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Ask HN: Where do you buy decent-quality household goods?

by neonnoodle on 1/15/24, 12:05 PM with 4 comments

Right now I need a small wastebasket, a couple of new shower curtains, a toaster oven, some food storage containers, etc. Basic utilitarian household items.

My local hardware store has a fair/poor selection at high prices, but buying online is a maddening exercise. Larger items don’t ship well and often arrive damaged. Amazon is a funhouse maze of counterfeit ‘BXOYX’ garbage, with Wal-Mart.com a close second.

What’s a person to do?

  • by chiefalchemist on 1/15/24, 12:32 PM

    Depending on your area - wealth and pop density - thrift stores might be worth a shot, believe it or not. Of course it's hit or miss, you can't simply walk in and expect to buy what you're looking for, obviously it doesn't work that way.

    This isn't going to work for electronics, but nearly everything else is possible. You'd be surprised, again depending on your area.

    Along the same lines...free cycle .org is worth watching.

  • by someonehere on 1/15/24, 2:09 PM

    Lowe’s is more for home remodeling/furnishing. I’ve seen those things there. Granted you may two options for what you want to buy.

    Also Target has a good selection of items.

  • by brudgers on 1/15/24, 7:37 PM

    What the hell is a "quality" wastebasket?

    I mean sure, I once had a teak Danish modern design that looked sculptural with it's ovaloid cone shape and tiny handles, but was space inefficient and didn't handle wet items very well.

    Now I have plastic waste baskets from Walmart that are much more functional because they are smaller, lighter, more compact and won't leak in an "emergency" involving liquids.

    Anyway, the advantage of Walmart is you can go and look at stuff in person and drive home with it today.

    Good luck.

  • by beardyw on 1/15/24, 1:04 PM

    IKEA?