Why I shop online? Dreamed 6351 days ago | | 714 words
Birthday Yay
This weekend I received a brand new receiver to commemorate my birth. This meant three things
- I needed optical audio cables.
- I needed a second component video cable.
- I needed a new 5.1/7.1 surround sound speaker set.
As it was a Sunday and I wanted instant gratification, I went out into the ridiculously windy afternoon to find these things. I did successfully locate the optical audio and component video cables. More on these in a moment.
However, I was unable to fine a single set of speakers anywhere. I visited Target, Radio Shack, and CostCo. None of these fine retailers had anything more than 2.1 computer speakers. Not 5.1s that were too expensive or crappy. They simply did not physically have them in the store.
Until we got to Circuit City. They had speakers. Oh yes, they had speakers. multi-hundred dollar Bose speakers. I asked one of the employees for help. Bad plan.
Why You Should Never Visit A Circuit City
See? Circuity City has been continually kicked to the curb by Best Buy. Starting with their employees working on commission so they were super pushy. That ended years ago. However, the company still doesn’t get it and has laid off much of its knowledgeable workforce.
So now walking into a Circuit City store you’re greeted by a gaggle of knownothing new hires. I have nothing against people being new to the job and not knowing as much. That’s fine. We’ve all been there. But for the company to enact a policy of doing so, that’s just sick.
So I made the mistake of asking about speakers. So I was shown the “home theater” systems. I clarified to him I already had a receiver, I just needed the speakers. He seemed confused as to why I’d just want speakers. So he showed me the speakers. That I could buy. One at a time. For my small football field.
I live in an apartment, which I told him, not Fedex Field. I don’t need 800 kajillawatt speakers. Just something to watch movies and play Xbox on. So I walked out with my $10 component cable (on clearance from $26) which they still tried to charge me $26 for.
This brings me to my next point.
Gold plated diamond encrusted cables would be cheaper
I am not an audiophile. I see cables as metal bits to connect one box to another box. In this case, my HD projector, Xbox 360 and receiver. I don’t need a $50 cable to accomplish this task when a $10 will do the same job.
If someone can demonstrate to my ears and eyes why I need to have this gold plated, nuclear-war-resistant cable then go for it. Until then I’ll continue to laugh at the ridiculous cables prices and buy my clearance component cable that I’ll bet you will connect from A to B just fine.
Amazon
Amazon.com is where I’ll end up buying my new speakers. I have friends with Amazon Prime so I can get them shipped for next to nothing next day. It’s a better experience. They’ll have what I want. I don’t have to deal with the salesmen who complains how much he hates his manager because he makes him run to multiple McDonalds for food (yes, this happened in Circuit City).
I dislike sales people because when I walk into a store 90% of the time I know what I want and I’m just there to lay my hands on it, before buying it online. Physical stores for me have become places where I can fondle gadgets before picking them up much cheaper online.
The only exception is the Apple store because they’ve put the customer first and it’s a pleasure to go there. Even though I have to fight through horrendous traffic where they’ve built a giant mall and retail in every free acre but not a road to support it yet.
This is the same reason I loathe going to Best Buy. Even though it’s not much farther from my apartment than Circuit City, it takes 3 times as long to get there at all times of the day and night. So I try to avoid it unless I absolutely have to go. And I don’t. I have Amazon.
Maybe one day I’ll start shopping retail again off line, but it won’t be any day soon.
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— Dee - Holycool.net · Feb 18, 10:30 AM · #
— Carl · Feb 18, 12:17 PM · #