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So, I've been waiting a bit to buy a mini, to see if apple would officially update the specs on it. But impatience got the better of me. So I decided at 6:30 PM to head up to my local BestBuy and pick up a new mini and a flat-panel monitor. I chose BB because only a month or two ago I was there demoing a sparkly new mini they had on display.
Upon arrival, I went about looking at their wall of flat-panel monitors and picked out a nice 19" Veiwsonic. With monitor in hand, I proceed to the area where I last observed the mini, and it was gone - moved, I figured. I walked up and down looking for the display where the mini was. Figuring it might be hard to spot right away, since it's kinda small and a misplaced piece of paper could easily block it from view. No luck after 10 minutes of that. A helpful looking BB employee came to view so I asked if they had any Mac minis. He didn't think so, but would check. Soon, a manager came out and asked what exactly I was looking for and exclaimed that I could order one online! My frustration at this point was clearly evident by my vocal tone. "You mean to tell me it's 2 weeks before Christmas and you have no minis, let alone iMacs? These are two of the most talked about computer items right now. Will you be getting any of them?" I asked. "No, I don't think so. It's really up to each store to stock them. But you can order them online sir." he said in an attempt to appease me. I walked up to him and handed him the box with the monitor. "You not only lost a sale of a Mac mini but the sale of this monitor, a new iPod for my wife, some video games for my kids, and whatever other spur of the moment purchase I might have made. A lot of people will be looking to come to this store and purchase a Mac mini, because this is the only store in the area that SUPPOSEDLY carries it. I was really looking forward to getting my hands on one today. Shame." My son was a bit disappointed, because I made him give the manager his video games, but he got over it. Realize now, I'd travelled about 12 miles to get to the BB and was leaving without what I set out for. This was not acceptable, to me. So, I made the trek to Fort Myers, about 30 miles from where I was standing. I decided to see if the CompUSA there would be any more helpful. I arrived at about 8:10 PM with no mac in sight. I was a bit disappointed until I moseyed unto the computer section. This was more like it. A section as big as the PC section dedicated just to Macs. They had everything from the 17" iMac to the Dual G5 towers. But... I did not spot any display for the mini. I eventually found a end-cap display with a special for a $399 1.25 mini, which I was prepared to purchase if that was all they had. I took the special tag and found a salesman who promptly told me that he didn't think they had any in stock. Well, I once again went into a mild rant about it being Chrismas and how could a retail store that sells Apple products not have any minis in stock. I think I scared him, because he quickly offered to check the stockroom. Once again a manager greeted me, with a secondary "What exactly are you looking for?" Just as i was about to tell him the original sales-dude found a whole mess of minis locked in the security case not 10 feet from where I originally approached him. Relieved, everyone promptly gathered around the case. I picked the one I wanted and all was good. I searched for a monitor and found another 19" Viewsonic and had an attendant retrieve one for me. He reminded me about my wireless networking at home, which forced a quick spec check on the internet. As an aside, the only computers that had internet access there were the Macs. I upgraded to the one with a Superdrive and Airport and Bluetooth and headed for the register. To my surprise, when I got home, I was greeted with the newest 1.5 GHZ model, instead of the 1.42 printed on the box. It really is a great little computer and it is as silent as you would ever want a computer to be. You really don't know it's on, if you didn't have that little light in the front. In conclusion, unless you know that your local BestBuy has these in stock, go to CompUSA if you have one in your area. Perhaps a call to the store would be in order. You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care. - Peter Gibbons |
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rams it
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Seattle
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I noticed our Best Buy doesn't keep any Mac Minis on display anymore either.
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Fishhead Family Reunited
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Slightly Off Center
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ah, life in the Mac Desert that is SW FL. Pretty sad when CompUseless is the best alternative available!
congratulations on managing to make a good purchase against all obsticles |
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Join Date: Mar 2005
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- Jay |
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meh
Join Date: May 2004
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This thread has made me appreciate the 4 Apple Stores I have in my area! I will never try to buy from BB since the iPod fiasco with my Bro and a salesmen cluelessness. Compushit is okay, but no one is there to help you. Will only buy my Apple stuff from Apple store online, or the Apple Stores. But, congrats on the new Mini.
giggity |
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is not a kind of basket
Join Date: May 2004
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UnderQuaggie,
Lucky little... In Toronto before the Apple store opened we had to put up with some... less then pleasing, resellers. (And I worked for one, so trust me with the less then pleasing comment ) At one point I remember ranting quite a bit on this forum and another *cough* older forum about the lack of Apple branded retail in Toronto. All the while places in the states, like your area, were seeing stores opening left and right. Mind you, now with the Apple store in Toronto open (and 'roumors' of a second on the way in a few years) I'm still not as impressed as I hoped. The workers there left something to be desired, retail sales workers that actually know Apple product line, *rollseyes*. Anyhow... no sig, how's that for being a rebel! |
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Fro Productions(tm)
Join Date: May 2004
Location: London Town
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Why didn't you just buy online?
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Join Date: May 2004
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Or call ahead--save yourself all that aggravation!
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Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
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I started getting into macs early this year and would occasionally go to Best Buy and check them out. When the mini came out, I would go and use Garaband for awhile, which is what made me want a mac mini. After a month when I wanted to buy one, a friend told me he went to check for them and was told that they were taken off from the store. (i dont know why) So now Best Buy do not have them, only compusa which I dont like because of the poor service. I am waiting for the mactel thing to happen for my iMac instead.
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Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
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The store has no obligation to keep things that you want in stock. Clearly macs aren't in as high a demand in your area as you think if they aren't stocking them. BB is in the business of making money so they won't buy a certain product if nobody's going to buy them.
And what's wrong with ordering online? |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2005
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you should all consider yourselves lucky, here in (semi)rural England, the nearest Apple store (which has only been open for 1 month) is 40 miles away.
but by god is it good! |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Congrats! and hold on to that receipt so you can swap minis when the new one come out in Jan.
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25 chars of wasted space.
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NaplesX, you sound like an asshole. With the way you acted, I am glad you had to drive an extra 30 miles to buy a computer, I wish you would have gotten there and them not have a computer.
They did nothing other than try and be helpful because they aren't stocking an unpopular (I'm sure) item, and you get upset with them? Not cool. |
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Join Date: Feb 2005
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~ K |
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
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- Jay |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
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Last edited by JK47 : 2005-12-24 at 13:46. |
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25 chars of wasted space.
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Join Date: Aug 2004
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Sneaky Punk
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Thats a given jk47. If you want something good, don't go where the bargain hunters go.
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Join Date: Oct 2005
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HOLY CRAP, man. Get outside. Take a day off from work. Play baseball with your kid. Do SOMETHING to rewire your brain. You could snap at any minute with the asscracking attitude you dish out like it's legitimate sophistication. HAHA, and do you REALLY think those 17 year-old Best Buy employees gave a damn whether or not you bought that junk? It's just one less trip to your yuppie car as you nag at them about scratching the boxes or something. You, sir, are one of the biggest MacSnobs i've ever encountered. Shame. |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Pittsburgh
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Sorry, but I'm gonna side with the "brain needs rewiring camp". The guy tried to get even with a store because they didn't have an item in stock? Ooo... the nerve of that store. Where do they get off being so evil?
And... Growing up isn't neccessarily a good thing. Seeing someone told to "grow up" always makes me chuckle. If anything, I think today's adults need to grow down. Society would be much healthier. (But of course, growing down shouldn't include the seeking of retribution when a product is out of stock.) |
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dfiler and evil_robot_ted,
evil_robot_ted Quote:
I think I made it pretty clear why I was upset. It's not like they had any other macs in stock as an alternative purchase. In fact, they had no plans of stocking them. As I also made clear. dfiler Quote:
dfiler Quote:
It would appear you guys have spent too much time over at AI, the way you read into a post like that. You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care. - Peter Gibbons Last edited by NaplesX : 2005-12-29 at 16:51. |
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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this same thing happened to me when i went to buy my 5G iPod a week after they were released. i withdrew $300 from the bank and drove down to Best Buy because i figured that would be easy enough and no sense driving the extra 45 minutes to the nearest Apple Store. when i got there, the "sales staff" looked definately below the legal working age of 16 and were, in general, not that helpful as salespeople, but that was ok, i knew what i wanted. when i asked for a 30GB 5G iPod, the kid said they were currently sold out and only had the 60GB. so yeah, i was defiantely disappointed, but whatever, what was i gonna do. so i hopped in my car and drove a few miles down the street to a CompUSA, walked in, told the guy behind the counter i wanted to buy a 30GB white 5G iPod, and he promptly retrieved one from storage and sold it to me... applecare too.
i can understand your frustration NaplesX. most of us have been in similar situations where we have our eyes on a product and run to our nearest store to pick it up only to find out it's not stocked or is sold out or whatever. it can be very disappointing especially if you have to drive a long distance to actually find a place that has it. maybe next time you should either try to find an Apple Store, order online, or maybe just calm yourself more in the store. but yeah, i feel what you went through and it definately can suck! |
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I feel like Adam Sandler in "Anger Management" in this post.
Everyone keeps telling me to calm down... anger building... I am calm... head pounding.... I did not get irate or disrespectful toward anyone while in their store(s). I respectfully projected my frustration. That's it. No 'getting even', 'asscracking attitude', loud outbursts or anything of the sort. Besides, am I the only one that remembers all the hype about BB carrying Apple products. maybe it was just the mini, but there was a big hoopla about it. It was one of the reasons I even ventured into their store in the first place. Previous to that, I really had no reason to go there and not CC. When I did go there the first time, I talked to a manager and he said they planned on stocking them for the foreseeable future... AND their website says they stock them. I had every reason to believe they would have them in stock for Christmas. Why would they not? At least that's what I was going on. It's not like I went into a 7/11 and demanded a shiny new mini. On a side note though, I HAVE seen iPod accessories showing up at 7/11. Like a whole end-cap at one store! And of course you see some of those iTunes gift cards. I wonder when we see iPods there also. Strange... ...and stop telling me to calm down! You see Bob, it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care. - Peter Gibbons |
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¡Damned!
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Purgatory
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This made me chuckle. |
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