What's your favortie store?

by Kurt
17 replies
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If you had a gift certificate for $5000, good at only one store, where would you go?

For me, it's probably Fry's, which is a super-big electronics store that has tons of computer hardware, plus just about every electrical gadget you could ever think of.
  • Profile picture of the author Steven Wagenheim
    I'd go to Sam Ash and buy all the music gear I could buy with the money.

    And then I'd probably die from all the excitement.
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  • Profile picture of the author teleam
    Walmart in hopes of geting more for the money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Patrician
    I would agree Frys - I have a friend that calls me 'Gadget Girl' - I have every kitchen and 'health/vanity' gadget known to man.

    On the contrary I am the last one to get phones and 'home entertainment' and my PCs are usually 'the previous version' until I can't push it any further...

    Other than that, EccoBella - they have the best natural vanilla scented lotions, etc. I have ever found. Or Yves Rochet who makes botanicals including cocoa and vanilla perfumes.

    ...well I could go on but it would be easy to spend $5k in a heartbeat at any of these...
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  • Profile picture of the author seasoned
    Yeah, Fry's is the company that doesn't know how to handle electronics and they tell you OEM ram is cheap because it is JUNK! I have been told this in no less than 3 frys stores. Woodland Hills, Burbank, and another one. The TRUTH is that it is sold for Original Equipment Manufacturers(hence the name), and is cheap because it is sold in BULK.

    As for their warnings? Funny, but I have had problems with NO other place, and some of fry's competitors have even less expensive memory!! Meanwhile, I have known others that have had problems with frys memory!

    Oh well, I DO like the fact that they at least USED to restock used merchandise with big labels(indicating it was a returned item). They got smaller before I stopped shopping there. They were my amazon, before there was an amazon. With amazon, I weight the reviews to decide if something is junk. With fryes, I used those labels and/or the fact that they could touch a part to determine if it was garbage.

    Steve
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    • Profile picture of the author Patrician
      Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

      Yeah, Fry's is the company that doesn't know how to handle electronics and they tell you OEM ram is cheap because it is JUNK! I have been told this in no less than 3 frys stores. Woodland Hills, Burbank, and another one. The TRUTH is that it is sold for Original Equipment Manufacturers(hence the name), and is cheap because it is sold in BULK.

      Steve
      What do you mean here, Steve? Technically OEM is only to be included with hardware - in other words it comes bundled with something. It is really 'quasi' legal if they are selling OEM separately?

      Reminds me of the internet where some companies used to send you some useless circuit board with any OEM software just to stay inside the 'law' on OEM.

      ...but Frys?
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      • Profile picture of the author seasoned
        Originally Posted by Patrician View Post

        What do you mean here, Steve? Technically OEM is only to be included with hardware - in other words it comes bundled with something. It is really 'quasi' legal if they are selling OEM separately?

        Reminds me of the internet where some companies used to send you some useless circuit board with any OEM software just to stay inside the 'law' on OEM.

        ...but Frys?
        Hardware is different. They basically use OEM to mean BULK, or unlabeled. Granted, software is kind of bulk also but software is sold under contract with the understanding that it is to be part of a system. OEM hardware is just sold in bulk and some is actually SOLD to be repackaged, of course, they expect memory to be just installed in a machine.

        I don't know about the "useless circuit board you refer to though SOME sold OEM software with motherboards. Technically, that could probably be considered legit. MOST people buying motherboards buy them to build, or upgrade, systems and last I knew they probably averaged over $100 NAKED!(NO CPU or memory) Of course REALLY cheap ones might be like $60, and expensive ones could be closer to $1000! At tiger direct, on the first page, ONE is JUST under $65, one is just under $380. I don't know how tiger treats OEM software, but they DO have OEM drives at tiger direct. It's interesting that frys doesn't seem to advertise it anymore. Then again, memory today is CHEAP! I just bought 2GB for like $20. And that was memory they would consider name brand.

        I won't even try to weed out a decent company from the 8,230,000 pages google indexed.

        Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author dorim
    Where I live there is only Best Buy for electronics so that is where I'd spend my gift certificate! I would buy a new MacBook, some software I have been wanting, a digital SLR camera and a new fridge and dryer. Maybe I'd have some money left for Christmas gifts!
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    • Profile picture of the author tkalamba
      I could probably spend $5000 in a blink of an eye at bestbuy. I buy alot from there due to convenience, its just down the street from me, and I know alot of the staff there from Highschool. Its just so much easier haha.
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  • Profile picture of the author R Hagel
    Well -- I love buying stuff for my fur kids at pet stores. But I'm thinking $5k is a wee bit much to spend there (unless I start getting the diamond-studded collars!).

    So, I'm thinking someplace like Amazon. I love books and movies. All kinds. Like recently I purchased a 50 DVD pack of old 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's movies and I'm blowing through those. I'd be a happy kid loading up my cart.


    Becky
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  • Profile picture of the author Patrician
    Try Crucial sometime - they are top of the line for memory and their admin is good (returns, how many pins do i need, etc)

    Memory upgrades from Crucial.com - Support


    Yeh - I never heard of OEM hardware - I just know they are not supposed to sell OEM software - and the deal is it is to be bundled with hardware and not sold separately - after all where would Bill be now if we could get Office or Windows OEM for $15 instead of $895 or whatever?

    Not to hijack this thread but interesting they wil have to eat a $300Million fine for pirating someone else's patent to create MS Word.

    Article - WSJ.com
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    • Profile picture of the author barbling
      Amazon and/or eBay.

      I cannot justify to myself spending bunches in retail stores when I KNOW I can find it cheaper online. The thrill of the hunt is enjoyable too.

      Garage sales are also fun.
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by Patrician View Post

      Try Crucial sometime - they are top of the line for memory and their admin is good (returns, how many pins do i need, etc)

      Memory upgrades from Crucial.com - Support


      Yeh - I never heard of OEM hardware - I just know they are not supposed to sell OEM software - and the deal is it is to be bundled with hardware and not sold separately - after all where would Bill be now if we could get Office or Windows OEM for $15 instead of $895 or whatever?

      Not to hijack this thread but interesting they wil have to eat a $300Million fine for pirating someone else's patent to create MS Word.

      Article - WSJ.com
      I didn't even mention it, but the last job I had was at a DEC OEM! The OEMs were what MADE THEM! They originally had EVERYTHING in BROWN boxes and certainly NOT cute boxes. One day, they decided to open up their own shops, and they wanted to shut down OEMs 100%! Well, doing THAT would have bankrupted them overnight, so they decided to close them ALL but the 4 largest. Even the PRINTER RIBBON boxes got cute blue shiny boxes! You know what happened? COSTS SKYROCKETED, distributers got angry, profits FELL!! That was a bit before the alpha. The alpha ALMOST saved them, BARELY, but then they decided to sue intel, and it pushed them oveer the edge.

      The DEC OEMs basically sold almost all of their computers, but it was almost like microsoft in reverse. By selling superminis at a time when micros couldn't compete, they encouraged OEMs to write custom software that made their practically worthless systems(What's a computer without software?) almost vital.

      ANYWAY, the last networked computer I wrote software on there was one I assembled! It had an OEM board, OEM cabinet, OEM CPU, OEM memory, and even the HP drive was OEM. HP, of course, has nice COMMERCIAL boxes like DEC wanted to use. for their tape drives, but the OEM unit is in a plain brown box. When Intel had their pentiums, the RETAIL version came in a cute little box, with a built on fan. The OEM version was BULK, and had no fan.

      Steve
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Rambo
    Guitar Center.... no doubt about it.

    Gary
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  • Profile picture of the author dougman
    Billy Hyde Music
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  • Profile picture of the author derekwong28
    I am much more practical, I would request all the coupons to be used at a supermarket here for food and other basic necessities. I do not have anything in mind that will cost $5000 at the moment.

    Derek
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    Do not get between a wombat and a chocolate biscuit; you will regret it dearly!

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  • Profile picture of the author Kelvin Brown
    B&H Photo Video | Digital Cameras, Camcorders

    So, i could get a pro or prosumer model video camera, and sound and lighting equipment to go with it.
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    Kelvin Brown

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  • Profile picture of the author netalab
    well, i would probably buy those GC's with a lot of health & wellness products for me & my family.
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  • Profile picture of the author haikuangel
    Hmm if i had $5000 to spend in one store then it would definately be at Whole Foods. I would shop for grocieries and would use the money to buy non-perishables. Talk about a box of spam! But seriously Yeap, i would use it for groceries.
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