Why "Just Google It" Doesn't Work for In-Store Shopping
· Admin
You searched. You found a price. You drove to the store. The price was different. Here's why — and what actually works instead.
"Just Google it" has become Australia's default answer to almost every practical question. Need directions? Google it. Want a recipe? Google it. Wondering which store has a competitive price on a new TV? Well — here's where it gets complicated.
Googling product prices for local shopping seems like it should work. It often doesn't. And understanding why is a useful first step before your next retail trip.
What Google Shows You (And What It Doesn't)
When you type a product name into Google, you're likely to see one of several things:
- A "Google Shopping" panel showing prices from various retailers
- Paid ads from retailers bidding on that product keyword
- Results from comparison sites focused on online retail
- The retailer's own website
The problem is that much of this may not reflect what you'll actually find at your local store.
Google Shopping is primarily an advertising and product listing surface. Many products you see there appear because retailers (or their partners) have paid to be listed or bid on keywords. The prices shown are often advertised online prices, which can differ from in-store prices. And crucially — a general web search usually cannot tell you whether your local store appears to have the item, or whether a store a few kilometres closer carries it at all.
When you see sponsored or ad-labelled results, those placements are paid. That's worth understanding when you're evaluating whether you're seeing a competitive option or simply a well-funded marketing budget.
The In-Store vs. Online Price Gap
A specific and frustrating dynamic: major Australian retailers often price products differently online versus in-store. Sometimes the online price is lower to compete with pure-play e-commerce. Sometimes the in-store price is lower as part of a local promotion. Sometimes they're the same, but with different stock availability.
This creates a situation where the price you find through a Google search may not reflect what you'll actually pay when you walk in — in either direction.
Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, and Officeworks are all known to operate price-matching policies, but these work in your favour only if you know a competitor's price before you buy. Finding that price through Google can be unreliable, slow, and heavily influenced by who is currently advertising.
The Local Stock Problem
Perhaps the biggest gap in Google's utility for local shopping is stock visibility.
A general Google search is not a live feed from most Australian retailers' inventory systems. When you search for "Dyson V15 near me," Google may show retailers that appear to sell the product, but it often cannot reliably tell you:
- Whether your nearest Kmart appears to have it
- Whether the JB Hi-Fi a few kilometres away has a different model on clearance
- Whether The Good Guys nearby can do same-day delivery
That is not a small UI gap — it reflects that Google is primarily a search and advertising platform, not a dedicated local retail comparison tool that pulls store-level cues from the retailers you care about.
How Find It Works Differently
Find It is built to help with the part Google often leaves incomplete: comparing a growing set of Australian retailers in one place, with price, proximity, and availability cues where we can surface them.
When you search on Find It:
- You can sort by Cheaper, Closer, or Quicker — price, distance, or fulfilment cues — rather than by advertising spend
- Ranking and commercial rules are disclosed — see How we compare for how results are ordered and whether paid placements apply
- Local availability cues are used where available — so you are less likely to drive to a store that looks empty for what you need; still confirm with the retailer
- Fulfilment options are highlighted where we have them — walk-in, click and collect, and home delivery cues — not a guarantee of same-day service
The aim is a search experience closer to the real question: which stores near me appear to carry this product, at what price, and with which pickup or delivery cues — right now? Always confirm before you buy.
The Honest Caveat
No comparison helper is perfect. Find It does not claim full retailer coverage, perfect stock, or the absolute lowest price on every item. Results can be capped for performance, and availability cues can lag or disagree with what you see in-store.
At the time of writing, Find It does not sell rankings or sponsored preferential ordering of retailer results. If that ever changes, it will be disclosed on How we compare. Organic ordering follows the sort mode you choose (Cheaper, Closer, Quicker), with quality filters that aim to keep results relevant to your query.
That transparency standard is the same principle consumers expect from comparison tools in travel, insurance, and energy — clear rules about how results are ranked, and no pretending that a web search ad panel is the same as a local stock check.
The Bottom Line
Google is a phenomenal tool for many things. Local retail price comparison, store-level stock checking, and proximity-based product discovery are not always among them — at least not reliably, and often with significant advertising influence baked in.
If you want a faster starting point for which nearby stores appear to carry a product at a competitive price, a tool designed for multi-store comparison can help more than a general web search alone.
That's what Find It is built for.
Find It covers a growing set of Australian retailers. See How we compare for ranking and commercial disclosure. Always confirm with the retailer before you buy.