Chances are that neither the store nor the clerk is “gouging” or ripping you off (that is, if you don’t call this sort of bundling a “rip off”). Lots of businesses (of all sorts) only accept cash for some or all purchases. In the large majority of cases, it is done so that their income (or a large chunk thereof) is effectively unverifiable, which means big savings come tax season.
Hope that helps.
If you can only find the system bundled with games/equipment you don’t want, you should see about the store’s return policy. Except in smaller stores, you’re likely to be able to return unwanted stuff.
I think supply should be fine. I was getting some CDR’s this evening and there were 6 new XBOX units @ $ 299. each in the local Circuit City when I left the store at 8:45 PM tonight.
Who are you calling program, program? 
Paul “Brutal and needlessly sadistic” Yeah
software ect eb babbages all did this when the gba came out also it would of been 200 dollars … except they didnt let you pick the games or the accesories
I bought one from k-mart for 79 becuase it had been returned and there was nothing wrong with it getting 30 off the cost
Of course the other practice I dislike is preordering but since the ps2 mess I think thats fallen out of favor generally
Although for the gc they were smart they made capcoms resident evil series gc only for 6 games
But I’ll end up wowning all of them eventually so its all good
FYI, the X-box is debuting at £299 in the UK ($450) - the same price that the PS2 was originally (it is now £199).
Box only, nothing bundled.
Sometimes you folks need reminding just how cheap you have things anyway!
pan
Hey, Kabbes, if you don’t like it, you can always move to America. “Give me your poor, your tired, your console gamers…”
Yes, but you can’t make decent tea.
How kind of you to offer, kabbes - milk please, half a sugar.
Got any biscuits?
Digestive?
Chocolate or plain?
Can you imagine going to a restaurant where you saw the Visa logo clearly on the door, and when the waitress brings the check she says “Sorry we aren’t accepting credit cards today, you’ll have to pay cash”?
Or how about walking into a WalMart and being told that anything related to Harry Potter is cash only.
Heck, large merchants weren’t even successful restricting credit card purchases to those over $10. As a result, you can go into any retail store accepting Visa and charge a pack of gum.
However I do know several small businesses that break the rules almost continuously. They enforce minimum charge restrictions, charge 5%-10% upcharge for using credit cards, write credit card numbers on checks, etc. They also cheat the hell out of the government by pocketing lots of cash. $200 may go into the cash register, but the rest goes into the owner’s pocket. These small businesses like cash because it is unlikely to be tracked in an individual transaction.
Chocolate of course.
I also have a Garibaldi that you’re welcome to. It’s been there for an indeterminate period though.
May I just add that I bought A PS2 this weekend and Microsoft can lick my scrote.
I warned you when you got that old Italian that you’d only play with him for a while before you got tired of him. Now hes in the cupboard with your accordion and your hula hoop.
And my Dreamcast.
[sup][sub](hooray! Back on topic!)[/sub][/sup]
Lemme see…
A very quick check has roundtrip airfares from London to Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic for $334 (all prices US in this post).
So, fly to the US and buy an XBox and your trip will only effectively cost you around $180. Get a few other people in GB who want XBoxes also to help subsidize your trip and you could probably make the trip for free or even make some cash. I’m sure there is some way around customs that wouldn’t be too much of a hassle (you’re allowed enought tax free I think for at least on XBox…FedEx the rest maybe)?
Whatever the case that wouldn’t be such a bad deal for you. I’m sure there are a few New York Dopers who’d put you up for a few nights so no cost there. You get a trip and an XBox cheap! Not a bad deal.
BTW: The deal about bundling that started this thread? I went to the XBox website and clicked on the link to buy one and EVERY store that site listed ONLY had bundled systems. I couldn’t find one place that listed the price of the XBox alone.
Oops…That would be a pretty expensive trip wouldn’t it? How about we change that to, “London Heathrow to New York JFK…”.
That makes a bit more sense for a $300+ airfare.
Forget the booze cruise. We now have the computer scooter!
Trust me when I say that the 3d0 cost a LOT more when it first came out, about the same amount as people are complaining about shelling out for a bundled Xbox. Heck, you should see what people are willing to shell out for the Xbox box.