I thought this was something that only happened in cartoons.

There will always be shops, because shopping online doesn't give people the same experience. It's just the type of shop that will change - i.e. fewer independents.

Three types available at Argos: https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/appli...ype:stove-top/

I'm not so sure about that. What I see is that the remaining shops are stocking so little as to be mostly useless. Just an estimating it looks like the assortment is 30% to 35% what it used to be ten plus years ago. Then the quantity is an even smaller fraction. The shelving in the remaining stores is still there but ever so sparsely filled. Lastly, when I ask about items not on the shelves, they refer to online ordering, often to their own competitors. As mentioned above, I've given up on trying to get books from the single remaining local book store since for the last three or four years they never have anything, never can order anything, and alway suggest ordering from online instead. That's kind of a different direction that the late, great Borders Books took. they changed their business model so as to abandon their long established strengths and instead compete against Amazon where they were weakest. I've seen other major businesses to similarly and though some are still around they've been in continuous decline since making those bad decisions.

About the teapot, Hazel, did you check more than just Tesco's web site? It might be quite a scavenger hunt but one of the shops around town might be able to get one for you.

They're all available for collection in Harrow Argos.

Let us know if you want anything else, hazel

Yes, that red one would do fine. Why couldn't I find it in the catalogue? Do you think if I walked in and asked for it, they could sell me one?

Do you mean the physical catalogue? Maybe it wasn't there when it was published?

Just type 'Harrow' in the box on the right of this page, then pay for it online. Then you walk into the store and collect it [when you say the red one, I take it you mean the £18 one and not the £42 one].

Do not wish to argue the implications of all this. I do realize it transcends things like personal service, small businesses, and a whole variety of other topics.

Well, and I think there are some suggestions already here are some others, or expansions on the ideas, and these really also have some dependencies on your location and situation as well as you feelings about how you wish to conduct business with various vendors/stores:

• Find one or two shops, either cookware, camping, or home goods, and ask them if they can get you one if they don't happen to carry it. Probably you will attain your goal.
• Many department stores in the US carry items online which they don't stock in stores, however they also have a variety of methods to get you your item without shipping and other complications. You can order in the store, have it delivered there, and pick it up and pay cash upon arrival, if you already haven't paid cash on ordering. Granted they make things far easier to do this all online from your home, pay via credit card, and then pick up at a store, or you can sometimes defer paying and pay physically at the store at time of pickup. That's in case you do not mind using credit cards, but do no wish to use them online.
• Yard sales, I assume they have them where you live
• Seeking advertisements, which are admittedly more effective via online, however you can put out there that you are seeking a stove top kettle of a certain size, shape, material, and what you are willing to pay for it

By the way, I'm not a big online ordering person, however just this last month I ordered and received two items via eBay. I actually have a very old account that I never used, but in these cases, I bought using my email and no eBay account. They were cheap duplicate items to aid a very old assembly in my house. My options were to entirely replace, fabricate an entirely new one, or order these incremental pieces. Entire replacement would've been a couple of hundred, and fabrication might have been about 1/4 to 1/3 less, but would've taken up my time and frustration, along with any flaws in the final result I'd stew about for years. So I looked for, and found a bit more than what I needed, and ordered two replacement sub-assemblies for under $30 each. My thinking was "one of them has got to be OK", they both are. So now I have an extra piece which I may never use, along with the accompanying other stuff that I wasn't interested in, in the first place. It's not a big deal. Yes I paid by credit card, however I did not have to use an account. I'm betting also that you can order stuff from Amazon without an account, I haven't tried, once again not being so very much of a prolific online order'er. Mainly Christmas time I may also order a lot of stuff online and sometimes from certain merchants. Same thing is that I usually do not wish to have an account on their system, so I just continue ordering via my email address. Usually don't have any problem.

I haven't seen the "physical catalogue" since the old days of the "Elizabeth Duke" section with its flamboyant range of dog lead chains, sovereign rings and "mum" and "dad" rings...

Our local Argos still uses them. There are a pile of them just inside the shop door. But they also have terminals. I think I shall try using a terminal and see if I can find that kettle I just saw online.

Good luck - don't forget to steal a handful of the stubby pencils.

This subject gives this fella the hankering to go explore some thrift stores today on his murder sickle. Last time I found some ww2 GI lace up leg and ankle protectors as well as a complete Sterling Silver tea set with metal cups even.

Lot's of elbow grease in that tea set, so far. Kinda fun to walk into those shops for me.

I looked in some local charity shops too. But you take pot luck with those and you seldom find kitchen equipment.

Was that a long while ago? Those shops and markets have been stalked by semi-professional resellers for years. They get there first and buy anything remotely resembling a good deal and the resell it online at a much higher price not including shipping. All that's left lately at the thrift stores is stuff that is seldom worth looking at let alone buying.

About the kettle, I hope it doesn't cause problems in the big picture but I often look at goods like that in the store and, if there are people seem to be listening, comment about the lack of bluetooth on said products. In fact during any kind of evaluation of appliances or tools, if there seem to be people eavesdropping, I'll ask about bluetooth support, especially if I'm not finding the real features I want.

Sorry, but I don't get that at all. Why would a non-electric kettle be expected to have bluetooth support?

Naw. Even a few in my one horse town and there are one horse town thrift stores all over west Texas within my bikes range.