AutoZone is advertising Milwaukee cordless power tools via sponsored listings in Google search results.
You’ll see the listing come up for various search terms, including “Milwaukee M12 Fuel cordless ratchet” and similar.
There’s just one problem…
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Here’s where the link take you to – an AutoZone product page for Duralast ratchets.
AutoZone doesn’t sell Milwaukee cordless power tools. Or hand tools. Or any Milwaukee products at all.
So… why is AutoZone sponsoring Google shopping listings for Milwaukee cordless power tools?
Sometimes when I search for a specific keyword, I’ll see competing products in some of the sponsored shopping spots, such as “Milwaukee cordless tools” leading to Uline listings for mechanics tools and storage boxes. Those kinds of listings seem fairly innocent – they’re hoping to capture your interest with products adjacent to what you’re looking for.
We’ve seen shenanigans before, such as Amazon directly selling Harbor Freight products, and also directly selling Milwaukee products.
Even if it’s some kind of bizarre accident or mistake, AutoZone is probably violating Google ad policies, and I’m fairly certain that Milwaukee Tool wouldn’t approve of AutoZone leveraging their brand name and images in this manner.
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At the least, they’re frustrating shoppers. Over in the Reddit post where I learned about this (source link below), FuzzyHero69 said:
This is the darkest timeline. I wanted that sale and when I clicked it, it takes me to their website looking at generic ratchet.
Sad face.
I wonder what the possible explanation could be.
Props to Aspergers_R_US87 at Reddit for the discovery and PSA.
Jared
That’s bizarre!
I want to think someone made a mistake or there was some accident. Auto Zone pretending to sell something they don’t, presumably just for clicks, is outlandish as a sales strategy.
Bill D
Look, first, advertising standards in all media are going to degrade as bodies like the FTC are likely gutted next year. Second, google’s search results page is an absolute cesspool and will continue to get worse. Third, there’s no reason to think AI will make search highly accurate or trustworthy, because it’s being developed for commerce, not the public good.
Sorry to be a downer. On the bright side, the vigilance and reseach you did, and actual human communities, like on this website, make our individual objectives better, not worse. So, thanks!
Kris Haggerty
Well put
ColeTrain
First, well said. I didn’t think of AI in a brick and mortar retail sense when it comes to commerce, but yeah…damn!
Second, the FTC isn’t stopping this, the general public wouldn’t listen to them even if they could. However we believe the consumer who posted it on Reddit.
Third, maybe AI being and it’s infancy will become self aware and end up fixing all these mistakes?
Last…OMG Skynet is real! I was really hoping when this day came we’d be fighting an army of mechanized t1000’s rather than misleading advertising, robocalls horrible AI music. Bummer
Mike S
It’s very common to use competitor’s names and products as keywords, but this goes beyond that. Unfortunately it’s up to Milwaukee to notify Google about this.
eddiesky
Odd. I don’t get this or “Sponsored”. I searched in Google for Milwaukee M12 Ratchet. All the hits showed Amazon, Acme Tool, Grainger… but none listed Autozone. I listed Popular products..no Autozone. I listed Get By Dec 24th..no Autozone.
I’m going with AI boo boo, SEO mistake or someone just thinks its not an issue to fool searchers to think Autozone has deal. BTW, nearest Autozone is 5 miles from me…and they never have the batteries or oiI need. And the ones they do, are like $100 more than if I went to Costco (also 5 miles away in other direction).
Stuart
Depends on the search terms. Shown above is a screen capture that I took when researching this post.
Shows up here, with the phrase “price drop” and a $99 price – https://www.google.com/search?q=milwaukee+m12+fuel+cordless+ratchet
I see it in the 3rd position for this search: https://www.google.com/search?q=milwaukee+m12+fuel+ratchet
Luke T.
I just clicked both of your links and I do not see any listing for Autozone. Perhaps they updated it. Clear your browser cache and I bet it’s gone.
Stuart
Nope. I changed up the keywords, and there’s a slightly different ad just showing at full price instead of saying “price drop.”
TomD
I wonder if it’s somewhat localized, because I don’t get that either – and what I do get seem to at least be authorized retailers.
JP454
I don’t see AutoZone either when I click on the link. And I shop AutoZone every so often so I’m sure Google’s got it in my advertising profile.
Just for curiosity sake, does anyone outside the Midwest area see several listings at the top sold by ‘Blains Farm and Fleet ‘?
I believe they’re a more local chain around here. It might be somewhat based on location. There are endless Milwaukee sellers around me, maybe AutoZone isn’t high enough in Google’s picking order to make the list in my area.
Chris
No AutoZone link for me searching “m12 fuel cordless ratchet” … but this was one of the first sponsored results for that search, and it seems article & review worthy. Check the price tag.
https://www.grainger.com/product/CHICAGO-PNEUMATIC-Cordless-Torque-Wrench-w-CPLinQ-796FY2
JP454
I’ve been seeing this more with Google.
I search for a lot of things by exact model number when I need to replace something and don’t want to have to redo surrounding area (if I’m lucky I only have to replace the guts and not the whole whatever I’m buying).
for the past year it’s been getting progressively worse that the top row of Google results will show exactly what I’m looking for but when you click on the link it’s different. Some are just a slightly different model number, some are a totally different product. Thankfully I haven’t had it change brand on me though.
With how much it seems the governments been tightening up online promotions I can’t imagine someone won’t be getting in trouble for this.
Mark. M
Same. It feels like in the last 6 months the sponsored results at the top of the Google page have gotten both longer/deeper and more spammy, where the photo and description do not align with whats on the page you are taken to if you click on it.
All of this reminds me of email before spam filters became effective…if had stayed on the trajectory it was on, email would have been abandoned. So-called legitimate new sites: same issue where it has gotten harder and harder to discern what is an article and what is sponsored content. Nice thing, though, is that the market always wins. If Google gets progressively more spammy and less useful another service will capitalize on ppl looking for an alternative.
Tony
NAPA is the exclusive automotive milwaukee retailer, so I imagine both them and milwaukee are not happy if that ad was done by auto zone and not Google.
Jason M
Carquest (owned by Advance) has a huge Milwaukee line locally. Advance Auto has 138 Milwaukee skus at the time of this posting. Home Depot has signs all over saying this or that Milwaukee thing is exclusive.
Milwaukee may exclusively sell to Home Depot as far as big boxe stores (no Lowe’s or Menards) but not sure how Napa would claim the same in terms of auto.
KHedges
I suspect the Home Depot “exclusive Milwaukee” items are SKUs exclusive to Home Depot. A lot of manufacturers will do that: the cheapa$$ versions at Walmart, for example.
Recently I was browsing a sale on Kitchen Aid mixers at Target, and the reviews of one model mentioned that you wouldn’t find reviews of that same model number elsewhere because that specific SKU was only sold at Target. I’ve run into this with appliances at Costco too.
So I suspect that Milwaukee Tools has some exclusive Home Depot models or kits with accessories they don’t sell together elsewhere.
Back to the original article: I was looking for a Milwaukee Tools bit holder for impact ratchets, and it was showing up in AutoZone featured search results even though they don’t carry anything similar at all.
Stuart
Home Depot and Lowe’s tend to advertise “exclusivity” for lots of things, but often it’s just with respect to competing home centers and hardware stores.
For example, Home Depot will claim exclusivity for Dewalt products you can’t find at Lowe’s, but you can find them elsewhere.
As far as I am aware, Milwaukee has not created new products for Home Depot. There have been special accessory sets or combinations over the years. Dewalt has retailer-exclusive accessories.
Klein Tools were exclusive to Home Depot for over 10 years, but it only really meant that you couldn’t buy them at Lowe’s. They were available online, at supply houses, and independent dealers.
Jamie Lee Davis
Sometimes it feels as if the world is a gear set that is flying loose. Accelerated in the last 10 years or so. The Web is a nightmare now. Reviews don’t match products. Scams. Employees that couldn’t give less of a damn. I still believe there has never been a better time to live… With caveats !
Stuart
https://www.fastcompany.com/91246383/its-the-end-of-the-internet-as-we-know-it-and-i-feel-fine
Jamie Lee Davis
That sums up my thoughts. I feel the same with societal structure. Chaos, accelerated! For the sake of staying on point, I wanted to reflect on my digital world. The amount of junk is concerning. All of the cheap products littering stores is alarming, too. Millions of little lithium power plants straight to the landfills. For me, with tools, it’s quite simple. First quality tools and batteries from standard sources. And I avoid reviews like cancer !
JR Ramos
“…and Lenny Bruce is not afraid.”
Julian
https://www.autozone.com/wrenches-pliers-and-cutters/torque-wrench/p/milwaukee-tool-3-8in-m12-cordless-ratchet-tool-only/338732_0_0
I was able to find a autozone link, but it looks like they just pulled reviews straight from the Milwaukee site. very shady.
Stuart
Could be damage control. Nothing came up before.
That’s also an M12 tool-only listing and not the M12 Fuel kit that’s being advertised.
Lee
Got to be an oops we caught. Noone with 2 braincells pay that much for it.
S
This article jumped in my news feed yesterday from Fast Company. The worst part is that I don’t disagree.
“It’s the end of the internet as we know it—and I feel fine
Maybe this was the last year of the usable web. If so, blame corporate greed.”
https://www.fastcompany.com/91246383/its-the-end-of-the-internet-as-we-know-it-and-i-feel-fine
Very much the sentiment as echoed in the comments, unrelated for-profit links are taking the place of useful search results, all in the name of profits.
Ray
There you named some names. Was that so hard?
Stuart
Only the Sith deal in absolutes.
Terry S
Conversely, about a year or so ago, I was searching for a dust extractor and a Dewalt that was on the list came up as being available at Advance Auto Parts, and at an incredible price. Add in the email signup 20% off bonus and it was a downright steal.
The first one I ordered got canceled. The store manager called and said that the extractor was for store use only, they only had one, and it was pretty used and beat up. I figured the universe was closing that door.
Fast forward a week or so and the deal pops up again, this time the in-stock store was on completely the other side of the city. So, I ordered it, still dirt cheap compared to everywhere else. They had it, it was new and it works great. Maybe that store’s manager never used it and they just pulled it off a shelf and sold it to me as the web order told them too.
Brent C
Looks like Harbour Freight Tool is selling directly on Amazon now: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=HFT&ref=bl_dp_s_web_0
Stuart
They are not. All I see are 3rd party listings from random resellers.
James
Third party sellers. Just like Milwaukee doesn’t sell on Amazon and they will not offer warranty repairs for tools bought on Amazon.