OTHER TECH

When news hit that one of the country's biggest electronics retailers was finally giving up the ghost, visions of discounted TVs and speakers bought for pennies on the dollar flashed through the collective consciousness of a people who, as of late, have largely been too broke to quench their thirst for the new hotness. Unfortunately, soon after arriving at the shrine to the extended service plan, they found that most things weren't very cheap at all. Sure, there were some slight discounts to be had, but they came at a price. A price you, as a smart electronics junkie, should avoid paying at all costs.

1. Nothing is that cheap: Liquidators are a tricky breed. As soon as the liquidation went into effect, just about everything in the store was reverted to its original price. All sales were stopped and things got a lot more expensive before being subjected to a standardized percentage discount. That copy of Lemmings for the PSP would have cost you $30 plus tax last week. Drop by today and it will cost you about $32 after the 20% discount. The same principle applies to countless other products across the store. The Garmin Nuvi 205 will run you $180 after the discount, but less than $140 on Amazon with free shipping.

2. All sales are very, very final: So, you couldn't resist the call of the Nuvi's cute little touch screen and you bought it anyways. You get to your car hoping to enjoy the novelty of letting it guide you home on roads you've driven a thousand times. You open it, only to find that the power cord is missing. What recourse do you have? You can bring it back inside where they will essentially say, "no backsies." Or, you can buy a new cord from Amazon, where you should've gone in the first place.

3. The employees have stopped caring: Employees at big box electronics stores aren't renowned for their vast knowledge base or unquenchable need to make their customers happy. Hand them a memo announcing that they would soon be jobless in one of the worst economic crap storms this country has ever seen and you have a workforce of people who are more likely to stand around in groups laughing between shorts bursts of handing out questionable information. But no one looked sadder than the lone Fire Dog tech I saw standing around. His demeanor was so pathetic, I couldn't bring myself to even grab his photo. The only thing that could have made it more appropriate is if he were actually in the act of filling out a Geek Squad application.