Where do you shop for technology?

[Lamb]

Do you like to go to a store and put your hands on the product before purchasing it or do you buy on Amazon, Best Buy or some other online store?

 

[psalms 91]

Cant afford it usually but yes I like to check it out

 

[tango]

Do you like to go to a store and put your hands on the product before purchasing it or do you buy on Amazon, Best Buy or some other online store?

It depends on what it is.

The big advantage of Amazon is that they probably have anything I could possibly want, if I'm willing to buy it unseen. Best Buy may have it in stock and if they do then it may be on display so I can see it and touch it. The trouble with the traditional stores is that the benefit of being about to see and touch is increasingly theoretical as they often don't have much of a range and it's sadly far too common to find either they are understaffed, or the staff know little and care less about the product lines on offer. If all the staff can do is look up the web site in front of me then I might as well read the web myself. And if I'm finding out the information entirely online I might as well buy it online too.

The thing that often makes me laugh is when you go to a chain store and they don't have something in stock but "they can order it in". I'm sure they can, but if I have to wait several days for a call and then go back to the store (burning my gas) to pay full retail price for it then I might as well order it myself from Amazon and have it delivered to my door within a couple of days. I've often had a local independent store order something for me, because I put a value on the ongoing existence of the local store, but if it's dealing with Amazon or some other faceless chain store I'll go with what offers the best value. Unless the local store has the benefit of being able to walk in and walk out holding the item I wanted, they don't offer much of a benefit.

 

[Jason]

Most of the tech purchases are done in Amazon, i rarely visit offline stores to buy things

 

[Lamb]

Most of the tech purchases are done in Amazon, i rarely visit offline stores to buy things

Mine too!! I can shop around and get a better price if I spend a little time hunting on Amazon. Even a dollar or two less makes me feel better about the purchase LOL

 

[tango]

Mine too!! I can shop around and get a better price if I spend a little time hunting on Amazon. Even a dollar or two less makes me feel better about the purchase LOL

On an expensive item I'd rather just have it, than spend an hour hunting in the hope of saving a dollar. Truth be told I'd pay a bit extra to support an independent retailer, especially if they were the kind of place that looked after me as a customer.

 

[vince284]

I buy everything online. Except for perishables. With one exception, if it's an item that will need maintenance or item that will have a complicated installation, I want full vendor support (I want to personally meet the sales associate, and have his office number and even a home phone number if possible. Of course their email address, not just a general office email, is without question). So I haven't bought electronics from a "brick and mortar" in years.

 

[NewCreation435]

I would talk it over with my wife first and she would probably buy it off Amazon. I don't generally buy a lot of technology

 

[Forgiven1]

Either through Apple or Amazon. Depending what it is.

 

[Ash]

It all depends on what I'm looking to buy and what the best price is. For example, the last technological purchase that I made was my laptop and I bought it from Amazon because they offered the best price (and I had quite a large gift card balance over there). But I tend to usually buy tech from physical retailers as it's much easier to return them if there is an issue

 

[bharath]

I bought twice on Ebay, but in the shop it is cheap than these online sellers. Buying online is a good deal, but when it fails or gone wrong, then we have to pay Courier fee again.

 

[Alexander]

It depends. Before the lockdown started, I prefer shopping in a physical environment rather than online, as I like to see the product before buying physically. However, since then, the UK has been in and out of lockdowns, and electronic companies have been forced to shut. I started to use Amazon more and order online from the retailers that were closed in the high street.

 

[Member4592]

I always buy from Wal-Mart and Amazon. Sometimes Best Buy. Primarily for the reason that they sell quality items that I like.

 

[Jazzy]

I go to Best Buy where I can physically see and touch the item. I then write down the model number and the Best Buy price for said item. I then compare the price on Amazon. I have found, that Best Buy does not in fact offer the "best buy" prices.