[derefr]

You know where I can buy a lot of common electronic components these days? Home Depot. Buildings are increasingly wired with various digital sensors, so electricians are increasingly in need of electronic this-and-that to couple them together.

Sure, you can't build whole from-scratch circuits purely from hardware-store parts, but if you run out of resistors/pots/whatever, you can restock pretty cheaply in any town big enough to have professional electricians operating out of it.

Also, I should probably point out that a lot of places (e.g. Best Buy) still do sell electronic components—they just sell combinations of them in lots and call the result a "hobbyist kit." It's much easier on their shelf space, and their employees, to just carry one SKU that you can point anyone looking for components at, which will give them most of what they might need.

For all the other stuff (what you might think of as a "booster pack" to a hobbyist kit's "base pack"), there's no more economical way to get exactly what you want than ordering online anyway. Expecting there to be a store in every rural town carrying every random IC one might need for a project is just insane, when you can order a pull-sheet of them for $2 no matter where you are.

[WalterBright]

On the other hand, consider the chain store "Tacoma Screw" around here. They sell what you would expect - screws, nuts and bolts, of every description, type, grade, hardness, length, head, etc. It's a marvelous place for an engineer like me.

The prices are, of course, high, but when I break a bolt or lose one for my car or other project, Tacoma Screw has an exact (or better) replacement.

The hardware store sells bolts and nuts, too, but the selection is erratic and the quality is dubious. When I don't want my transmission falling off, I want top quality bolts guaranteed.

[atwebb]

I never knew how badly I wanted a store like this around, there've been so many times I'm mid-project or rebuild and the old bolt/nut/fastener/whatever either breaks/gets lost/shot and I just have to wait for the part to come in or wade through the bins at a hardware store which have been waded through by everyone else and now I'm frustrated...

[WalterBright]

Whenever I've gone in, there was always a line at the counter!

I use them for all replacement bolts in my car except for internal engine bolts, where I source them from racing suppliers.

[azernik]

Or, for the online, next-day delivery version of this, McMaster-Carr. For example, here's their catalog for one type of (rather expensive) screw:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#socket-head-cap-screws/=vrc2nx

[Gracana]

I love how much information McMaster gives you. Mechanical drawings and 3D CAD models of course, and also descriptions of how things are used, the properties of different materials, how to size stuff, etc. All the basic things you need to know to design something.

[thorntonbf]

McMaster-Carr's fulfillment services are truly top-notch. There have been times that I've specifically ordered from them because I knew that I'd have it the next day. They've never failed to impress me with their service.

Their physical catalog is one hard catalog that I really miss! Despite the fact that the website undoubtedly offers more product than the multi-thousand paged hard edition, I remember many projects in my college days inspired by simply flipping through it's pages.

[character0]

As a studio art major in another life, I can't recommend McMaster-Carr enough! I was doing a lot of metal fabrication, lighting, and plexiglass work, I can't imagine finishing my thesis without their selection and speed. Not to mention all I learned just by reading their great descriptions and images.