Virtual teasure hunts for tool junkies

Stores such as Costco and Tuesday Morning have long profited from a strong focus on creating ever-changing treasure hunts for their customers. My wife and I are far from immune. We’ll head to Costco on a Saturday morning with a list just 2-3 items long, and walk out with far more – especially if we have enough time to just “wander the aisles” and find all those goodies we didn’t need, but just have to have.

The opportunity to discover new “must-have” toys is a mainstay for vertical retailers as well. In the past year I’ve steadily fed my interest in DIY projects around the house, and more recently woodworking. This interest has led to a many weekend afternoons loitering in Home Depot and/or the Sears tool department, where I’m clearly joining many others who appear to be doing nothing more than browsing, discovering, treasure hunting.

Which leads me to ToolMonger. If you’re at all interested in working with your hands around the house, or in a personal or professional shop, you’ll love this site. They post “tool finds” multiple times a day, many direct from other readers. They also feature daily TV programming guides for the DIYer or weekend garage warrior, and plenty of products worthy of any homeowner.

Check out the dog-friendly ice melter, for example, and this simple garage corner organizational device.

For home improvement junkies, it’s like a daily visit to the candy store. Worth a look.