Everyday I’m trying to post one item that makes me smile because it’s a great use of technology or shows adversity gives birth to innovation. Today’s winner is InStock! It’s a website/app where you type in the product you want and your zip code and it will show you the stores around you that should (or won’t) have it.

Looks like the scrap national stores (like Target) a couple times a day to get the latest on their stock and they have lots of disclaimers in case someone buys the last good toilet paper as you’re parking – but as they say…

This is just a tool to guide you in the right direction instead of randomly trying different stores.

I learned about it through IIA (Internet Innovation Alliance)…

After hearing news that many stores were having difficulty keeping their shelves stocked in the wake of COVID-19—leaving many shoppers venturing to multiple stores searching for certain items—two University of Texas computer science students decided they could help.

Rithwick Pattikonda and Darshan Bhatta spent their spring break developing the website Instok.org — or as they like to call it — the “Expedia of grocery shopping.” Users simply type in the item they’re looking for along with their zip code, and the site will show them a list of local stores that currently have the item in stock, saving time and trips for consumers as they stock up on necessities.