Last Saturday Earl and I went to Best Buy to scout out flat panel TVs. They weren’t hard to scout; they were everywhere. Every model, every size, every style – and they were all turned to the same channel. How do they do that?
It was a most frustrating experience and we left empty-handed. (See Day Eighteen) But because today’s weather was uncooperative, we decided to forego attending the Notre Dame vs. Boston College football game in person and watch it at home instead. This meant there was time to return to Best Buy and attempt to purchase the new TVs.
Earl encouraged me to go alone since asking a myriad of questions, waiting around while one clerks asks another clerk for answers, and then checking every item on the bill has never been his thing. “You’re the detail person,” he said. “You go. I just want big and really clear.”
So off I went, having already had a home consultation and two other Best Buy representatives offer their opinions about what we should purchase. This time I met with Alex, the supervisor in the Home Theatre Department (There’s no such thing as a television department any more.) Alex and I poured over all the recommendations, and then he offered a few of his own. I guess all my previous homework paid off because it really didn’t take very long to reach the final decisions.
And, yet . . . I was at Best Buy for two hours. I said, TWO HOURS!
If I thought deciding what model and what accessories to purchase was harrowing, it was nothing when stacked against the experience of actually paying for them. Alex handed me off to Melissa at this point, claiming she was the one who actually created the order in the computer. I suspect this was only half-true; the other half was that Alex probably had shirked his supervisor duties and needed to assume them again.
Melissa and her computer did not seem to be friends; she had to run the totals more than once for the three computers and the wiring and the headsets I’d settled on. And every time she did, her computer stalled at the question: What country are you in? Wasn’t it obvious?
Then I wanted to discuss installation procedures, rebates I was entitled to, and possible extended warranties. But Melissa’s computer wouldn’t think of it until I had actually put the merchandise on my credit card. This led to a lengthy effort on her part to offer me a no-interest, 36 month loan if I would open a Best Buy credit card. I opted out. The computer wasn’t happy.
Finally, when all was finished, I said to Melissa, “Does it always take this long to buy a television here?” She looked sheepish, as if dreading the answer more than the question.Her eyes flickered as she debated the truth. “Yes,” she finally said. “It’s because we have outdated computers that are really hard to use. They often go down in the middle of a transaction too.” Then she said the ever-popular and always-annoying, “Sorry about that.”
I wasn’t as sorry for myself as I was for the four people waiting in line to meet Melissa and her computer. I hope they all had a lot of time on their hands.
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