Part of the reason there are no hardware stores any more can be illustrated by why there are no bookstores any more. I got aggravated by the number of calls: “Do you have [title]?” “Yes, we have a new hardcover and a used paperback in stock.” “I have tried [lists surrounding towns, including Dallas] and none of them have it.” “Why don’t you phone here first? I might not have it either, but it will save you the gas, and if it is still in print, we can get it for you.”.What passes for hardware stores stock only pre-packaged items that will sell, while the old ones had individual items people might need; just as the modern bookstores have best sellers and an occasional begrudging special order, while I had a sizeable used book department and survived on special orders." In both cases, it was people who knew the stock that made it successful. And in both cases, it was suppliers with absurdly large minimum orders and pricing that violated the Robinson-Patman Act that drove them out.
Part of the reason there are no hardware stores any more can be illustrated by why there are no bookstores any more. I got aggravated by the number of calls: “Do you have [title]?” “Yes, we have a new hardcover and a used paperback in stock.” “I have tried [lists surrounding towns, including Dallas] and none of them have it.” “Why don’t you phone here first? I might not have it either, but it will save you the gas, and if it is still in print, we can get it for you.”.What passes for hardware stores stock only pre-packaged items that will sell, while the old ones had individual items people might need; just as the modern bookstores have best sellers and an occasional begrudging special order, while I had a sizeable used book department and survived on special orders." In both cases, it was people who knew the stock that made it successful. And in both cases, it was suppliers with absurdly large minimum orders and pricing that violated the Robinson-Patman Act that drove them out.