STAPLES STORES WILL TAKE OLD COMPUTERS

And sometimes the manufacturer DOES make mistakes, or at least have packing mishaps. I bought a VCR from PC Richards (actually 6 identical ones, don't ask...). All were fine, except for one... it looked like a car that had been wrapped around a tree. The entire front of the VCR was smashed, and obviously against some round object. The front was rolled back almost halfway thru the VCR... it was actually quiet funny (and I am bummed I didn't think of taking a picture). The box was in perfect condition, and so was the styrofoam shell. Which means the damage occured BEFORE being boxed (with this degree of damage, I would think it would have been caught in packaging... so it might have been deliberate from a disgruntled employee). Fortunatly, the staff at PC Richards got as much of a laugh about the damage as I did... and didn't hesitate to allow me to exchange it for another identical unit (but only after calling almost every sales person over to take a look at it) Ever since then, right before a store sticks that "you opened the box" sticker on it... I slice the boxes open, and give a quick look over what I just bought. (And since then, the local PC Richard has started opening all electronics and showing them to the customer before they leave... I think that was probably just coincidental timing of a company policy however... I can't believe my $60 VCR had any sweeping effects on store policy). -chris <http://www.mythtech.net>