Source: Office Depot Associates Routinely Lie about Notebook Stock reports that if you don't want the overpriced add-ons and warranties, that notebook is suddenly going to be out of stock.
What I'm wondering is whether (1) this stuff has always been going on; or (2) it's a result of improved information technology, which makes micro-monitoring of sales and profits easy; or (3) it's due to the recession.
If it is an information technology thing, then presumably consumers should be able to fight back with counter-information, but that seems like a terribly wasteful pair of transactions, a real Prisoner's Dilemma result as regards efficiency.
Like I needed another reason to avoid office depot. Still, they’re better than Incompetent USA (I forgot, chapter 7).
Office Depot sucks. Staples seems more customer friendly.
I don’t know about notebook computers, but it reminds me of buying a car with certain options and having the dealer claim that a certain model will take weeks if not months to order from the manufacturer, but this similar car (with more expensive options) is on the lot right now…
It’s hard to build your own notebook computer. Not impossible, but hard. Building a desktop is relatively easy, especially after you mount the motherboard. In 15 years, I have bought exactly 2 desktop computers. I built 10 or so desktop computers with the components I wanted. Accordingly, my notebook computers tend to be underpowered, because I put all of the speed into the desktops. To me, computer salespeople are like frycooks at McDonald’s: I can do that, as well as they can, and probably better, and my outcomes are at least as good as anything they can manage.
I would never buy an electronic at a store. Buying off a discount internet site or Ebay will ALWAYS save you hundreds of dollars.