I feel sad that the OP is not willing to acknowledge there is an incurred cost to the local store when they share their time and expertise. He places no value on this so is not willing to pay a slightly elevated price following proper negotiation for new products. Is the cost going to be the same as the lowest online? No! Did the online seller offer their time and expertise or only act as a shipping depot for a box they handled for a short time. So we steal the audition time and store’s expertise and reward the online package handler. In addition then he expects warranty service and setup advice from a company who he has already obsconded with the unrenumerated value of their time and targeted marketing dollars. I fail to see how people think this is a good and proper scenario.
Could I be a Retail Wretch?
I started a discussion here this morning to get some feedback on whether an external DAC would make an appreciable improvement over an internal processor’s DAC. During the discussion, I said that I typically visit a local audio dealer, to experience the equipment and then, comparison shop to find the best deal. The particular dealer I was referring to, emails me weekly, sends postcards monthly and catalogs quarterly. It’s always with an invitation to “see and hear the difference”. So I visit, and occasionally buy some small ticket items. But, when it comes to spending thousands on nationally available equipment, I don’t feel any obligation to limit my shopping to that one location.
When I shared my buying habits with the forum, I received responses that said using any brick and mortar stores to demo and then buying elsewhere “cuzz” it’s cheaper is just plain wrong…
I was surprised at that statement. I’m a value oriented person. I enjoy quality items. But I search for them at the best price - is that wrong? If there’s no competitive pricing or added value, why should I feel obligated?