I have been tasked with buying a computer in a brick-and-mortar store. Heavens forfend, I know. I have no idea where to go. I’m sure you all can tell me not to go to Best Buy, sure, but where else do they even sell computers anymore? (And it has to be a PC, so the Apple store is out of the question)
Staples, Wal-Mart, Costco, Sam’s Club
Rather depends upon where you are doesn’t it?
Although it would probably be my last option, PC World often have good deals but you do have to watch what you are buying from them.
In the UK, ASDA can sometimes offer a reasonable deal so presumable Wallyworld will too.
Although I have just bought online a desktop and laptop that beat them both on price and performance, not to mention sidestepping the annoying sales staff.
We’d need more information to give you a solid recommendation. Why are online stores out of the question? Amazon is generally going to be cheaper for pre-built systems, and they’re quite reliable; if you’re worried about making purchases over the internet (as many were, back in the nineties), you needn’t be.
What do you need to do with this computer? If all you need is bare-bones web-browsing, Best Buy actually isn’t a terrible option. The place is unpleasant to visit, but their prices on low-end systems aren’t going to be that much higher than online retailers. You could also buy a used system from a local store specializing in such, but I generally don’t recommend that computer newbies take a chance in that regard; it takes a bit of experience to know whether a used system will meet your needs.
I don’t see why Best Buy would be out of the question.
Do you have a local computer shop? A local computer shop could build one to suit your needs and then be there for support afterwards.
If you don’t have one, Best Buy is the way to go because you can get help afterwards. If you don’t see yourself needing help then…Costco (although you could get something at Costco and still get help at Best Buy later but I think you get a discount on Geek Squad when you buy at Best Buy).
Big computer stores are rare, but they still exist. Your best bet would probably be a Microcenter or Fry’s if you have one nearby. There are also a few retail locations run by Tiger Direct (they bought some of the CompUSA locations).
Then there are the mom-and-pop sort of independent computer shops. You’ll pay more there, but this is probably the only way to get local support and repairs. If you’re on a really tight budget though, these guys will probably sell used, good-enough PCs for really cheap.
Finally, if you just want a cheap email-office-web-box, you can find those at office stores and some big box stores like Walmart.
In addition to the above suggestions, Microsoft has opened a few retail stores around the country, mostly to showcase its products and its brand. But I think you can buy computers there as well.
Wal-Mart has good prices on computers if that is all you care about. The selection is limited to a couple of HP, Dell, and maybe E-machines models but they tend to have decent specs. If you just want to walk in, buy some reasonable computer for a good price, and not have to hear about extended warranties and other added costs, they are a perfectly fine option.
As mentioned, wholesale clubs like Costco also carry a few decent models for a good price.
Staples and Best Buy are two of the places I go to when I need to buy new computers.
I would love to buy from more of the local mom and pop stores, but it’s very hard for them to be competitive. I don’t have any special needs that would justify having them build something for me.
Why is that an absolute requirement? I’m asking because the online, custom-build-your-own that Dell and others offer is a pretty nifty purchasing idea. The ones I see in the stores are preconfigured and cannot be altered before purchase. You may end up with more hardware than you need.
One disincentive to purchasing a computer in a retail outlet is the pressure to buy add-ons, such as a service plan, laptop bag, etc. This New York Times column says that Staples store associates are expected to sell $200 worth of add-ons with every computer sold, and that if a customer isn’t willing to buy such add-ons, that the salesperson will deny having the computer in stock (even if they previously said that it was in stock).
If you can tell us where you’re located, that would be a big help.
Otherwise, my advice is to by the local Sunday newspaper and check out the advertising sections. First, pull out all the ones that are for office supply stores. Then, all the ones that have computers on the front or back covers. Finally, the ones that have televisions or cell phones on the front or back covers will probably have computers on the inside.
I loved that place. Wish they had one here in Seattle.
Well, if you’re not overly familiar with computer tech, and if you were you would be buying one online, I would recommend Best Buy over these others. I’ve never found Best Buy to be a bad shopping experience (as opposed to the now deservedly defunct Circuit City which was pure evil!) Best Buy isn’t going to be significantly more expensive and their support is excellent (whereas warehouse stores’ support will be non-existent!)
If you’re going brick & mortar because you need it by Xmas, you still might check online places like Tigerdirect.com or Dell or HP. Even with express shipping you still might save money versus retail.
Google Shopping. Click Show Only: In Stock Nearby. It’s not perfect because not every B&M store makes their inventory public but it’s getting better and it’s a start.
On the West Coast there is also Fry’s. Definitely compare prices, and ignore any low price guarantees since each big store gets unique model types, so you can’t really exercise it. I’d say a novice has a better experience at Best Buys, but I shop on price.
If this isn’t your money, you might check out the service department. Smaller stores might be easier to deal with later which might be more important than a rock bottom price.
The first thing you do, of course, is to write down specs on what you want, because that is the only way to really do a good price comparison.
Thirding Micro Center. My most recent one came from their onlne store; turned out taking busses out to Vienna and back would have been easier.
We are chipping in to buy my SO’s mother a new computer for Christmas. Because she lives in a smallish city, and knows nothing at all about maintaining or repairing a computer, we specifically chose to buy from a company with a brick and mortar presence in her city.
In our case, we chose Staples. This way, if she has issues and none of the kids are around, she can take it to Staples and tell them “Make it go”.
If we were buying for ourselves, it would be a totally different decision.
Best Buy computers are fine, but only if you can say no to everything else except the computer. No, I don’t want the geek squad to set it up, No, I don’t want the warranty, No, I don’t want any monster power anything, No I don’t need a $50 million dollar cable, etc. IMHO, the best places are either Microcenter (which at least has some expertise, and they sell components as well as Pre-builts), or Costco, which has by far the best return policy.