Hi
There are a couple of issues here and I'm not going to particularly add to
the MS debate.
1. online buying v shop buying
2. good advice v poor advice
3. targeting your customer
1. online stores do not have the costs of employing assistants, keeping
lights on, having displays, renting shops or car parks. Obviously they will
be more expensive than online unless they are going to go bust. Shops are
for people who are willing to pay for advice. parking etc. Saying you can
buy online cheaper is about as constructive as walking into a restaurant and
saying the ingredients are cheaper in Tesco's. I would be amazed if you
really expected to get a netbook for a decent price.
2. some shop assistants give poor advice, some give better and this depends
on their training and motives. If PC World make a markup on having a bit of
kit with windows on it, they are a bit dumb to try and get customers to buy
something without windows or to use open source software. Although there is
a moral debate about shop assistants acting in the customer's best interests
here, a business goes bust if it consistently advises people how to do
without it. PC World's job is to make money, not ensure best value for
people who use computers.
3. PC World's intended main customer is not necessarily a person who is an
expert in hardware or software. Those of us who invest in our learning can
save or make money by using it - a PC World customers pays more than they
need because they lack either the time to do research or the awareness that
they could.
What's my conclusion? I am certainly no fan but acknowledge that MS is not
totally stupid to have managed people's knowledge (or lack of it) so
effectively to date. They have managed to be seen as the only real option
for a lot of people's lifetimes! The way us open source fans can help is in
subtly and gently helping people to become aware of the alternatives, and
helping them in small steps. We can waste a lot of time and energy by
pushing against simple business economics of IT suppliers and retailers
unless we take a moment to consider how they operate.
Thanks for reading
Ed
>
> That employee didn't have anything to tell he just slipped away LOL
> I bought my 8 GB pen drive for 13 ? and left the PC world singing " I
> am a PC and I use linux :D "
>
> Disclaimer: PC world might have been doing this for long time . This
> is the first time I ever set foot in a big computer shop . I know that
> I can buy cheap netbooks online but I would like to touch and feel it
> on a shop before buying .
>
> Regards,
> Pavithran
> --
> pavithran sakamuri
> www.pavithran.org
>
>
>
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> End of Hampshire Digest, Vol 34, Issue 6
> ****************************************
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