Comments on: HD Guru's tips on getting the best price on a new HDTV

The HD Guru has worked in the consumer electronics business for a long time, and lets consumers in on the best way to get a deal on a new HDTV.

[goodsystms]

I like knowing everything I can about what I'm buying, and I'm willing to make the effort to get the lowest cost for the goods I want.

The point of business is to screw me. I try to return the favor.

ANYTHING that gives me the upper hand is good. I don't go to Vegas and play stupid to please the house. Why would I give a damn about the profit or comfort or expectations of any entity that treats me like a lump to be used?

I've been moved to rage on more than one occasion, being given blatant lies by the 'sophisticated sales staff' at Big Box places. I've listened to them spout all manner of crap, just to convince the rubes to lay down money for nothing.

Once, I heard the schlub pitch the mark a notebook that had '100 gigabytes of RAM'. And he was serious. I tried my best to get that deal... would have given them cash on the spot... and of course it never happened. But the schlub was serious, and had no clue what he'd done wrong. I've wondered if he worked there another hour after I left him and his manager standing next to the wonder computer that they would not sell.

I have no concerns at all for profit margins, or the families of the employees, or whatever silliness is trotted out to guilt me into paying too much. Why would I care if they stay in business? They don't care if *I* go bankrupt, at least as long as they get paid. What do they care about me, aside from my wallet?

[avcat]

Gee whiz, I just got the best price ever. I beat the sales guy and the store manager into submission. Not only did they make the minimum of profit, I really screwed the sales guy. That dummy only made one percent on what I paid for the TV. So what I got a $3000.00 set for only $1700.00. It's not like I care that the sales guy spent about 12 hours with during the course of 3 days. It's not my fault that he chose a profession that only paid him aprox. $1.42 per hour during the time we spent together. I didn't want to do any research myself on the TV. Thats why I needed the sale guy. I know I could have ordered in online, but I don't trust online sales. Screw the sales guy and his family, Better yet lets look at the big picture here. Wait........ I won't talk about companies moving jobs out of this country, CEO's raping employee benifits, (I'm quite sure when you retire or bring a company to it's knees someone will be there to hand you your 250 million severance check.)

wow this could turn ugly................. Hey!! Enjoy your TV

[mattymac03]

working at a big box retailer * circuit city* i have no qualms about price matching websites, as long of course as they are local competitors websites. I'm not gonna match mysimon.com or butterflyphoto.com $600 when they don't have expensises that our stores have to pay. average gross margin in our tv department on tvs 40-52 inches, both lcd and plasma, is anywhere from 12% on 46 sony xbr4 to 42% on the LG 120hz 52 inch that we have in our environment. that isn't set by me as a store, thats set by the company, and yes sometimes it gets ridiculous, but i have no control over that. I will go out of my way to offer you a great deal on a product if your nice and friendly, just like a previous poster said. If your an a**h*** that only cares about buying JUST A TV and doesnt have 3 minutes to listen to me explain WHY YOU NEED AN HD SOURCE TO GET HD PROGRAMMING then i have no intention of going that extra mile for you, because you'll just bring the tv back because the picture sucks..then i have to open box a perfectly good television for no reason and while the person who buys it gets an awesome deal on it, you cost the company money, thus making us charge more for certain services and cutting employee hours..customers like that make me sick. although i had to laugh because today i sold a guy a tv and surround sound and asked if he wanted us to come out and set it up for him, and he said " do you think im too f-in stupid to hook up this sh*t, im not paying some jackass to do something i can do myself." Guess who called back 2 hours later and got pissed when i told him thats why we offer in home setup. most customers are fine and i honestly love my job, but some are just laughable and pathetic..im sure the posters from best buy, sears, costco, frys, and other places like ccity will all agree with me that those people are the worst part of our day

[mattymac03]

working at a big box retailer * circuit city* i have no qualms about price matching websites, as long of course as they are local competitors websites. I'm not gonna match mysimon.com or butterflyphoto.com $600 when they don't have expensises that our stores have to pay. average gross margin in our tv department on tvs 40-52 inches, both lcd and plasma, is anywhere from 12% on 46 sony xbr4 to 42% on the LG 120hz 52 inch that we have in our environment. that isn't set by me as a store, thats set by the company, and yes sometimes it gets ridiculous, but i have no control over that. I will go out of my way to offer you a great deal on a product if your nice and friendly, just like a previous poster said. If your an a**h*** that only cares about buying JUST A TV and doesnt have 3 minutes to listen to me explain WHY YOU NEED AN HD SOURCE TO GET HD PROGRAMMING then i have no intention of going that extra mile for you, because you'll just bring the tv back because the picture sucks..then i have to open box a perfectly good television for no reason and while the person who buys it gets an awesome deal on it, you cost the company money, thus making us charge more for certain services and cutting employee hours..customers like that make me sick.

[mattymac03]

goodsystms
you my friend have a sick twisted sense of reality if you think all big box stores want is to screw you out of a dime..they are there to make a profit. if its to expensive, buy it online..no 1 is twisting your arm to buy it there