Big box stores are the worst for this honestly. The selection is whatever fits their inventory deal that month, nothing more. My neighbor had the exact same frustration, walked out of two major stores with nothing useful and ended up finding a local shop through word of mouth instead.
Local fabricators are a completely different experience. You're walking into a warehouse with actual slabs, not laminated sample chips the size of a playing card. You see the full pattern, the veining, how the light hits it. Makes picking so much easier.
Worth checking out Edstone if you're in the Orlando area. They keep over a thousand slabs in stock which is kind of insane compared to what you'd see at a chain store. Owner-run operation so the service feels personal rather than transactional. My neighbor ended up going there after her big box disappointment and said the difference in selection alone was night and day. Custom cuts, fast turnaround, and you actually leave knowing exactly what your kitchen is going to look like.

Literally laughed at "sample chips the size of a playing card" because that was my exact experience today. Wasted two hours and left with nothing. Just looked up edstoneinc.com and they're actually close to me so planning to stop by this weekend. A thousand slabs in stock sounds almost too good, can't wait to see it in person. Thank you for saving me another useless trip!