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8 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | APRIL 2017 By Steve Benoff At first, my intention was to contrast these apps - showing how great the Home Depot app is compared to how bad Walmart is. In doing my research, I changed my mind and, in doing so, I demonstrated something to remember: Sometimes it's worth exploring an app even if it seems worthless at first. My initial reason for installing the Walmart app was to try Walmart Pay. I happen to love Apple Pay; it's an app built into iPhones starting with the iPhone 6. Once you've got it set up, you can use it at businesses signed up with Apple – Albertsons, Best Buy, KFC, McDonalds, Starbucks, Staters, Subway, and Trader Joe's to name a few. When I pay my bill at Panera, all I do is place my phone on a reader, put my thumb on my phone's home button, and wait for confirmation of purchase. Couldn't be easier. I was hoping Walmart Pay would work as well. I downloaded it to give it a try. Since I already was a registered user of the Walmart website, signing in was a breeze and my credit card was all set up; or so I thought. I tried a half dozen times to pay for groceries at Walmart without success. Finally I was prompted to confirm my credit card by entering the three-digit code on the back. That did it. As opposed to Apple Pay, however, Walmart Pay takes several steps. Start the app, select Pay, scan the payment display, and enter a code or use fingerprint ID. But it works, and it immediately stores your receipt on the phone, which Apple does not. It turns out it was worth the effort. The Home Depot app doesn't have a payment facility, but it has some handy features. To get the full benefit of the app, you should select your store of preference. If the app doesn't prompt a selection, choose Account at the bottom of the screen and choose My Store to make your selection. That's it. You can place orders on the app, but what I like most about the app is how you can use it to find something in the store. If I need a piece of PVC pipe to repair a broken sprinkler pipe, I select Shop at the bottom of the screen and enter PVC in the search bar. Up pops PVC pipe, glue, fittings, conduit, and six other PVC categories. Once I find exactly what I'm looking for, I can order it or more importantly, I can find out exactly where it is in the store – down to the aisle and bay numbers. How many times have you asked where an item is in the store only to be misdirected? Not any more with the Home Depot app. I was recently in New York and needed a few things at a Home Depot in Brooklyn, a store I was completely unfamiliar with. The electrical items were obviously in the expected section. But I couldn't find paste wax. I opened the app and entered paste wax in the search bar. Voilá! I was directed to the aisle and bay number in the Brooklyn store because the app knew my exact location. The Walmart app operates much the same way. Select your preferred Walmart location using the Account button. With your store and credit card set up, you can shop online or use the app as a product locator. Press the Shop button and enter the product in the search bar. While the result may not be as detailed as the Home Depot app, it can be quite helpful. I find our local Walmart daunting when it comes to finding an item I don't shop for regularly. If I'm looking for pens, I enter "pens" in the search bar, select At Your Store just under the search bar, and I'm presented a list of choices. More importantly, some of the items have an aisle number. That's the information I'm interested in, and I can put away the app. There's a great bonus feature on the Walmart app. I find Walmart price labeling less that perfect. There are price scanners in a few places, but I never seem to be near one when I need an item priced. That's no longer a problem. I open the app, press Shop at the bottom, and look for the miniature scan symbol at the right end of the search bar. I point my phone at the item's UPC code and press the symbol. Next thing I know, I've got the price. Simple and fast. (By the way, Home Depot has the same feature.) Go to the App Store or Google Play on your phone and explore. Albertsons has an app. Staters, not yet. Kohls, yes. Hobby Lobby, Party City, too. But not Big 5, and the Marshalls app is for a wall coverings company. Download and try them. Keep the ones you like and delete the rest. Do you use an app you'd like to share with others, let me know at steve.benoff@verizon.net. T H E R E ' S A N A P P F O R T H A T A Tale of Two Apps: Walmart & Home Depot

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