• The Wall Street Journal (subscription required), Thursday, December 21, 2006 11:47 AM

Online local searches have been around for a while, but they have not always been reliable about the availability of specific merchandise. Now, some major retail chains that let customers check inventories at local stores on their Web sites are also starting to share that information with search engines. The result is more useful search results for consumers.

NearbyNow just began offering shoppers at three malls in California and one in Arizona a chance to check merchandise availability at most of the malls' stores by sending text messages from their cell phones. A similar service called Slifter, from GPShopper, focuses on the availability of electronics and toys at big chains, like Best Buy and Staples. Other companies, including Google, are building networks to help shoppers figure out what's at local stores before they get there.

Some retailers, however, aren't enthusiastic about making the information available. One reason is that the searches list prices, sometimes side by side with lower prices available online.

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