I've been an Amazon customer since 2000. That's 20 years!!!! I've told many friends and family about it over the years. Back at the beginning, you would get the best deals, almost all the time. As time went on, brick and mortar competitors became more price and service aware and upped their game to compete. Some have been successful, some have not.

As a computer software architect and developer, problem solving is at my core. That means I've become quite the DIYer over the years when it comes to home repair. Bicycle, electrical, plumbing, etc. repairs have challenged me over the years, and I've accepted most of them. I'm not afraid to call in the professionals when I know I'm outmatched.

That brings me to today's post. I needed to fix 2 leaky faucets in a bathroom. As usual, I would do my research online. Watch videos, read blogs, articles, etc. to get myself to where I needed to be. I did not have knowledge of the models of my faucets, so it took some time but was able to figure it out.

So, I wanted to get it done today, putting brick and mortar at the top of my shopping experience. That basically leaves me with Ace Hardware, Home Depot and Lowes. I ended up at Home Depot. My faucets are all Moen brand. So I bought a Moen cartridge removal tool and a cartridge. After going to work , I quickly realized I bought the right cartridge, but the tool was not compatible.

More research. The tool was designed for a one handle faucet, which means both hot and cold water lines go into a single faucet. That will work fine when my shower needs repair, but does nothing for the tub and the sink repairs, which have two handle faucets which means each faucet controls a single hot and cold water line, separately.

Fortunately, I NOW had the part number for my cartridge, 1224. So... more research. I found a rather descriptive Moen guide for installation . This mentions a tool to assist with disassembly, and a part number! 14272.

Another search. None of the brick and mortars had this part in stock. So off to Amazon I go. And there it was! 14272 Yes!!!! This didn't come without some confusion. Amazon seems to be taking extra measures to avoid returns. So they're now trying to get you to confirm you are ordering the right part. Ah, pesky returns!

This next one is interesting!

This seems like a lot of work. Is there a better way? The answer is yes!!!!

What if you found a shopping experience that had products organized better? Well, rather than going to my go to methods, I tried something new. I did a non tracking search, using DuckDuckGo.

And, came across this site, very specific to plumbing. Supply House. Is this the new normal? Going to shopping sites that specialize in exactly what you are looking for? The funny thing is, that's how it used to be 20 years ago! What goes around, comes around? This site is very well organized. When you search for a part, it automatically finds the associated parts and tools needed for the repair!!!

Check out these captures!

So, the lesson here is, don't be afraid to leave your shopping comfort zone! Try something new. If I can go back to the beginning of the day, I would have saved a few hours of research and plumbing attempts! Oh and not to mention, the parts ARE CHEAPER at Supply House!!! I hope all you DIYers and shoppers find this post useful. Thank you for listening!