I do prefer to buy stuff in real stores, rather than on-line. I like to be able to examine the merchandise and check its features. Some stuff I can't, such as some types of ammunition (I've not seen any 7.62x54R in a store closer than an hour's drive).
My sweetie offered to buy me a new digital camera for V-Day. So on Saturday, we went around to the various stores. The Canon A1000 seemed nice. It is a lot smaller than my four-year-old Canon A95, it has twice the resolution and it shoots up to ISA 1,600 (the A95 maxes out at 400). Plus, it takes two AA batteries, so it is thinner.
We hit BJ's and Wally World first. Both had the camera, but neither one would power up. We then went to Best Buy. They showed the camera in all four colors and the display model would power up. List price was $179.99, it was on sale for $159.99. It seemed to operate basically in the same way as the A95, so we tracked down a sales geek and asked if we could get the purple one.
First annoying fact: Two women in an electronics store might as well coat themselves with invisible paint. We were able to finally pry away one of the three sales geeks who were talking to one customer. I asked for the purple one and was told: "Sorry, you can only buy that one online."
That is about as dumb-assed a thing as I have heard recently.
Look, Best Buy, if you are going to tell people to leave your stores and then go online to buy it, then you had better be able to match or beat everyone else at price. For once you tell them to leave your store and shop from home, there is nothing to stop anyone from just Googling or MySimoning the model and seeing who has a better price.
Which other places do. With discounts on memory cards and cases. With free shipping. And more (which you know all about if you buy online).
If Best Buy is going to be in the business of throwing away sales like that, look for them to do a Circuit City real soon now.
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I have to wonder how any brick and mortar stores remain in business.
Yesterday, my wife and I went to Kohl's for the first time. Nice store and nice selection - until we saw the prices. Glasses, small appliances, cookware - everything was ridiculously expensive.
Of course, they had everything marked as "on sale". Even with the markdown, it was $10 to $20 cheaper to buy the products online at Amazon or another store. And that's with 2 or 3 day shipping included. With Amazon's free shipping, you save even more of course.
I'm a patient guy. I hardly ever need something RIGHT NOW. I can wait the 2 or 3 days and save myself a little money.
I remember the joke it was to shop at Circuit City and Linens n Things. Even when their stores were closing and they were liquidating, they kept marking their prices up. Even at "50% to 60%" off it was still cheaper to buy the products online.
I know we need these stores to provide jobs and help keep other mall businesses alive, but when they're charging full retail price it's hard to justify shopping there. Especially in this economy.
Best thing that could happen to them. In my limited experience with BB, their sales help is rude, uninformed of their products, unwilling to help shoppers, and I wont't go back.
To add to the stupidity, I just checked Best Buy online, and sure enough, its a web purchase only.
At the higher price of $179.99!
Indeed. $141.95 from Amazon, and yet it is $179.99 from Best Buy.
Or, more property, "Worst Buy."
Funny you should mention Kohl's, Wicked Penguin. I was at one the other night, looking for an inexpensive espresso machine. They had a nice one, but there were none under the display model. I was in the kitchen appliances department for fifteen minutes, and a half dozen different store employees must have walked by. Not one asked if I needed assistance. Needless to say, they lost a sale.
Perhaps men in the kitchen appliances section are also invisible.
Best Buy does seem to be getting worse. The last time I expressed interest in a laptop computer, but asked if I could try running a Linux Live CD on it, I was told that it was OK, but if somehow Windows wasn't working afterward they'd charge me for the laptop. Fuck 'em. If their service is going to be just like online, I'll buy online. I can get what I want at Dell. I'll probably have a better chance of returning it if it's bad, too.
With stores like these, brick and mortar will become a thing of the past.
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