[recampbell]

The most interesting part comes when they start indexing these images so that you can search products (and prices) within stores. The tech is mostly there (see google goggles).

Then you can answer the question "Where's the closest store with jumper cables?" Or really, "show me where the jumper cables are."

A very big map reduce job, but seems feasible.

[b_emery]

I've often wanted to google the location of items within Home Depot for example. That would be way easier than asking someone, who often doesnt know the answer!

[brc]

you've got to batch process this task. Just go through employees until you get the answer, or a close approximation. It's still faster than aimlessly searching. Think of it as a kind of meatspace binary search.

[ChrisCooper]

Perhaps something like this: http://company.mappedin.com/ Except down to a product level?

[cbr]

I used to be too timid to ask employees, but since I've gotten over that I've usually found that they do know where things are.

[cracell]

Not at Home Depot. The employees there tend to only know where things are in one small section of the store. And for other sections they send you on a wild goose chase where every employee you ask tells you a completely different section and you cannot find what you are looking for in any of them.

[teach]

I'm sure this varies wildly by locale. In Austin, most employees I've ever asked anything pretty much knew.

[flacon]

If I could upvote this multiple times I would.

[andyking]

I've always wanted a service like this.

I needed a USB hub the other day, and I couldn't really wait days for it to show up from an internet store.

I could search the website of a big (expensive) chain store, PC World, but we have lots and lots of tiny local computer stores, and supermarkets with small tech sections, whose inventory is an absolute mystery unless I was to go and expend gas driving around them all. I often just bite the bullet and pay over the odds at PC World because I know they have the item, and I won't have to spend money and time travelling round and round.

I've often thought "where's my nearest store that sells X, right now?" would be a neat idea for a startup. It sounds like an administration nightmare, though.

[18pfsmt]

What you describe sounds like Milo[1] before Ebay bought them last December. I'm not sure how they've kept up post-acquisition.

[1]http://www.crunchbase.com/company/milo

[pratster]

You mean like this search using Google shopping?

http://goo.gl/UIapv

[shalmanese]

This is what Milo tried to do. They found it difficult enough that they sold to Google instead.

[chrismiller]

Milo was acquired by eBay [1], not Google.

[1] http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/02/confirmed-ebay-acquires-mil...

[shalmanese]

my mistake.

[backprojection]

Well, having a standardized public inventory systems would be more to the point. The tech is obviously there, but I'm sure not many businesses would be onboard.

[recampbell]

Once a fashion blog links to some awesome dress only available at this store right here (see picture of dress at store, with navigation options), businesses will get on board. Small businesses probably have the most to gain because they can let their most passionate customers do more of their advertising for them in social media.

[Someone]

Feasible? Until you realize they would have to visit each shop at least once a month, for many weekly or even daily.

[recampbell]

Retailers will just buy or rent robots to do this stuff.