BUY from the BIG GUYS

For a long time, I did everything I could to avoid shopping at Best Buy. I especially wanted to support smaller local merchants or anyone but the 800 pound gorilla when I bought electronics and appliances. I bought a TV at Sound Advice and they went out of Business. I bought another at Circuit City...out of business. I got all my kitchen appliances at a local merchant, DeSears, along with their warranties....out of business. When it was time to get a new washer and dryer we bought them from a small local merchant and they delivered floor models with the sale stickers, still on them even though they promised NEW in box items. The dryer had been dropped and was badly dented. We took them back. A month later the company went belly-up. We eventually bought the same items at BestBuy and we got a better price, a better warranty, and probably they will stay in business. I am looking for a new acoustic guitar and guess who sells them at the best price and has them in stock and a sound proof room so you can sit there and try them out? BestBuy. There's a lesson here.

On our way back from Nantucket we stopped in Miami and needed to rent a car. I called Enterprise because they advertise "We'll pick you up." Well they don't exactly do that. They pick you up IF the small local office has a car. If they don't and you have to get a car from the next small local office which can be a mile farther down the road, they don't pick you up. The guy on the phone told me "It's like pizza delivery. We have zones and territories assigned to us for delivery." Well. as I see it, it's more like the Pizza you get in Nantucket. They have a lot of crust, and the whole thing is cheesy, but in the end it runs into your lap and you get burned. On top of that, they wanted $250 drop off fee to leave the car in Sarasota. HERTZ had cars, the rates were the same or lower, I got a free tank of gas, and no drop-off charge.

From now on I am going to try to buy everything from the number ONE company. They are #1 for a reason.