Online shopping is kind of crazy

Grampa Don

Grampa Don

Yep, that's me
Location
Orange county, Calif.
I wanted some potting mix. So, I looked at the Home Depot web site and they had Miracle-Gro potting mix, 25 quart size for $10. It said I could get it delivered next day for $3 or free in a few days. I'm in no hurry and free sounds good, so I ordered two bags. I figured it would come from a local warehouse.

A few days later FedEx dropped them on my front porch, individually boxed. I looked at the return address to see where they came from and it was Lebanon Connecticut. I looked it up on Google maps and it is a massive Scotts fertilizer plant.

I'm in Southern California. The shipping label says they weigh 24 pounds each. They shipped them clear across the country free. I can see how Home Depot made out. All it cost them was a little computer time. I'm sure Scotts gets a big discount on shipping, but how much could they have made from this?

I looked at the Scotts website to see if you could order direct from them. As far as I could determine, you can't.
 

I find it frustrating to find out where stuff is coming from. I don't like ordering international shipped things unless it's from a country I can trust. You know what I mean. Even though something can be bought from a US supplier I wish they all had to divulge where they are getting it from!
Too many online sites take orders then order and ship from over seas. Soooooo frustrating.
 
IrishEyes said:
I find it frustrating to find out where stuff is coming from. I don't like ordering international shipped things unless it's from a country I can trust. You know what I mean. Even though something can be bought from a US supplier I wish they all had to divulge where they are getting it from!
Too many online sites take orders then order and ship from over seas. Soooooo frustrating.
Click to expand...
That's one thing I like about Ebay. It tells you where the item is coming from and you can specify U.S. only in the search mode.
 

Grampa Don said:
I wanted some potting mix. So, I looked at the Home Depot web site and they had Miracle-Gro potting mix, 25 quart size for $10. It said I could get it delivered next day for $3 or free in a few days. I'm in no hurry and free sounds good, so I ordered two bags. I figured it would come from a local warehouse.

A few days later FedEx dropped them on my front porch, individually boxed. I looked at the return address to see where they came from and it was Lebanon Connecticut. I looked it up on Google maps and it is a massive Scotts fertilizer plant.

I'm in Southern California. The shipping label says they weigh 24 pounds each. They shipped them clear across the country free. I can see how Home Depot made out. All it cost them was a little computer time. I'm sure Scotts gets a big discount on shipping, but how much could they have made from this?

I looked at the Scotts website to see if you could order direct from them. As far as I could determine, you can't.
Click to expand...
Delivery logistics is something that I made a career of, I will try to explain although it may seem odd.

While it seems counterintuitive, orders are sometimes sent from distant locations even when local options exist due to a few key factors. These include inventory management, cost optimisation, and specialised products. It's not always about speed or distance, but rather about how the overall system is structured for efficiency and profitability.

A company might have a central warehouse or distribution centre that handles a large volume of orders. It's often more efficient to send from this central location, even if it means a longer initial transit time, than to manage inventory and delivery from multiple smaller, local locations. Delivery costs can be significantly lower when consolidating consignments from one location. This is especially true for larger companies that can negotiate better rates with carriers. Sending everything from one place, even if it means some packages travel further initially, can result in overall cost savings.

Some items may only be available from a specific supplier or manufacturer, or they may be produced in a limited number of locations. In these cases, the origin of the product dictates the delivery location, regardless of where the customer is located.

Do you remember that I said it may seem odd? Is it clear as mud now? There are a few other factors but they are not pertinent to your purchase and subsequent delivery.
 
Last edited:
IrishEyes said:
I find it frustrating to find out where stuff is coming from. I don't like ordering international shipped things unless it's from a country I can trust. You know what I mean. Even though something can be bought from a US supplier I wish they all had to divulge where they are getting it from!
Too many online sites take orders then order and ship from over seas. Soooooo frustrating.
Click to expand...

Want to get away from Chinese junk?

The list of American made products is growing these days. …. many websites and more continue to come.

General American-Made Product Stores​

WEBSITEDESCRIPTION
authenticity50.comOffers a variety of home goods, including bedding and kitchen items, all made in the USA.
madeinamericastore.comFeatures a wide range of American-made products, including clothing, home goods, and gifts.
americansworking.comProvides a directory of products sorted by categories, focusing on American-made items.
usamade1.comLists over 3,000 manufacturers and offers a variety of products across multiple categories.
madeinusaforever.comDedicated to selling only American-made products, supporting small manufacturers.

Specialty Stores​

WEBSITEDESCRIPTION
grovemade.comSpecializes in home and desk accessories made in the USA.
lodgecastiron.comKnown for American-made cast iron cookware and kitchen items.
american-giant.comOffers a range of casual clothing made in the USA, focusing on quality.
pendleton-usa.comFamous for wool blankets and apparel made in the USA.
These websites provide a great starting point for finding high-quality American-made products across various categories.
usamade1.com americansworking.com
 
A woman on the next street over from me, with the same house number as mine has been here on different occasions, asking if packages were left here by mistake because she got notices they were delivered. No, I didn't have them.

Then one day there was a huge box on my porch, even though it was clearly addressed to the people across the street. I walked over there and told them they could come pick it up because it was heavier than what I wanted to lift.

I don't order anything except one supplement I take that I can no longer find in stores, and Swanson will deliver it to my p.o. box. But I don't like ordering it. Most orders arrive in 3-4 days, but with one order, it was more like 2 weeks.
 
Grampa Don said:
I wanted some potting mix. So, I looked at the Home Depot web site and they had Miracle-Gro potting mix, 25 quart size for $10. It said I could get it delivered next day for $3 or free in a few days. I'm in no hurry and free sounds good, so I ordered two bags. I figured it would come from a local warehouse.

A few days later FedEx dropped them on my front porch, individually boxed. I looked at the return address to see where they came from and it was Lebanon Connecticut. I looked it up on Google maps and it is a massive Scotts fertilizer plant.

I'm in Southern California. The shipping label says they weigh 24 pounds each. They shipped them clear across the country free. I can see how Home Depot made out. All it cost them was a little computer time. I'm sure Scotts gets a big discount on shipping, but how much could they have made from this?

I looked at the Scotts website to see if you could order direct from them. As far as I could determine, you can't.
Click to expand...
Was the cost the same as you could have gotten it at your local Home Depot?
 
Since I live within walking distance of a significant urban retail business district, there is a Home Depot just 2 blocks away. There is also a large Staples store 2 blocks away that I can return Amazon products to quickly. The SFBA with its nearly 8 million people are surrounded by massive warehouses in the cheaper land of the San Joaquin Valley. Thus, every weekday, vast numbers of 18 wheeler semis move goods to and from those warehouses, jamming freeways commuters also use.
 
JustBonee said:
Want to get away from Chinese junk?

The list of American made products is growing these days. …. many websites and more continue to come.

General American-Made Product Stores​

WEBSITEDESCRIPTION
authenticity50.comOffers a variety of home goods, including bedding and kitchen items, all made in the USA.
madeinamericastore.comFeatures a wide range of American-made products, including clothing, home goods, and gifts.
americansworking.comProvides a directory of products sorted by categories, focusing on American-made items.
usamade1.comLists over 3,000 manufacturers and offers a variety of products across multiple categories.
madeinusaforever.comDedicated to selling only American-made products, supporting small manufacturers.

Specialty Stores​

WEBSITEDESCRIPTION
grovemade.comSpecializes in home and desk accessories made in the USA.
lodgecastiron.comKnown for American-made cast iron cookware and kitchen items.
american-giant.comOffers a range of casual clothing made in the USA, focusing on quality.
pendleton-usa.comFamous for wool blankets and apparel made in the USA.
These websites provide a great starting point for finding high-quality American-made products across various categories.
usamade1.com americansworking.com
Click to expand...
Thank you! Copied this and have it in my files.
 
IrishEyes said:
I find it frustrating to find out where stuff is coming from. I don't like ordering international shipped things unless it's from a country I can trust.
Click to expand...

I buy a lot of records (Vinyl albums), and I made the decision some time ago that I would only order an item if it is already in the UK. I no longer buy from the US or Europe. I just can't justify the cost to our lovely planet involved with, say, allowing me to listen to a Bowie record in my living room. It means I sometimes have to pay more, but such is life. Ultimately, Vinyl is a piece of plastic, which is bad enough - let alone all the costs of ships/planes etc.

Ebay does allow me to make sure it's UK based.
 
Last edited:
Grampa Don said:
I wanted some potting mix. So, I looked at the Home Depot web site and they had Miracle-Gro potting mix, 25 quart size for $10. It said I could get it delivered next day for $3 or free in a few days. I'm in no hurry and free sounds good, so I ordered two bags. I figured it would come from a local warehouse.
....
Click to expand...
Oh good for you. I tried to order drinking water from Walmart. I have Walmart Plus membership, so shipping/delivery should be free from the local store. But no, there is surcharge for delivery on "water".
 

Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top