Ask Lemmy

Electronic parts. There used to be several local shops and a Radio Shack where you could go in and just buy basic electronic components (capacitors, resistors, photocells, transistors, breadboards, potentiometers, you name it). They phased all of that out in favour of toys and trinkets before just folding.

Now I have to order on Mouser or Digikey and wait. Sure there's WAY more variety, but I miss being able to just run & grab something I might have forgotten (or, let's be honest, fried somehow).

Cables. All the ones you can find local are at least twice the price of online, and many are impossible to find outside of microcenter.

Also good, safe powerstrips. The local ones are cheap with bad outlets. Better to find a certified one online.

Electronic components. Almost all small parts shops are gone.

Hobby shit.

There used to be a hobby shop in town that catered to all kinds of things, from metalworking, to mini figures, to sewing and leathercraft. Model kits, trains, science kits, and if I remember correctly they even had a small section dedicated to chemistry supplies.

That was when I was a child.

Now that I'm actually in to several of those things, it's closed. My parents used to go for TTRPG stuff.

I'd love to not have to drive an hour and a half to pick up a leather stamp, or pop in to see if they got a new shipment of metals I need. And don't get me started on outdoor hobbies. The best we've got is a few shitty national chain sporting good stores.

appliance parts.

Used to be so many stores that sold parts for self repair. Most of them have disappeared (at least around me), and the few that remain are either a ridiculous drive away, or ridiculously expensive. Like, sure, I could drive 3 hours to your store, buy the part I need for 70 bucks, and drive 3 hours back home.

Or I can go online and order the part and have it in a day or two for less than quarter of the price.

Boot and shoe care products. If you're lucky, Target or whatever might carry one or two tins of medicre Kiwi shoe polish and maybe one type of leather conditioner. I remember having better selection at just the grocery store and being spoiled for options at any of the 4 or 5 proper shoe stores that used to be in every neighborhood.

All the little doohickeys that you don't need all the time, like plug converters, extension leads, puncture repair kits, a good range of screws.

Local shops might have something, but never the one you want because it's just not economical to keep a good range in stock.

Fountain pens. I used to buy them at the local office supply store, but they’ve been gone for 25 years. For that matter, my town doesn’t even have a big box office supply anymore.

And books. I really miss a proper local bookstore.

Unfortunately, anything non-perishable. I go into local shops and can search an item I want on the internet and it will always be way, way cheaper. Cheap enough to where I can't justify "supporting local business." I'd love to, but I'm just as broke as everyone else right now.

Saffron

While it's expensive, and this is a fairly low income area, I used to be able to get a couple of brands in-store.

But, because it's expensive, and this is a low income area, it became a great way to get easy money. You go to the grocery store, pocket a couple of containers, then sell them on ebay. That's enough money to get you to the end of the paycheck if you do it regularly. Enough people figured this out, and nobody carries it at all now. The only thing you can find is the badia, and even that isn't in every store in the county. And it ain't good saffron tbh.

Brasso

Aftershave. I used to just get it at the grocery store, but lately they only have Old Spice grandpa aftershave. I just buy my brand online now.

bed bath & beyond has risen from the dead, but they're only online now.

i used to spend hours browsing through those magnificent real-life stores.

I have not been able to find decent jersey knit bed sheets since my local Bed Bath and Beyond closed down (and it was one of the first locations to go).

I can get some at Walmart or Target, but they are not going to be soft and will not last long. I have tried to order online, but even purchasing from a big name brand, they ended up lower quality and higher price than Walmart.

I have had luck with Home Goods, but their selection is always a bit of a gamble.

Jeans that fit me.

I'm not even that unusual of a size - just taller than most, and with weight gain I have actually entered easier to find sizes. (Used to joke that I could find lots of them that would fit if I could wear them rotated 90 degrees - switching the waist and inseam numbers)

So I used to be able to go to a department store and with a lot of searching, find some pairs and try them on to confirm that they fit.

Then it started getting scarce. On the final offline jeans shopping trip, I went to JC Penny and bought literally every pair of jeans they had in stock that fit me - about 10 pairs.

Now I would just have to buy online if I want any new ones (not counting specially shops)

Bull Boxer sneakers

Printer Ink for my weird tiny printer. It isn't available in most stores any more and I have to order it online