Will Google Local truly connect me to a local retailer with a great price on AA Batteries in stock? This is how the Google Local Center lured me -- that I could do that. So I clicked and searched. Results: 192 options near ZIP 91030. Wow! Cheapest, six bucks. 69 sellers. 30 pinpointed as "nearby stores." Of those, among the top ten on screen, five were nearby in that they were online and delivered overnight, and five had bricks and mortar or equivalent. But those five were - you guessed it, chain stores! And they were nearby, but not local (read: sales tax from that sale won't get to my ZIP.)
Now, I happen to know I can buy AA Batteries at a dozen spots within walking distance of my Mac. But I managed to establish a clear answer to my first concern over Google Local: "Local" is a relative term. In fact, I think they mean "within reach of your keyboard and a one-day wait", not right in your own back yard. But one test alone is not a market study. So check back later after I test drive a little further.
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