Much of yesterday was spent trying to figure out what parts to use for a power regulation circuit I'm building. Hours was spent perusing the catalogue from DIgi-Key, a Minnesota based company. With well over 500,000 parts available, you spend most of your time trying to figure out which one of about 10,000 parts to use. Any one of them would work, but the shear number of options is boggling.
Just before five, at the end of a "normal" work day, my shopping cart is complete and I go through the check out procedure. No questions how I'd like it shipped, it's just going to cost $8.00, their standard charge. At 4:47 I click the final Confirm button and my order is sent off through cyber space. I wonder when I'll get the package and decide it should come the day after tomorrow. They'd get the order in the morning, ship it, and I'd get it the next day via their promised next day delivery.
Imagine my surprise when I find the package delivered before 8AM this morning! Literally 15 hours later I have my order in my hand. Now that's how you run a company! 14 line items, 400 total pieces and it's in my hands the very thing the next morning. It's not even worth going to Radio Shack 15 minutes away to pick something up quickly. If one works regular 8-5 hours you can have it in your hands almost instantly! Order it just before you leave and have it in your hands just "work-minutes" later.
It seems that being in Canada, and especially being in Chilliwack, nothing ever happens that quickly. I would love to see inside DigiKey, see how they pull this off!
Posted by Boone at February 22, 2006 06:06 PM