I always shop online for things like HD TVs, Fax Machines, DVD Players and so on. I always do my research over several weeks before I buy, comparing every online source I can locate with advertised sales by local stores like Best Buy, Comp USA and Circuit City. I can, without fail, find a much lower price from online merchants including shipping. Since these online sellers are out-of-state, I also avoid my state’s sales tax. Plus, someone will bring it to my front door for me.
But the big brick and mortar electronics stores keep chugging along selling the exact same stuff in the exact same factory sealed boxes with the exact same warranties that I buy online. So what am I missing? I know people like to see the actual product (especially TVs) before they buy it. Me too. So I go take a look. But, on the occasions that a sales person has apprached me, I’ve asked if they can match the online retailers’ price and, of course, they say no.
So how are the stores staying in business? Have you bought electronics at a brick and mortar and if so why?
I think the last thing I bought at a big box store was my iPod – it’s the same price anywhere else (or close enough), I don’t have to pay shipping and I get it right away.
Same here. Trying to return a high-dollar piece of electronics for repair by mail is a real pain. You have to spend hours on the phone talking to people who know less about the product than you do, then they’ll try to get you to fix it yourself by sending you parts in the mail, finally if they do allow you to send it to them it takes weeks for them to fix it and they’ll just give you the runaround if you call for an update. Much easier to drive up the block and drop it off in person, and if there are any problems it is always easier to get cooperation from clerks and managers if you are in their store talking to them face to face.
Think about trying to return a large item that you bought over the internet. That thought alone will send a lot of people to the brick and mortor.
Also consider that this is America. Americans want their stuff and they want it now! Besides, most of them don’t want to or can’t afford to take a day off work waiting for the UPS truck to arrive so they can take delivery on the new flat screen. The NASCAR race is today, not next Thursday.
Not everyone knows how to do this, or wants to. Some people wouldn’t know how to research their purchases on line. Some people want the personal touch of being able to talk to a real live salesman, ask him questions, and see the various brands and models in person before making a purchase.
Some people are just in the habit of buying stuff the old-fashioned way.
Delivery can be a problem for some people, if they’re not home during the day and have no safe place to leave a package.
If you want a personal anecdote, I bought my current DVD player from Circuit City because my old one died and I wanted to watch my new Lord of the Rings DVDs I had gotten for Christmas without having to wait several days for a delivery, and DVD players aren’t really that expensive from brick-and-mortar stores anyway.
There is also the I want to see just how the paper tray fits into the bottom of the unit / just how do the ink tanks mount that I can’t do over the interweb.
If the price and selection is the same, I will buy local.
If you’re a stay-at-home parent, that’s great. Enjoy your kids, and get your new TV delivered to your door.
Me, I go shopping after work, and carry my new stuff home with me.
Some of us with jobs have our electronics delivered to our job
This isn’t really feasible if I’m having a big screen TV delivered but it’s not like I’m having one of those delivered every week. I’m also fully aware that some people work at places where spending so much as ten seconds signing for a personal package is grounds for dismissal with extreme prejudice, or this just isn’t possible for one reason or another.
Anything with a screen - a TV or laptop - I want to look at before I buy. I want to lift up the laptop to see how heavy it is.
I’m damn glad I bought my laptop locally. I got the extended warranty, with a loaner, which I’ve used twice. I can’t afford to lose the computer for the amount of time it would be in the shop.
I do a lot of online shopping, but for the things that are expensive, fragile, or have lots of parts, I stick with the locals, even if I have to pay a few more bucks. For some reason, I trust people more when I have the ability to stand in front of them and refuse to move until I am a satisfied customer! It is kinda like paying extra to have a short term warranty where things can be fixed relatively quickly if the item is the wrong size, not compatable, missing a part, etc.
Online shopping just hasn’t taken off here in Australia, and I’ve found that most of our customers just can’t handle computers and the internet. It’s too complicated for them, or they don’t trust it, or they like coming into a physical store to ask questions etc.
Also, postage takes time, and people want their new TV/DVD Player/Laptop/Whatever right now, not in three or four days’ time.
Mainly though, I think it’s because electronic stuff breaks all the time and people like to be able to bring it back and [del]abuse the staff[/del] get it replaced or resolved in person, not over the phone or by E-mail.
People like you are one of the reasons I have trouble sleeping some nights and hate the sound of ringing phones, and why the electronics retail industry can’t keep staff, you know.
I buy online when I can tell without looking at and touching the product that it is what I want, and when I can wait a few days for it, unless some issue like expensive shipping makes local stores sufficiently cheaper.
However, I don’t go to a store to evaluate a product and then order that product online. I think that is unethical. It is obvious that the store spends additional money to let you consider the product in the flesh, so to speak.
I’m probably about 50-% - 50% online versus physical store, depending on where you draw the line. Shrinkwrapped electronics are liklier online, but a drill, say, is more likely from a store.
The other factor is that my “research” of a product often includes touching it and feeling it and shaking it around. Going to a store to mess around their display units to then go buy it online is a very close second to stealing, IMO.
