How many of you still consider physical retail shops for electronics?

mightymuffy

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My youngest lads phones....ohh that bastard can rip through them once every 3 months, with the best protectors at that.... so he gets his phones 2nd hand, and I'm only gonna trust retail there to be honest. Everything else though, online all the way! I have Prime, wouldn't be able live without it :lol:, and for the bigger items it's either Argos or Currys, depending of course on which is selling it cheaper..;)
 

FAST6191

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I do occasionally use Argos, however I will have checked it out online first, made sure it is in stock (I tried their online ordering once and my brother gets spam messages on his phone for my fake name to this day) and go not very far to the various ones in town to pick it up. No walking, no fiddling, no customer service thinking they actually know something and trying to sell me anything. It is practically like online shopping. They also seem to sell SD cards at reasonable prices which is nice.

On second hand then a lot of my stuff is as well. That said most of that is car boot sales, charity shops and similar so I get it for next to nothing and know I have usually got something to fix.

For white goods (fridges, freezers, washing machines...) they tend to tell me the dimensions of them should I be space constrained. Fitted kitchens and washing rooms are popular things to have once, after that people seem more reluctant, or they are insane and insist on remodelling the kitchen every 3 years.
 

Armadillo

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Unless it's cheaper in store for some reason or same price and I want it right now, then always online.

I would consider in store more often even if it was more expensive, if I could get actual advice etc, but you can't. Ask anything more than what's printed on the box and get a blank stare, so no point at all to buy in store.
 

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None of the locally available online stores are as fast, cheap or as customer-friendly as, say, Amazon Prime, so I buy most electronics in physical stores. "Shipping and handling" costs eat up the price difference (and then some) with online stores. And returns and repairs via mail are a bitch, and physical stores here have return/replace store warranties on top of the manufacturer's warranty so that's a plus.
For electronics and small appliances we have a few "hybrid" online stores, that let you order and pay online, and then you pick the items up yourself at their local warehouse/distribution center. Those are by far the cheapest. I buy memory cards there.
 
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duwen

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Can't lie - 99% of my electrical goods are purchased online these days... but I still occasionally venture into the shops just to check out items in person before committing to an online purchase.
Very occasionally I'll consider buying from a local store (non chain/franchise) if they're offering a competitive deal, as it helps maintain the local economy.
 
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Saiyan Lusitano

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I prefer retailers if anything as anytime i buy shit online it "gets lost" so whatever. Plus i womt have to pay extra for shipping and i dont have to wait days to weeks for what i wamt ill just go pick it up within the hour ^~^
Scummy sellers. If I sell and I do (on eBay/Amazon) I always send it tracked to the customer so we're both safe.

It's the seller's responsibility to make sure the product gets delivered with a trusted shipping company (and service).
 

BEACHBUM

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I like buying them at retail stores, so when I have the money and can buy it I don't have to wait what feels like an eternity to receive it. Also I usually like picking up a few games with it that if I had bought online it could possibly come a week or more later than the console.
 
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Chary

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Yes, one word: Microcenter.

They undercut the competition, and price match to Amazon as well, in the rare instances that they don't. Constant sale promos put their product prices below Amazon, even if you include being taxed in a physical store, and Amazon not doing that.

But those are small stores scattered sparsely across the country. If you mean big stores like Best Buy or Target or what have you, no way. Maybe I'd go to window shop and see the new products on display, but I wouldn't dare buy from those places.
 
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Depends. If I'm familiar with the product I'm buying then I'll go online. If I want to see it on display first then I'll head to a physical store.
 

Ritsuki

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I prefer retail shops over online ones because I like to feel the product before buying it. Unless it's games or computer parts I'll always prefer the retail shop (except if it's way cheaper on the net and I'm patient enough to wait for shipping)
 
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I buy my cables in a retail store near my house. Because when I need cables, I need them NOW. this includes of course all chargers and stuff... the price even if is higher; isnt really high. So I dont care. Also I know where to go when the shits broken. I hate sending stuff over mail to costumer service... also our postal system is pretty broken so something that arrives to the country may take several months to come to my home... also the import taxes are pretty high and unavoidable... when buying something pricy it may come broken because the post office dont take care about moving things slowly and they blame the sender for sending something broken. I do sometimes buy things online when I have lots of time and dont need it now AND when its cheap. Like my 128gb micro sdxc i bought for my switch.... I even asked my friend's uncle to deliver my switch as it will come safer and faster then from internet...
 

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