The Glade 4.0

Against stores trying to foist a wide variety of scam-related things on you at checkout. As far as I can tell, people got wise to some of these, so they just made up for it by coming up with more and trying to unload the entire list onto you.

So, I needed a wireless adapter for an older laptop so it could connect to a network on the 5Ghz band. It only sees 2.4Ghz networks without one. Figuring I don't need to order this online as they've got to be in stores and fairly cheap, I decide to go and get one. I find one alright for $50 and bring it up to the counter.

"Would you like to save 10% on your purchase today?"

"Are you trying to get me to sign me up for a credit card? No thanks, I'd rather not have my credit affected for $5."

"It doesn't affect your credit."

"So it's not a credit card? You don't do a credit check? I'm not going to have to sign anything authorizing you to do that?"

"Yes, you have to sign this, but-"

"No, thanks, I don't want it."

"Would you like to protect your purchase for $12? We'll replace it if anything breaks for the next three years."

"A $12 insurance plan on a $50 USB? Are you serious? Do one in four of these not work? Never mind, I don't need that either."

"Would you like to pay zero percent interest for-"

(I was just speechless at this point at the fact that they were offering to finance my $50 USB stick purchase. Do people actually go for this crap? I was seriously wondering if I was in the twilight zone here. But, after I declined this, it gots worse)

*Looks at receipt that I need to sign, see the protection plan charge on there*

"You're really trying to charge me for the protection plan I said I didn't want, like, thirty seconds ago?"

They took that off and I finally got to walk away with my adapter. After that, I was totally expecting to have to wait in line at the exit for them to check my bag, too, but thankfully they didn't do that.

The only real problem I see there is them putting the protection plan on after you said no. Not seeing the need for a law against trying to sell you ****.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Xeq:

Not surprising the push they put on for the replacement plan. Having worked for CompUSA in the past, I was amazed at the lengths they went to in order to sell these plans. I wouldn't be surprised if they knock the cost of the item back and add the PP to bring the cost back to what you'd pay for the item alone.

A quote from one of the computer salespeople who used to get the daily peptalks from the managers: "We don't sell computers, we sell Service plans...and computers to go with them"

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This must be Thursday. I could never get the hang of Thursdays.

That is annoying. And the whole "search" thing on the way out of the building is ridiculous. I don't let them search me. If they wanted to make the sale contingent on a search, they missed their chance - money exchanged, it's my ****, no you can't search me, **** off.

Xeq if I can provide some advice. Assuming your account of the dialogue is somewhat accurate, you got yourself in trouble by saying anything other than a firm "no thank you". You stated something that opened yourself up to them attempting to convince you otherwise.

Unless you need something "right now," this story illustrates why Amazon is winning of brick and mortar.

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“The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” - Thomas Paine

While it's certainly not helping, I'm not sure that's the driving factor. I think selection and price are the biggest drivers. Amazon literally has EVERYTHING in stock or available, brick and mortar stores can't have the same broad selection typically. And most people are bad at math, so they see that an item is $10 cheaper on Amazon and buy it and don't realize they are paying $15 in shipping until they have psychologically made the decision to buy and then say **** it.

Free shipping on orders of more than $25!!!

Just get a $4.00 necessary widget and $21 of other impulse buys.

I don't disagree necessarily, but for some of us who believe in our local economy, service is usually a differentiator. Not that you don't believe in your local economy, but many people don't and just shop price.

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“The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” - Thomas Paine

I couldn't agree more.

I place a high value on service and my local economy. I routinely purchases goods or services from companies that aren't the least expensive (or closest/most convenient) because of the value I get from them.

I put a high value on service locally too... Unfortunately, for almost everything, "good" service has gone the way of the dodo...

I was in need of a 200K resistor and a 680pF capacitor for a guitar project I was working on, and decided to try the radio shack in the strip mall across the street.

What a disaster.

When I went in, the shop was empty, except a couple of teen-aged employees who were blasting music and goofing off with the RC Cars. They didn't bother to turn the music down when I came in.

One of them finally noticed me and asked if he could help...

I told him what I wanted, and he just stared at me like I had an arm growing out of my forehead.

I ended up foraging through the bin and found the resistor, but no luck with the capacitor.

When I got home, just for giggles, I went to radioshacks website, and sure enough, I could have saved a lot of time and frustration by doing that beforehand. The website told me the resistor was avaiable 'In Store' at my neighborhood store, but the capacitor was only available online, or 'ship to store'.

The parts, all told, added up to about $4 or so. So I went looking around online, and found the exact items I needed, assembled in a kit sort of thing, for $2.59.

http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Volume-K ... s-P87.aspx

I needed a Callaham bridge for the same project anyway, so I just ordered them from there.

Radio Shack used to be a cool place you could go for stuff like this. I used to go in just to browse the bits and pieces pondering stuff I could do with them. Now, it's just a bunch of junk. And very highly over priced junk. I had stopped shopping there at all for a long time, when every time I tried to make a purchase, they asked me for my zip code, phone number, etc... I got tired of the hassle, and since 99% of the stuff they sell there is cheaper just about anywhere else, I just stopped going.

For most things I buy, the brick and mortar ship has already sailed. As most of you know, Guitar Building/Lutherie is a hobby of mine, and there is almost nothing 'guitar' related that I would buy locally rather than online. Nothing... Not strings, or picks, or fake books.. nothing...

Guitar Center has put all of the cool Mom and Pop music/guitar stores out of business, and I hate Guitar Center more than I hate Walmart (and that's a LOT).

About the only thing I can think of that I buy locally any more are perishables and some groceries, and home improvement/gardening type things.

Just about everything else comes by way of UPS and Fedex....

Xeq, as long as your ire is pointed at the company and not the poor soul behind the counter I'm all with you. Management pushes these up-sells on the floor staff requiring them to make x sales a week/month/quarter in order to be "meeting expectations" and therefore eligible for raises.

I can't break the brick for whatever reason. I'd much rather buy pretty much anything in a store if I can get away with it. Maybe it's the whole "instant gratification" thing. Also I don't think I would feel comfortable buying any kind of unseen article of clothing and trusting that their sizes are standard without at least being able to hold it up to myself.

I just bought some new stands from Litco for my 1/300th aircraft. If I had been able to look at them in the store I would have realized that the flight pegs I ordered are way shorter than the ones that Dan uses and ordered the next largest. They work though, and the lower center of gravity probably is good for them.

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

I understand what you went through Xeq, been there myself. A simple "No Thank You" should suffice. If it doesn't, then just walk away. Years ago I was buying my son one of the Play Station iterations for his birthday. I went to Toys R Us because it was on sale. I was told by the clerk she couldn't sell it to me if I didn't buy the extended warranty. I told her "then you just didn't sell it to me, did you?" and walked out of the store. He got his Play Station elsewhere.

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"Said I never had much use for one, never said I didn't know how to use one!"~ Matthew Quigley

"nothing like a little meow in bed at night" ~ Bruskey

"I gotta float my stick same as you" Hondo Lane

"Fill your hand you son of a *****!"