This might not be the kind of store you're likely to think about unless you're living on farm, own a tractor, or are already familiar with the Tractor Supply stores. I believe you'll find them all over the country, particularly in small to middle sized towns. We have one in Millinocket, and our population is only about two thousand. A Tractor Supply store will have all of the stuff that you might expect to find in a store by that name, but they also carry the least expensive brand of premium pet foods that I have ever come across, some of the best Christmas ornaments while in season, good quality tools, and old fashioned or unique candies and treats. They also have a great collection of do-it-yourself books and magazines, most of which tend to be farming related; I can usually do better on Amazon.com for the books, but it's nice to be able to browse the book at TSC first. The best thing about the Tractor Supply stores, for most things however, is that their prices are great. I had been buying Claeys candies through Amazon.com for years before I noticed that they carry some of them at the Tractor Supply store here in town, and at better prices than Amazon.com. They have different sized stores, so not every store will carry the full line of products available through TSC but you can order stuff to be delivered, either to your local store or to your house.
I have been doing business with Tractor Supply Stores for many years. There's a few stores in the West but from the Dakotas down through Texas eastward they are everywhere. at least in many states.
Just down the road from our Walmart is a Farm & Fleet store. They have some of everything, and the store is much neater and cleaner than Walmart. The prices are higher, but the shopping experience is much more pleasant. When I still had a car I shopped there all the time.
When I lived on my boat I found the prices for boat related thing very expensive. The tractor supply stores had thing better and at good prices. Living in a salt water environment your pumping supply are limited like steel copper are only a temporary fix but Tractor supply stores have nylon pipe connections used for chemicals which are perfect in salt water.
I've recently posted my experiences with them...the good, the bad and the ugly. I've been buying bird seed, suet, feeders, fruit & nut blend, etc. from them for over 10 years. I also just bought a boom pole from my tractor, as well electric fence supplies, and parts for my tractor attachments. When I needed a new pair of work boots, I went to Tractor Supply because they are the only place around that still carries footwear. They also stock jeans in the store. Oh, and they have chicks and ducklings in the spring. Since I've been buying so much lately, I got one of their credit cards. Like Lowe's, they give you 5% back, but unlike Lowe's it's not an immediate discount, it's a store credit to be applied to future purchases. I got an email with a $50 Sign-up deal, so getting the card was kind of a no-brainer. You get other perks like a couple of free same-day deliveries per quarter, free standard shipping, a couple of full-day trailer rentals per quarter, stuff like that.
tractor supply is here in a small town 12 miles from home...their bird seed is clean...no fillers or sticks...
Reminds me of my situation here in this rural region, having moved from nearly 5 decades of the resources of the DC area. I pine for the Smithsonian events and the art museums and the restaurants and the ethnic groceries, until I get in an area that has just moderate traffic and more humans...then I beat-feet to get back home. COVID has made me extra-glad to be out of the mess. Of course, Alaska is a whole different level, especially being out of the range of the carriers the rest of us see on a daily basis.
Yeh, the two I used to go to were each over 20 miles away (west and north of here.) When I was working, I could swing by one of them while I was in Charlottesville. The other would be combined with a Country Cookin' meal or a run to get Kubota parts...in fact, I was just at the Kubota dealer today. The one that recently opened in my county (maybe 3 years ago) is only 11 miles away, and it's in the county seat so there are other errands I run at the same time (and I keep my dollars "local.") I just noticed that they opened one 16 miles south of me around the same time. So that's 4 within reasonable "rural access"...each in a different county.
Because I've been buying more stuff from these guys, I've been browsing their website and have found some interesting programs. @Ken Anderson mentioned their prices on critter food. You can get even better deals (up to 10% off) if you use their Subscription Service for scheduled deliveries (either Ship-to-Home or Store Pickup.) Since Ken mentioned premium cat food, I grabbed a couple of screenshots of some of their current prices. A random check shows 5% off these regular prices for Subscriptions, plus a 2% Future Purchase Rebate if you join their free club: You can filter Product searches by those that are eligible for Subscriptions, and each eligible Product Description has the Subscription option listed there. There are almost 1,000 eligible products for Subscription Delivery and nearly 4,000 for Subscription Pickup, many of them in critter food and critter care (flea & tick products, feeders, grooming supplies) for dogs, cats, horses, and other critters. You have to create an account, just as with Amazon. I'm not certain if creating an online account also signs you up for the Neighbor's Club (it's free and gets you a 2% rebate on top of the Subscription discount...applied to future purchases.) Using a Tractor Supply credit card gets you a 5% Future Purchase Rebate on top of the Subscription discount. If you choose delivery rather than pick up, freight is free when spending at least $49 on "pet products," based on my cursory look. Here's the link for the Subscription program description page.
@John Brunner, don't forget their own premium brand - 4Health. Although my cats don't like it so much, the ingredient list is good, so I buy it for the feral cats that I feed, and occasionally offer some to mine, which they will eat as long as I don't give it to them too often.
My last job here was working on warranty repairs and one of our chains was Tractor Supply on the East side of Baton Rouge. A few times I went with my employer to do some repairs on site for them. I miss working a lot but sometimes when I see ice outside and rain and hot sun I don't feel near so bad. ;0) At one time before I became to old to work I had thought about moving back to the north of Houston and do the warranty repair thing but do it mobile because I hate being tied down to one spot all the time. Health just ran out and now I am a professional TV critic, when I'm awake.
I worked for a company that installed and monitored access control systems (front door and garage card readers) and security systems in office buildings in DC and the surrounding region. We would install a security system on every suite in the building, and the tenant would opt in/opt out with property management as the intermediary (taking their cut.) We controlled and monitored everything from the office in Rosslyn via phone lines. They were only about 25 people when I worked there, and another guy and I were their first full time service crew. We worked out of the owner's old family Ford Esquire station wagon (The Blue Goose.) I loved that job. I loved being in the field, using my hands and my head, working on different strange issues all day long. But I got a chance to move into the office and start a higher-paying career.
Tractor Supply saved me from overnighting in a small parking lot, in a small town, during an RV outing: Flat tire, wrong rim given to me by the dealer. TS, a mile down the road, had the right rim. A mobile mechanic changed out rims, and I was on my way.
I went by there today to spend my rewards points that finally hit my account. I've long had the heaviest tow chain with hooks you can get (14' long and 5,400# working load), and while there have been times I've used every bit of it (I once extracted a gravel delivery truck from being stuck in the mud) there are many times that it's been "too much." It's too heavy and it's too long for most of the stuff I've been using it for. So I picked up a much lighter "daily use" chain (10' long and 3,160# working load.) While I was there, I grabbed some high-load quick links, a double clevis connector, and a 3,600# hook with a clevis pin to make it all work with the boom pole, and to use with the chains to make things more convenient than wrapping up the excess and tying the ends together. Some of the stuff will serve dual purpose to quick-attach my boom pole and a ratchet hoist I've had kicking around from a long-ago yard sale. I also bought a pair of Carhartt pigskin gloves that were on clearance...hauling firewood really wears gloves out fast. So I guess their promotion worked. I signed up for their credit card, then bought a boom pole to qualify for the reward points (which I was already shopping for anyway,) and have already spent the points (and more) on all the stuff I got today. It's okay. I quit drinking over 30 years ago and am still using the "I would have spent the money on beer and had nothing to show for it" rationale. That one will never wear out...and I know I have yet to outspend my beer savings.