I was introduced to McMaster-Carr corporation early in my postdoctoral career, now well over thirty years ago. The firm is renowned for stocking all sorts of parts and equipment and getting them to customers fast. I went up one floor to the rapid orders room, checked the massive catalog, filled out a simple slip, and had electrical, mechanical, and/or vacuum parts the next day. Sometimes they came the same day if I got the slip in early. The paper catalog is not easy to get but I managed when I started my research position at UCLA after that postdoc. The warehouse in Santa Fe Springs enabled California McMaster-Carr to meet the responsiveness of the New Jersey operation.
Fast forward to the era of e-commerce and the firm inspires affection even from the cynical, world-weary souls of HackerNews. mcmaster.com is simple, well-organized, cruftless, and faster than any of its competitors in the Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul market. Consumer websites aren’t even in the discussion. I’ve even ordered from them for my personal needs when the slightly higher prices are more than offset by the speed from order to delivery. Youtuber Wes Bos dives into why the website is so fast, marvels at the developer team that enables it, and the management team that maintains focus on the customer’s desire to search, order, and get back to business.
Youtube Channel: Wes Bos