Originally Posted by
RTDub
Drop ship, my two-wheeled comrade. The shop works out an agreement in volume with the shippers, has it overnighted then re-ships or drop ships, depending on time. It is why if I order before 1:00 p.m. local time, I get it within 24 hours. You cannot beat that, and if you are ordering from across the country, they ship expedited with that one additional day tacked on.
I've heard that QBP is starting to offer LBSs a web portal their customers can go to and order things through their local shop, but direct from the QBP warehouse. I think that model could work. A few big online companies with access points through local shop websites.