Traffic Lights

[HughMoran]

This is my attempt at an allegory based on my “trip to the store” this afternoon. Who knew my trip to the store would have me thinking about many present day political issues such as the healthcare debate (public option), the economy and political choices (expediency versus end result)?

I have been in need of a laptop for my new job at a small company. The economy being the way it is, I have to buy my own work laptop as the company can’t afford to buy me one (you should see the heath insurance rates ($36k/yr family plan) that small companies are offered – yikes!) I had previously decided on a particular model based on research and previous toying around with the different models while shopping. I decided to pick up my new laptop today. I got to Best Buy and planted myself in front of the laptop I was interested in for ½ hour. I made a video using the built-in webcam, started some notoriously slow to load & use programs (like Media Player) & went onto the internet to play a few Youtube videos to ensure that the speakers and video capabilities were up to snuff. It passed my tests and so I decided that all I needed to do was get a salesman’s attention and buy it. I found a floor salesman and he asked me if I needed help. I said “yes” and he proceeded to tell me that there was a ½ hour waiting list to be helped. My bad knees were already hurting from my time there playing with the laptop, so I walked out without buying anything. I guess I’ll have to go back later when it’s not so busy. I'd like to punish them for being so inefficient that they can't even sell a laptop to someone with cash in hand, but I have no other choice if I want to buy this laptop locally - grrr.

I left Best Buy and headed home. As I approached the big intersection where the highway ramp enters the shopping district, I had to make a choice. I usually go straight and take Main St. back to my house. This route involves passing through 6 additional traffic lights, but the 1st light at the big intersection is always quicker going straight as most people are heading back onto the highway and those lanes are almost always backed up with dozens of cars. This time I decided to take the highway home. My reasoning was that even though I may have to wait through 2 light cycles (and the poor planners/cheaters that cut in at the last minute – probably Republicans), in the end it is a quicker, more efficient (no traffic, steady speeds) trip with only 2 additional lights. I made it onto the highway on the 2nd light cycle even with the Republicans cutting me off from the lane that is supposed to go straight. I am home now and it’s snowing – yay! :eyes:

So what did I learn during my trip to the store today?

1) Lack of competition is bad and causes delays (and probably price fixing) – I actually miss Circuit City! A political equivalent is the public option – without it there is no incentive for the insurance companies to reform their evil ways & lower rates.
2) It’s often better to take one’s time planning & perhaps forsake instant gratification for a better long term outcome. Barack Obama is the tortoise, not the hare.
3) The economy may be picking up – laptops, monitors and LCD’s were steadily rolling out the door of the store. Perhaps Kramer is actually correct about Best Buy. :puke: Other stores I stopped by were also very busy.
4) Republicans probably cheat at everything they do :P .
5) Toshiba now makes a decent laptop

[imdjh]

1. If you had to choose: Toshiba, Sony, or HP?

I wouldn't buy any of them for myself, but as your typical Applehole, I would lean towards Sony (Apple, Sony, Nikon, Toyota).

[HughMoran]

2. I had a feeling that mentioning a brand name would be a bad idea

Thanks :P

[HopeHoops]

3. Actually, Toshiba had the first really practical "portable".

The damn things were WAY too heavy to call a "laptop", but they were portable. The screens were a decent size but with really sickly orange characters.

I used an Osborne shortly after it came out. While it was "portable", it was heavy as hell and had a dinky little screen. On top of that, the internals sucked. The floppy drives were mounted such that they put stress on the motherboard. While the one I was on didn't fail because of that, a lot of them did. The problem I had was that the floppy drives kept getting out of whack with respect to speed and tracking. I had to adjust both at times to get it to read floppies that it had written before being transported. It was a royal pain in the ass, especially because the cables were so short that you had to balance the floppies on books while it was "disassembled" if you wanted to use them. Still, it got the job done.

At present, I buy HP. Initially it was because of the mousepad and buttons - they just feel the best to me. I configure them online and have them custom built and shipped (free) and get much more machine than you can get in a retail store. They're selling old stuff. The tech support at HP is awesome, although I've heard horror stories about the same with respect to printers. Dell's tech support has always sucked.

[Glenda]

4. I had the same issue

IN the store on a Monday, and a guy was putting customers on a waiting list. He told me that they were hiring more people, but the training took a while, so new hires were not ready.

I luckily found a guy to help me relatively fast, but he spent a lot of time with me, due to them being unprepared with issues surrounding Windows XP/Vista/7. SO other customers had to wait

Best Buy REALLY REALLY REALLY needs some competition.

[HughMoran]

5. Apparently my post was about Best Buy and Toshiba

Who knew?

:shrug:

[Glenda]

6. i thought your post was about needing competition, like the public option

[HughMoran]

7. yep

I was seeing parallels in my little trip to what is going on politically these past few months.

[DainBramaged]

11. I got it, and I ALWAYS enjoy your posts, you done good

:hug:

[HughMoran]

12. thanks

:hug:

My thoughts are always somewhat subtle and allegorical, not the kind of writing that gets people fired up - oh, well.

[tritsofme]

8. I had a very similar experience at Best Buy about a month ago.

I wanted to buy a new desktop for myself, so I went to Best Buy, where I have bought all of our family's PCs over the past 15 years.

Now, no one has needed a new computer for the past five years or so, and I couldn't believe the difference at the computer department.

There was a twenty minute wait just to be helped, and the inventory was pitiful. While I was "waiting" to be helped, I browsed all the desktops and didn't find a single one that interested me.

I ended up going to Fry's Electronics, there was a much better selection, and I was helped and found what I wanted right away.

[HughMoran]

9. Be nice if Frys was up here

I like that store - visit them whenever I'm on the road.

[HughMoran]

10. .

never mind

[arcadian]

13. If you are buying from Best Buy you ain't buying locally.

[MH1]

14. Hopefully you wrote down the model number so you can now purchase online

OR if you really want to "buy it locally" (so revenue goes into local coffers? That would be the only reason I see), go to bestbuy.com and order it for in-store pickup. Then you can bypass the salesman altogether.

From an environmental perspective it's probably no worse to get it shipped to you than a drive back to the store would be, so that is what I'd probably do. Of course I have Microcenter fairly locally so I rarely have this dilemma and I barely know where the Best Buy is. :)

[Morning Dew]

15. The real lesson here might be

that Obama as Tortoise (rather than hare) is good.

If Obama was a chicken, crossing the road in your town would yield very bad results for him - those cheating Republican drivers would probably run him right over.

:hide:

[HughMoran]

16. Thanks for the chuckle

I appreciate the response that's related to what I was trying to say, not about Best Buy and Toshiba's :yoiks: