re: Why do some companies still mail out unsolicited thick paper catalogs?

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Unlike the mess that is Amazon, McMaster-Carr have a solid search engine that helps you browse and find useful stuff.

I can't see getting this with a paper catalog.

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I agree it has one of the most useful search engines and is laid out in a very logical manner. That being said as someone that grew up with catalogs when I am not searching for a specific item to solve a specific problem flipping through the pages has sparked a lot more ideas than browsing their website ever has. It is probably the way my brain has been conditioned to work over the years. I use the site when planning to order specific items I use the catalog where I am just looking for ideas to solve problems I don't yet have.