In October 2026 we asked Grok Bot, a desktop AI agent with its own browser, to find a 10 m Cat6 network cable at Anhoch, an electronics shop in Skopje. It searched the shop's website, found an SBOX Cat6 UTP 10 m patch cable for 250 MKD, compared two Lanberg options at 290 and 450 MKD (both warehouse-only) and used the per-branch stock list to find the mall branch that had it. We popped in and bought it in one trip; the agent didn't buy anything itself.
Find a [ITEM AND SPEC, E.G. 10 M CAT6 NETWORK CABLE] at [SHOP NAME OR WEBSITE] in [TOWN OR CITY]. Search the shop's own website and compare 2-3 suitable options in a short table with the product name, key specs and current price. Use the shop's branch or stock information to tell me which branch has each one in stock right now, and flag anything that's warehouse-only or online-only. Give me a direct link to each product page. Don't buy or reserve anything; I'll go in and buy it myself.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Use an AI assistant that can browse the web, such as ChatGPT agent, Grok or Perplexity, and give it the exact item, the spec you need and the shop you’d like to use.
- Ask it to check the shop’s per-branch stock list rather than just the product page, and to name the branch that actually has it on the shelf.
- Open the product links yourself to confirm the price and stock (they can change during the day), then make one trip to that branch and buy it in person.
A first-hand example from the AI How To team, October 2026. Prices and stock were correct when we checked and may have changed since.
More shopping use cases
Sanity-check Black Friday deals with Perplexity
Which? asked ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for the best Black Friday air fryer deals. Only Perplexity found the experts' top pick and a working discount code, but it misquoted the deal price, so Which? suggests AI as a starting point, not the final word.
I'm thinking of buying [PRODUCT AND MODEL] for [PRICE] at [RETAILER]. Using current sources, tell me: the typical price over the last six months, the lowest recent price, other UK retailers selling it now and their prices, and any valid discount codes. Link every price to its source so I can check it.
Get up to speed on an unfamiliar product with Perplexity before you buy
A MakeUseOf writer who knew little about coffee machines asked Perplexity to explain the different types, then to list the best drip machines on Amazon, and to pull together pros and cons from reviews across the web, before checking verified buyer reviews himself.
I know very little about [PRODUCT TYPE, E.G. COFFEE MACHINES]. Explain the main types in plain English, who each suits and rough price ranges in [COUNTRY]. I care most about [PRIORITIES]. Then shortlist [NUMBER] well-reviewed models of the type that fits me, with pros and cons from several review sources, and link each source.
Choose between products on the shop shelf with a photo and Claude
Needing a new beard trimmer and having done no research, a shopper photographed every option in the aisle, gave the photo to Claude with what he needed, and got a recommendation for the best value for his needs, leaving the shop in under five minutes.
Here's a photo of the [PRODUCT TYPE] options on the shelf, with prices. I need it for [HOW YOU'LL USE IT] and I care most about [E.G. BATTERY LIFE, EASE OF CLEANING, PRICE]. My budget is [AMOUNT]. Which one or two would you pick and why? Point out anything you can't read in the photo, and tell me what to check on the box before I buy.
Reference: AI How To team, first-hand (Oct 2026)