[Am-info] Best Buy drops Mac titles?

[Mitch Stone]

--- From a message sent by Steve Cohen on 1/3/00 4:03 AM ---

>> Well, welcome to it. Those of us who have been following Apple and the
>> Macintosh for years have always been mystified by the shabby treatment
>> the products receive in the big retail stores. Almost any long-time Apple
>> customer can relate an experience of being sneered at by some pimply
>> clerk for even asking about a Mac-related product, such as software,
>> cables or a book. I got so that if I didn't find it on my own, I would't
>> ask -- that "why don't you get with the program?" look got pretty old.
>> 
>
>Which brings to mind a pretty funny thought.  Wonder what would happen
>if, just for experimentation, I would go into Best Buy and ask the sales
>clerk what the advantages and disadvantages were of each of the Linux
>distributions they sell.

I've heard quite a few stories about Mac enthusiasts walking into a big 
box store and asking a clerk to show them a computer with a laundry list 
of characteristics that describe only a Mac, and being told that no such 
computer exists. Then they point to the Mac on display, and ask 
innocently, "But doesn't the Mac do all those things?" The clerk tells 
them "No, and I wouldn't recommend the Mac because (fill in the blank.)" 
This sometimes results in a complaint to the manager, which is generally 
a complete waste of time because he or she doesn't care either. Apple is 
partly to blame for the treatment they receive in retail outlets, but the 
mind-set they've faced over the years is pretty depressing.

Try this out with Linux in a Best Buy -- it's a worthwhile experiment. 
Keep your cool, pretend to be a novice, and ask leading questions. Then 
see where they lead you.

Mitch Stone
mstone@vc.net