Just an observation: half a century ago or so, things like that were possible; those shops would have employed people who could lead you to where the item was.
Said person would even have directed you to a competitor’s shop if they didn’t sell the article you’re looking for, and might even have done that if they did sell it, but didn’t have it in stock.
Hmm, that happens to me when I visit Home Depot. Employed people will lead me to the item.
Interestingly I also use Home Depot's online store just to look up the aisle/section/shelf. Stores can have a locator system that doesn't need active electronics.
It's really hit or miss in my experience. I've had several occasions at both Home Depot and Lowes where I ask an employee for help and the response is "We don't sell that." 5 minutes later after walking the aisles, I find it.
One example, I had recently rented a townhouse with very overgrown brush in the back yard, thick as a jungle. My weedwacker wouldn't scratch it, so I wanted a machete. The home depot employee acted like he'd never heard the term "machete" in his life. I explained what it was, and he shrugged, muttered something about big knives being illegal (untrue and ridiculous), and walked away. I found them in the gardening section.
I've also had some very good experiences. One immediately identified a thing I needed but had no idea of (a coupler to join a PVC waste pipe to an iron one). Another recently spent 20 minutes trying to locate a thing that inventory said was in stock but wasn't in the assigned bin. (It's not his fault that the system can't distinguish between items on display and items stuck, unsorted, in the high shelves requiring a front-end loader to reach.)
It's very hit and miss. The biggest issue is that it can be very hard to locate anybody at all.
Considering how hard it can be to find someone at Home Depot(who isn't occupied with someone else), I think I'd rather find the items myself. I'd prefer to have fewer expert level employees who I can consult with than more human-directory but otherwise useless to me employees.
Said person would even have directed you to a competitor’s shop if they didn’t sell the article you’re looking for, and might even have done that if they did sell it, but didn’t have it in stock.