanted to get the City Advent Calendar I called my local Borders and they looked it up for me and then went to the floor to find it. The sales associate couldn't find it but said she would look out back and call me back. She actually did phone me back in a few hours. I called a second Borders b/c they were out of stock and that one found it for me and put it on hold. YMMV but they were pretty accomodating.

[Zeya]

Keep in mind, the inventory system is not always accurate. More than once it was wrong for me.

That's a good point. I tried the ASIN for collectible minifigs series 3 and basically got back a result saying "we don't know what you're talking about".

[koromo]

Keep in mind, the inventory system is not always accurate. More than once it was wrong for me.

The Target inventory system online is a bit behind in real time. My recent experiance was the Christmas season release of the Red Wii Console system by Target. My local vendors were truly out, but before venturing to the other zip codes I called ahead. Available and "limitied" were more like limitied and not. And shortly there after none-nowhere-nohow.

I later just hunkered down and ordered on amazon. That was more accurate on the availability or not.

Occasionally I have had an instock book at amazon take a bit long to actually be located and shipped. The hazard of selecting hard to find out or of print items.

Happy Hunting.