Yeah it was Manny's when I first moved to New York. Very special vibes indeed. So many autographed photos on the wall. The new one is all shiny and new and everything...I mean it's an OK guitar store but it doesn't have that historical feel like the old location. On the plus side it's right next to B&H Photo Video, which as you probably know is an absolute beast of a store and a Mecca for all things electrical, including a very well stocked audio section. So between that and Sam Ash across the road, you're pretty much covered for musical equipment on that block. The only downside of B&H is that they close for every Jewish Holiday in existence (including all the ones you've never heard of) and as luck would have it I ALWAYS seem to arrive to find it closed when I really need something. Oh and it's closed every Saturday as well. I mean come on guys...I know it's your religion and all...but I need a fricken mic stand!

sharke
Yeah it was Manny's when I first moved to New York. Very special vibes indeed. So many autographed photos on the wall. The new one is all shiny and new and everything...I mean it's an OK guitar store but it doesn't have that historical feel like the old location. On the plus side it's right next to B&H Photo Video, which as you probably know is an absolute beast of a store and a Mecca for all things electrical, including a very well stocked audio section. So between that and Sam Ash across the road, you're pretty much covered for musical equipment on that block. The only downside of B&H is that they close for every Jewish Holiday in existence (including all the ones you've never heard of) and as luck would have it I ALWAYS seem to arrive to find it closed when I really need something. Oh and it's closed every Saturday as well. I mean come on guys...I know it's your religion and all...but I need a fricken mic stand!

LOL - Indeed - I do remember that B&H and the only memory I have of it is that it was systematically closed every time I wanted to go. I never managed to get there, even if it was pretty close. I mean, who else closes at 1 pm on a Friday, out of nowhere?

How many country musicians does it take to change a light bulb?
2, one to change it and the other to sing about how much they liked the old one....
 
 

The Not-So-Best Buy? 

I'm going to call it Worst Return from now on.

I had a similar experience with a return at Best Buy, and usually only go there as a last resort. Almost anything they stock can be purchased cheaper, often even from local retailers. When I stopped in to pick up a SATA cable, I was shocked by the $22 price tag. Two blocks away I bought the same cable from a mom & pop computer store for $4.
 
Part of the problem is that shopping-mall rents are very high. Every inch of shelf space has to generate constant revenue, so their business model depends on stocking only fast-moving items.
 
When my DSL modem was taken out by lightning, I went there to buy a replacement because that's where I'd bought the first one only a few months earlier. However, they no longer carried that model. In fact, they no longer carried any DSL modem that could be operated in bridge mode, which I require. Not only could I not buy the identical item, I couldn't even replace it with different product. An online purchase was my only option.
 
Interestingly, Amazon's original business model was the same. They were only going to sell best-sellers. Then they figured out that their real advantage over traditional bookstores was that they could have unlimited virtual inventory, and the rest is history.
 

How did you purchase a replacement online if your modem was fried?

Karyn
How did you purchase a replacement online if your modem was fried?

Oooo...  Busted!!! 

On somewhat of a side note.....I have a $50 Rewards Card from BB which I was planning on using today (online.... after seeing this thread). However, when I selected the Xbox wireless controller ($47.45) at checkout and tried to use my Rewards Card, it said my card has more money than the item being purchased and I can't use it. What???
 
After calling customer service, they said "you have to buy more than the total value on your Rewards Card for you to be able to use the card".
 
Of course, I told her this is just a scheme to get people to spend money at BB and doesn't make sense from the customers standpoint. She agreed that it would make more sense to have it available to use as a regular gift card where you can use only what you need and save the rest for later, but that's not how the Rewards Card is setup.

I'm trying to remember if Circuit City was any better.