goin to CA soon, to be a CC tychoon

Hello Erik, http://www.nonmundane.org/~dspisak/frys/frys.html http://www.accesscom.com/~dave6592/ http://billzhouse.com/rants/frys.html http://www.doofus.org/frys/ http://archive.salon.com/21st/feature/1998/05/cov_21feature2.html I read a few of those pages. As far a the fellow that didn't like not being able to return opened software. If they didn't have that policy in place, there would be many instances of people buying software, taking it home and copying it, and then attempting to take it back for a refund. A certain percentage of bad apples abuse the privilege, and the software industry had to do something about it. If he wants to know if a program is any good before he bought it, he should read the magazine reviews first. It's unfortunate that software selling stores don't have a system set up in the stores with the software packages already loaded on a test system where people could try it out there before buying. I thing Egghead did something like that at one time. As far a delays caused by wanting to pay by check, that happens at the grocery store too. I just cringe when waiting in the checkout line and I see someone ahead getting out their check book. If you want to get through the process faster, get a debit card for your checking account. It really makes it so much easier. With the guy that wrote that they didn't want to take his check because he had bounced a check a few months earlier, no wonder. I wouldn't want to take a check from someone that bounced checks either. As far as having purchases examined before leaving, they do that here too at CompUSA. The computer stores probably have a bad shoplifting problem. Many cutting edge computer parts are significant value, small package items. I just show them my bag and receipt, and move on. As far as being out of stock on the advertised item. Happens at CompUSA here too. It kind of sucks the way they do that, but I heard from the CompUSA employee that when CompUSA would advertise a sale price on something like a SIMM, they would only have a very limited number ( like six or seven pieces in an area with a population in the million+ range ) of them at each store. It's their "loss leader" ( is what I'd heard it called in the retail market), advertised to get people into the store. There is a line that forms before opening time on the day the ad flyer comes out in the newspaper. When I heard that, I just quit bothering with it. It wasn't worth wasting the time, just to save a few bucks, especially when it would usually be for naught unless you went through all that extra hassle for it. One thing I finally got completely fed up with is the rebate stuff. Last two things I got from CompUSA, I sent in the rebate forms and copies of the receipt, and they sent me back a card saying they were denying issuing the rebate because they didn't get a copy of the sales receipt. Guess what, the rebate form was stapled to the copy of the sales receipt. If they got the one, they most definitely got the other. Then they have these 800 numbers to call that result in naught. It's beginning to seem they're doing all that on purpose. Throw so many hurdles in the way of getting the rebate, that many just give up and never receive them. On the last two things I bought at CompUSA, I think there is still one rebate check I didn't receive, but it's been so long, I'm not even sure about it anymore. If they don't have instant rebates at the cash register anymore, they can take their rebate and shove it. I'm surprised there aren't class action lawsuits and federal investigation into the management of these rebate programs. As far as hardware returns, there was a guy around here, who eventually worked as a tech for some small clone shops, that would build or upgrade computers for his family, neighbors, etc. I heard he plugged the power connector to a floppy drive on backwards, burned out the drive's electronics, and then took it back to the computer store where he got it, knowing it was his own fault for burning it up, just telling them that it didn't work, to get another, instead of accepting responsibility for his own actions. I heard of another guy pulling a board out of the computer while it was powered up, damaging the motherboard. Selling computer parts to the general public can be a problem. Warranties are for defects in material or workmanship, and are not meant to cover failures caused by negligence or abuse. I even heard of a person that would intentionally damage the heads in his VCR with a screwdriver just before the warranty period was up, just so he could go get another unused unit. These stores that sell computer parts to the general public have to deal with those kind of problems every day. Then, it happens often that a part that is reported bad, isn't really bad at all. Sometimes it's user difficulties instead. And sometimes it's incompatibility issues. I had a Viking modem one time that just would not work in one particular motherboard, but worked perfectly in another motherboard, though other modems would work perfectly in that first motherboard. I've seen many other instances of many pieces of hardware not working when it would work perfectly under other circumstances. I'm so glad I don't mess with computers for home users anymore.