I Really appreciate Mac now!

[Gordy]

I would agree with you if it didn't work flawlessly in OS X.

MS's current Bluetooth implementation stinks.

Can't agree more, though it used to be worse than it currently is shockingly!

Cant believe how much easier it is on my powerbook. Hookin up my mobile took seconds not hours

 

[savar]

While I wouldn't advise screaming, I've been known to perk up and say "You know, by the time you finish making that PC bulletproof, you could have gotten a Mac with better specs. Dopn't mind me, just passing through."

I agree. Its not at all impolite to step in and say something. BestBuy workers won't like it, of course, but I imagine that the family would. Just qualify your experience with computers, i.e. "I'm a software developer and I use a Dell xxx every day at work, but when I go home I have a Mac Mini." Then ask if they mind if you suggest a way to save them hassle/money.

In the above scenario, however, I doubt they would've gotten out of the store with a Mini, CRT, and Keyboard for $650...Maybe I'm wrong? I haven't priced stuff like that in a while.

 

[dsharits]

I agree. Its not at all impolite to step in and say something. BestBuy workers won't like it, of course, but I imagine that the family would. Just qualify your experience with computers, i.e. "I'm a software developer and I use a Dell xxx every day at work, but when I go home I have a Mac Mini." Then ask if they mind if you suggest a way to save them hassle/money.

In the above scenario, however, I doubt they would've gotten out of the store with a Mini, CRT, and Keyboard for $650...Maybe I'm wrong? I haven't priced stuff like that in a while.

The only problem is that I really don't have the credentials to convince them. I'm just you average college student, on my Macs all day long. I really wish I had said something now, though. Even something like, "I'm glad i don't have to worry about any of that antivirus crap. I don't even get spyware, and I'm not protected in any way."

After they left, I went over and priced the displays, and I found a 17" flat CRT for $99 and a 17" LCD for $179.

 

[feakbeak]

I agree. Its not at all impolite to step in and say something. BestBuy workers won't like it, of course, but I imagine that the family would. Just qualify your experience with computers, i.e. "I'm a software developer and I use a Dell xxx every day at work, but when I go home I have a Mac Mini."

Funny, this is my exact situation!

I am a software developer and use a Dell Optiplex GX270 at work. (3.2 GHz HT P4 w/2 GB RAM) I go home and use my Mac Mini! Of course I have a PC at home too which I use for coding, gaming and as my webserver. Still, I prefer using my Mac for daily tasks (email, web browsing, IM, iTunes) and multimedia tasks (iTunes, iPhoto/Photoshop, iMovie/iDVD). I like Windows and PCs but I've always believed that Macs are better computers for the average consumer.

 

[Rocksaurus]

That is awesome. I've had a quite a few people say hings like that to me, and I always try to get to the root of their problems . It usually turns out to be something like, "Well, they just have to be different. Why put the icons on the other side of the screen? Why can't they just have everything the same?" (missing the whole point that MS copied the interface from Apple, thus thrying to be different, they were the ones thet switched the icon location ) I have corrected RadioShack employees on more than one occasion because they were telling customers that the HP iPods are for PC's and the Apple iPods are for Mac. Whether that is from ignorance or flawed training, it really ticks me off when I hear it.

UGH you just basically described my biggest pet peeve. Windows users sit down at my Mac, and when it does something different than Windows, they complain that it "doesn't work"... Then I remind them who was doing these things first, but it never seems to matter. It's just really frustrating.

 

[dsharits]

UGH you just basically described my biggest pet peeve. Windows users sit down at my Mac, and when it does something different than Windows, they complain that it "doesn't work"... Then I remind them who was doing these things first, but it never seems to matter. It's just really frustrating.

Isn't it great? That's like telling Thomas Edison that he made the light bulb wrong, because GE does it the right way.

 

[noel4r]

Bestbuy and radioshack will hire the stupidest ****ers on the planet. I've NEVER had one of them actually help me, they run over when you first walk in to greet you. And if you ask them they will usually dump you on some other person or try to sell you something that wasn't what you asked for. Oh and just for fun ask them what hard drives will work in some mac or another. They will say none of them will work, they are all PC hard drives.

Don't forget Fry's Electronics. Great prices, poor service.

 

[dsharits]

Don't forget Fry's Electronics. Great prices, poor service.

No Fry's around in this area, only Best Buy and RadioShack. I would love to work at Best Buy, and actually swing people the right way when buying computers. That would be a fun job.

 

[cosmos]

The Necessary Extras...

No Fry's around in this area, only Best Buy and RadioShack. I would love to work at Best Buy, and actually swing people the right way when buying computers. That would be a fun job.

I don't work at Best Buy, but it is possible that the sales people are 'nudged' into pushing the WINTEL H/W. Their manager, someone about three years older than them, would want them to push the needed extras such as AV software, anti-spyware, and internet security add ons after closing the deal.

Think about the added margins that all of the extras piled on to the sale. Not to mention the Best Buy extended warranty to ice the cake.

It would be interesting to have a former salesperson comment if this is the case.

 

[szark]

Don't forget Fry's Electronics. Great prices, poor service.

You're giving them too much credit -- you're actually claiming they have service.

I don't work at Best Buy, but it is possible that the sales people are 'nudged' into pushing the WINTEL H/W. Their manager, someone about three years older than them, would want them to push the needed extras such as AV software, anti-spyware, and internet security add ons after closing the deal.

Think about the added margins that all of the extras piled on to the sale. Not to mention the Best Buy extended warranty to ice the cake.

It would be interesting to have a former salesperson comment if this is the case.

From a former Best Buy salesperson that I work with:

Best Buy holds regular meetings for all of their salespeople where they are given updates on any new items the store is carrying, and how much of a margin each item generates for the store. Selling the high margin items is, of course, best for the company, so pushing those items is "recommended."

Because Apple demands such a high margin for themselves, Best Buy does not make very good margins on Apple computers, so they aren't a high priority item.

 

[wrldwzrd89]

<snip>
Oh and just for fun ask them what hard drives will work in some mac or another. They will say none of them will work, they are all PC hard drives.

Actually, they're correct in the sense that the drives are formatted for Windows (FAT32/NTFS) and will not work in a Mac without a reformat...but that doesn't mean you can't get one connected to a Mac in the first place, as their comment seems to imply.

 

[dsharits]

You're giving them too much credit -- you're actually claiming they have service.



From a former Best Buy salesperson that I work with:

Best Buy holds regular meetings for all of their salespeople where they are given updates on any new items the store is carrying, and how much of a margin each item generates for the store. Selling the high margin items is, of course, best for the company, so pushing those items is "recommended."

Because Apple demands such a high margin for themselves, Best Buy does not make very good margins on Apple computers, so they aren't a high priority item.

They should be glad that I don't work for them. I couldn't bring myself to lie and deceive a customer. There is no possible way that I would let anybody look at or buy a computer without being shown all of their options.

 

[Linkjeniero]

Actually, they're correct in the sense that the drives are formatted for Windows (FAT32/NTFS) and will not work in a Mac without a reformat...but that doesn't mean you can't get one connected to a Mac in the first place, as their comment seems to imply.

Wrong. New hard drives don't come formatted, so a Windows user has to format it before using it just like a Mac user (but it's easier on the Mac ).

About the thread:The strangest thing happened last month, when my mom got an iMac. We went to the store (not a Mac specific store), and when I asked to have the Mac she was taking unpacked to check that everything was OK, the salesperson told me that he didn't know much about Macs, and asked me to teach him a bit as I ran the hardware test! I was more than glad to do so, and he even let me answer an iPod related question from a costumer, instead of making up the answer! (like everyone else seem to do). I like to know that there's at least one computer sales person out there with ethics and will to learn .