OK, I admit it. I don’t have one big story to knock your socks off. But there are some good things here. Lots of information and updates to keep you in the loop.
I promised a couple of weeks ago to tell you the story of how I bought my new Windows 8 laptop. To keep it short, here are the facts:
I’ve been looking for a new laptop for a few weeks and had a list of 3 or 4 possibilities. My old laptop was just that…old, 11 years old to be exact! It was heavy and slow, as you would expect for a piece of equipment that old. Believe it or not, one of the most important concerns for me was weight. I wanted something as light as possible for lugging around airports and hotels.
Of course I knew the weight of every laptop on my list, but they were only numbers. I wanted to feel what 4.8 lbs. felt like. So, on Memorial Day I suggested to my son Eric (remember I was in Yuma) that he and I go to the local Best Buy and check out laptops for weight. So we did.
While there I found one that I thought was pretty light and pretty much fit my needs…and it was on sale for 20% off as it was a demo model…and it was $200 less than the other laptops on my list. So, we left the store to think about it.
Later we went back to buy it, but the department manager would not sell it to us saying they had more in the back so he needed the demo. I asked him why it was on the counter for sale at the discounted price. He said it was a mistake. He actually didn’t seem to care very much. But he offered to sell it to me at full price. Yea…sure!
So we left…a little pissed off at being deceived. When I got back to Eric’s home, I did a quick search on my iPad for the computer we saw at Best Buy and couldn’t find it cheaper anywhere else, so I decided give up and keep on looking.
Now this is the interesting part. Within 45 minutes of my on-line search, I get an e-mail from CNET (yes, the tech news company) offering a few items from different companies at bargain prices. The lead item, was of course, the computer I saw at Best Buy. They showed it at $50 off the store price. I mean we are talking about the same exact model.
I click on the link and guess who had it on sale? You got it! Good old Best Buy. I could buy it online and pick it up in an hour at the local store. So, after some thought, I did. And I picked it up in Yuma and waived it in the manager’s face. Of course, he could still care less.
So you don’t think that Google is scanning our searches and e-mails? Of course they are. Its not the first time its happened to me. But, in this case, it worked out for my benefit. Despite having Windows 8, this new laptop works well for me. So that is my story and I’m sticking to it.
Lots of news, views, and information…some of it useful. So let’s get to it. Have a great weekend. -JRC
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