Physical shops are awesome

[IAmAndre]

Hi,

 

Last week I bought an Xbox One controller in a physical shop, and it was the first time in like a year. I'm really rediscovering this and I really like the experience. I mean you may not find the exact same item you are looking for, but you can always find cool stuff that you didn't even know about, and the fact that you can just grab your shit and go home with it is something I had forgotten. It's okay to buy a particular tee-shirt or some tools on iFixit or Dbrand, but when you are saving money for a phone, a laptop or anything you really want, I think having to wait a few weeks for it to arrive (hoping that your package won't get lost) can be annoying. Oh and when you are buying shoes or clothes, being able to try them first is a big deal.

So yeah, last week I realized that physical shops are not dead and I think I'll probably reduce my usage of e-commerce websites. So what's your opinion about this ?

[NavyCuda]

Around here, brick and mortar shops rarely have stock of anything so I end up ordering online to get what I want.

[done12many2]

 

Micro Center!!

[Herman Mcpootis]

Always loved to actually touch the boxes of them gtx 1080s before buying them... oh wait, i'm not that rich

[Marine_Boy]

1 minute ago, herman mcpootis said:

Always loved to actually touch the boxes of them gtx 1080s before buying them... oh wait, i'm not that rich

I checked your post as funny... 'cuz it is funny and it is not funny at the same time and as there is no "Not funny" button I decided to stay with it... What I want to say is - I know that feel bro...  

[done12many2]

12 minutes ago, herman mcpootis said:

Always loved to actually touch the boxes of them gtx 1080s before buying them... oh wait, i'm not that rich

 

I've touched a lot of boxes.    

 

1080 boxes are nice too.  

 

The best thing about Micro Center, besides the "retail" experience, is their return policy.  If you don't like it, take it back.  No questions asked.

[minibois]

Yeah, they are pretty awesome. They often don't have a lot, but it's just great seeing stuff on display and being able to try out stuff. Having a talk with some of the employees is fun too.

Oh and many of the cities where I live have thrift stores too, so it's fun to visit those too  Thrift stores are just not a thing that would work the same online.

[ARikozuM]

14 minutes ago, IAmAndre said:

-snip-

I'm currently trying to open up a tech store here in Palmetto after going to Best Buy for an emergency build and not finding what I needed. I'm forced to drive 5 hours to Georgia. Not that I'm complaining since there's a lot to do there.

[IAmAndre]

Also, the prices might be higher but I understand they have more charges, and still, not having to wait for the package to arrive, being able to try things, and having a conversation in real time with people in front of you (whether they are sellers or other customers) is a big deal.

[wunic]

Closing an eye on stock disposability, that can be a real nightmare is some store, I had terrible issue with warranty service managed by some store ; one time I bought a phone; I bought it in a store because I preferred to try it directly . Long story short, I hold that phone in my hand, after purchase it , only about 1 month in 7 months of replacing and so on managed by the slow store! After that time, I got a refund that I could spend only in their specific store. It was a rare and terrible experience, I know, but it is enought for me to avoid physical store, unles there are particular stock of products or deals

[done12many2]

26 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

I'm currently trying to open up a tech store here in Palmetto after going to Best Buy for an emergency build and not finding what I needed. I'm forced to drive 5 hours to Georgia. Not that I'm complaining since there's a lot to do there.

 

Can't you just drive to Performance PCs in Palm Bay, FL?

[ARikozuM]

3 minutes ago, done12many2 said:

 

Can't you just drive to Performance PCs in Palm Bay, FL?

I didn't know they existed. I went to Micro Center in Paterson, NJ and after moving down 3 years ago, I just checked for another Micro Center which is GA. Thanks for telling me about it though. Do you know what the atmosphere is like? Like how some Micro Centers have cafes to eat or drink coffee.

[done12many2]

10 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

I didn't know they existed. I went to Micro Center in Paterson, NJ and after moving down 3 years ago, I just checked for another Micro Center which is GA. Thanks for telling me about it though. Do you know what the atmosphere is like? Like how some Micro Centers have cafes to eat or drink coffee.

 

I can't tell you about atmosphere as I'm in Virginia, but I can tell you that I order a shit load of water cooling parts regularly from these guys/gals and they are great.  Returns have been processed fast.  They actually return calls and are willing to have the shipping department call you if you need updates.

 

I originally thought they only handled online orders, but after seeing your post, I checked out their website and they do indeed have a store front.

 

I don't think they sell much in the area of actual components, but cases, cooling and just about everything else you need should be there.  They have all the stuff that I can't buy locally at Micro Center.

[ARikozuM]

1 minute ago, done12many2 said:

 

I can't tell you about atmosphere as I'm in Virginia, but I can tell you that I order a shit load of water cooling parts regularly from these guys/gals and they are great.  Returns have been processed fast.  They actually return calls and are willing to have the shipping department call you if you need updates.

 

I originally thought they only handled online orders, but after seeing your post, I checked out their website and they do indeed have a store front.

 

I don't think they sell much in the area of actual components, but cases, cooling and just about everything else you need should be there.  They have all the stuff that I can't buy locally at Micro Center.

Thanks, I guess I'll visit them soon to find out. I wouldn't mind trying out some water cooling.

[done12many2]

13 minutes ago, ARikozuM said:

Thanks, I guess I'll visit them soon to find out. I wouldn't mind trying out some water cooling.

 

You're welcome.  Let me know how they are in person.  Good luck.

[kaiju_wars]

I've been in Microcenter once, and my grandfather had to almost physically drag me out.  We have like four computer stores in my area.  (Only two really carry modern hardware, and not crap R7 240s and GT 730, but the big boy stuff).  I love looking in them regardless.

[NinjaJc01]

6 minutes ago, kaiju_wars said:

I've been in Microcenter once, and my grandfather had to almost physically drag me out.  We have like four computer stores in my area.  (Only two really carry modern hardware, and not crap R7 240s and GT 730, but the big boy stuff).  I love looking in them regardless.

The UK is really awful for physical stores. The only PSUs any shops nearby carry are the old CXs and their GPUs are really overpriced.

[NumLock21]

Best part for buying at a retail store is you can exchange or get a refund right away, within the time limit noted on the receipt. No need to send it back and pay for shipping.

[BingoFishy]

Woot woot Micro Center

[Rune]

2 minutes ago, BingoFishy said:

Woot woot Micro Center

1 hour ago, done12many2 said:

Micro Center!!

Thank you

[IAmAndre]

I personally buy sensitive stuff online such as motherboards or GPUs since you usually want to have that particular model from that particular manufacturer. But if you're buying a phone or a gaming console I think retail stores are definitely the way to go.

[kaiju_wars]

41 minutes ago, NinjaJc01 said:

The UK is really awful for physical stores. The only PSUs any shops nearby carry are the old CXs and their GPUs are really overpriced.

It's like that in many of the places in the US also.  It can get freaking ridiculous.  Cool part is, where I work, we sell CPUs, GPUs, Cases, PSUs, RAM, Storage, freaking RAID cards and sound cards, anything you can think of.  Even laptops, all the way down from an Asus ChromeBook to MacBook Pros and Freaking those awesome Predator gaming laptops. All of it is competitively priced also!

[ThinkWithPortals]

52 minutes ago, NinjaJc01 said:

The UK is really awful for physical stores. The only PSUs any shops nearby carry are the old CXs and their GPUs are really overpriced.

Maplin seem to have expanded their PSU range recently. I've seen Corsair RMx and RMi units there. Still horribly overpriced, mind you, but it's a start.

[c8h10o2n4]

Hm, stuff taking weeks or getting lost? Do you live on Mars?

Well jokes aside, with online delivery never taking more than 48h and the oh so wonderful lack of any human beings in the entire process i have to ever talk to is just too good for me to go to any shop. So to me personally, I really enjoy every new order like a new wonderful experience 8)

[done12many2]

Just now, Abyssal Radon said:

Brick and mortar shops are Best Buy for me. Which I only go to if I need something immediately, like a charger or cable. Otherwise, not so much, I prefer Amazon and Newegg for my tech shopping needs. There is a Microcenter about a 1 1/2 hour drive from my place and I have never gone there. Plus, Best Buy is kinda a but when it comes to prices so I tend to stay away from Best Buy if I can.

 

I don't think Best Buy is going to be around much longer.  They've deteriorated badly over the years.  Make that 1 1/2 hour drive sometime just to check out Micro Center.  I'm sure you'll enjoy the visit.