Please remember the saying "Don't kill the messenger". Remember, it is the corporate powers-that-be sitting in the plush board rooms of Office Depot and the rest of these companies that are putting the pressure on these stores, and their low-paid salespeople, to push these add ons and up-sells, while enriching themselves and their shareholders with mega-milliion salaries.

I work at a major retailer where the commission sales people are hounded on a daily basis about meeting these exteneded warrenty "numbers", and are threatened with their very jobs if they are not. Most of the sales people would be more than happy to just sell good quality merchandise and provide good customer service, and leave it at that. They are FORCED into these types of practices by this kind of piss poor greed management.

For the CEO's of these companies, it's much easier to push the stores to sell all this add-on junk than to actually put thought and effort into selling great merchandising and gaining repeat buyers. It's all about the short-term, and the bottom line.

PLEASE write to the corporate offices about this, don't blame the little guy at the store level trying to pay his bills.

PISSED! The laptop I originally wanted at (suprise) Office Depot was conveniently "out of stock," and I got a slightly pricier HP than the Toshiba I was looking at. Maybe if I'd gotten the Toshiba, I'd still have a laptop. About six months after I got it, it crashed completely, then I spent another month dealing with customer support BS, then I finally got a box to ship it for repairs. They finally admitted that they were "aware that the computers had bad mother boards"--despite everone prior just telling me plug/unplug/hold power key routine. So they fixed it. And by "fix" I mean didn't do much of anything. The only difference was that the computer would actually turn on, but still freeze or scramble at random. It worked for an hour or so, tops, before fritzing, and before I'd even had it a year, it gave it's last gasp. Then probably a year and a half after the original purchase, I got an email from HP telling me that if I still had my original motherboard, it needed to be replaced.

Geer, really? Screw laptop sales people. I'm buying refurbished online from now on.

At the store I worked at, the salespeople made $4 an hour base plus commission. If everyone did as you had suggested, the poor salesman would not be able to feed his family. Do not take out your anger on the salespeople. As someone else said, they are only front line people. They don't decide how they get paid, but must do what they're told, simple as that. You wanna go against a manager's orders in this economy?

Amen! I've seen the phrases "stupid salesman", "corrupt salesman" and similar throughout this thread. It's not the fault, or the idea, of the front-line person. If you really want to have this shit stop, write down the corporate number -- it's usually posted somewhere in the store -- and give them a piece of your mind.

I bought a laptop recently and just missed getting it from Office Depot when it was on sale. Instead I bought it direct from the manufacturer and it cost me $50 more than it would have from OD. I know they buy in bulk so they get better prices than I might, but you've gotta figure they're not making much if they're charging less than the mfr's online store.

Here's a suggestion: Instead of screwing with the lowly salesperson when they tell you it's out of stock, nicely and politely tell them you'll be happy to take a raincheck. And/or that you'll be happy to wait while they check other stores in the area for stock. If you can get a manager to do that, it will free up the salesperson to go make a buck and tie up the manager's time. Win-win in my book. And you may get yourself a laptop, too.

I bet the next thing will be that they won't sell me an office chair because I refuse to take the chair mat and cleaner kit.

I used to be such a huge fan of office depot... *sigh*

@dragonfire81: Slowly but surely, I think consumers are learning how to use the intrawebz. This means that they are taking the time to research and compare laptop/PC models, and they are shopping around online for the best deals. If you find a good deal @ a big box store on the laptop you want, but found all your addons online cheaper, you're just not going to bite on the upsell.
The price differences are hugely apparent when it comes to cables and power conditioners/UPS's.

Why decline a purchase, even a loss, unless they're expecting to get two more future purchases to cover it? I just don't think they're getting that much business. I could see other businesses buying from them, but in all my experience they either do that online, in bulk, or both. What a sorry distribution system if they divert store stock to cover online purchases.

Bizarre!

Audition time, wonder if consumerist's value a different opinon that does not jump on the bashing bandwagon.

I am sickened by the comment the user made about going to the store, wasting the sales associate's time with no intention of buying there, then going home and purchasing it online.

Let me explain to you one thing. At the store I worked at, the salespeople made $4 an hour base plus commission. If everyone did as you had suggested, the poor salesman would not be able to feed his family. Do not take out your anger on the salespeople. As someone else said, they are only front line people. They don't decide how they get paid, but must do what they're told, simple as that. You wanna go against a manager's orders in this economy?

I swear some of the readers on this site are the most non-empathetic people I have ever heard in my life. I don't mind that people shop online, in fact I encourage it. Most people don't understand that if you sell nothing, you make nothing. And no, the salesman does not make much off your $400 laptop that has a store cost of $450.

When you go to the counter after having lead the salesman on (because of your sick games), and tell them that you only want the computer, then laugh when you see the salesman jaw drop, don't have a big =) on your face. You just dropped the guys wage from $10 an hour to $4.

The problem is that the B&M business model is kind of broken, in many cases. That's just reality regardless of how much we might wish it were otherwise, and it needs to be recognized. Local businesses that can provide lots of extra value (whether in service, knowledgeable staff, local repair and support, local products not available elsewhere, etc) may be able to compete successfully with the cheaper online retailers, so they have a viable business model going forward. Small, highly specialized places may be able to compete in this way, especially if they supplement their business by selling online themselves. Perhaps that latter option would be a good thing to look into for your friend with the art business.

Places that don't really provide much of anything (except for higher overhead and hence higher prices) that online retailers don't, deserve to go out of business. I'm thinking especially of big-box retailers that just sell commodity products that I can easily buy on spec without needing to examine them physically (Best Buy, Circuit City (when they still existed), Office Depot, etc). These places don't really offer me anything that shopping online doesn't do better, at least for a larger purchase that I would plan ahead for. They don't have good service, they don't have a knowledgeable staff, they don't focus on things I can't get anywhere else, etc. So their higher prices and overhead are not justified. They don't even give you the warm fuzzies of supporting a local business; they're just another mega-corporation anyway.

America should keep boycotting dishonest stores, until they finally understand it's the customers paying their salaries.

F#!* with the American consumer and you're history. Simple but effective.

Everytime my manager tried to fire me, my sales records shut him up. Highest sales, highest MaxAssurance (same as PPP) sales, best salesperson in All OMX everywhere. Without lying. everyone else did, they good great numbers too..

Point is, there are good salespeople, there were some at CC too, i'm sure. it's the middle management's greedy policies that make it a sour experience for customers as well as salespeople.

All those "out of stock" LAPTOPS run on AC/DC. And it sounds like OFFICE DEPOT has been listening to some AC/DC. More specifically the song DIRTY TRICKS DONE DIRT CHEAP. Shame on all the stores that pull this crapola. I bought my Dell Inspiron 1525 with 3 MBs of RAM at Wal-Mart for a very fair price. I picked Dell because the cooling fan runs much less. Glad I did not fool with other stores like Office Depot. DIRTY TRICKS DONE DIRT CHEAP can also apply (in a good way) to shoppers smart enough to opt out of buying the "extras" at the cash register after monopolizing the corrupt sales clerks time.

So I am in BB, looking at a locked cage with 4 0r 5 Eee PC 1000hd's in it. As I look at the display model, I tell the sales associate I want one. No need to "sell" it to me, I've wanted one for months. So she says "Let me get a manager to get one". Meanwhile, she small-talks me about my leg injury (I was in a wheelchair) and what I will use the netbook for. Do I know how easy that could break? Oh yes I do. Our PPP would protect it for 2 extra years including the battery! B.S. I say no thank you, but I do want a cordless mouse with it.
Guess what? Manager walks up and says "I don't think we have anymore". So, in my medicated state (hey I had a broken ankle and some good pain killers) I blurt out " Bullshit! there's 4 of them right there!" They both looked like they got caught in the back seat of her Dad's car.
Then the best part: She almost wouldn't sell me the damn thing because I wouldn't fill out some form that "is required for every laptop purchase" . Since she had already put the serial number in the space on the form, I tore it in half which really pissed her off.
I asked politely if BB accepted cash, and would that form be necessary if I were buying, say, a TV stand. I assure her I will NEVER bring my product back to BB for any reason ("I'm not letting those idiots touch my shit." Remember those painkillers I was on?)
Finally, she has to get a manager to take it to the register since I won't fill out the form. This results in a 15 minute delay for me so a manager can walk my netbook 10 feet to the register.
As a final F YOU to BB, I stopped at the Loss Prevention podium near the doors and made the guy there watch as I opened it to ensure I was getting my netbook and not some bathroom tiles (THANK YOU CONSUMERIST!!!!!).

manigers like this who push there emploies to this limet should be banned from ever working in retail

People want to pay as little as humanly possible for their computers and decline on the service plans....and then get pissed at the store when their laptop breaks 9 months later and the store won't allow them to exchange it.

I'm sorry but you get what you pay for. If you say no to the service plan the don't expect us to help you. It's an HP or Dell laptop, call them not us.

Can I just buy a PPP? That's all I want, just a PPP. You think they will sell one to me?

If this can be proven, the chain should be forced into liquidation by a court to repay consumers who were screwed over. THAT would teach retailers a lesson.

Office Depot has always been having troubles. I don't expect them to be around in 5 years even if this was not caught.

1. Customer agrees to buy laptop and plan at listed (not updated) price. Result: Employee has cashier manually enter inflated price instead of scanning the UPC and store makes mega-margin on sale.

2. Customer balks or refuses to buy service plan. At this point, salesman offers discount on laptop if customer agrees to buy service plan. Customer agrees. Result: Employee has cashier manually enter inflated price instead of scanning the UPC and store makes mega-margin on sale.

3. Customer refuses to buy service plan. The "disappointed" salesman, "throws-in" a service plan that covers the difference between actual retail price and posted price. Customer feels empowered by defeating the honed sales pitch of the dark-sided salesman. Result: Salesman has cashier manually enter the 'discounted' (actual retail) price instead of scanning the UPC and then adds on service plan to bring sales total up to what the old price tag on the shelf advertises. Store makes mega-margin on sale.

The moral of the story is to make sure you have an idea of the average prices for the laptops on the market you're interested in.

Jiminy, I didn't advise shoppers to take advantage of the knowledgeable customer service at an independent retailer.

I advised shoppers to try out the look and feel of a laptop on their own at a CHAIN OUTLET where there is NO useful customer service as we know it.

Then all we're doing is having a good look at a model that's already on display. Again, I would be happy to buy the laptop right then and there -- and a few years back, I did buy one on the spot at J&R -- provided the store doesn't play pricing games with me like OD or BB.

I asked again when I got to the register, and lo and behold, all the parts I had initially wanted were right there in the cage.

i hope you all realize that it's the managers and supervisors behind all this. Don't fault the line level sales people who have no choice.

What, they think people have never heard of Newegg?

Fanbois......

I say shop for what you want in store, then LEAVE and buy it from an online vendor.

What an excellent idea! I can't think of a better way to drive brick & mortar and/or independent retailers out of business.

A good friend is co-owner of an independent art supply store and deals with this mindset on a regular basis. They spend a lot of money hiring staff who are educated and experienced with the products. Likewise, it's actually a decent retail job that pays a living wage and has health benefits. One of the art magazines they stock recently had a 'how to beat the recession' article and one of the tips was to seek customer service at a local retailer and then shop by price online. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you; they don't stock the magazine anymore.

It's just my opinion, but availing yourself of a store's customer service while specifically intending to make a purchase elsewhere is unethical. Not to mention, it's an unsustainable business transaction. If enough people waste enough of a merchant's time it becomes a real expense. Then, if the business folds everyone is worse off than where they started.

I am not sure about recording without letting them know your recording, the last thing you want to find out is that recording inside the store was illegal, and then get busted for making the video in the first place.

Also if you expect this is happening at a local store, all you probably have to do is call up a local news station and tell them about it, then they will investigate further without you putting yourself at risk.

I like the idea of going to the store, getting the addons and then getting to the register and balking at the total and making up some BS about how you can't afford it due to economic difficulty, but honestly this is all more trouble than its worth. Despite the fact that it would be hilarious to pull the above stunt. I wouldn't even try buying a computer in a retail store because its a pretty big waste of time IMO. I don't purchase computers often so I would prefer to just pay a few bucks more if I had to and get it online.

@milrtime83: Or just buy it online if available. Plus they have lots of free shipping deals all the time for orders over like $50.

Two, If you really want that computer from Office Depot. Tell the rep you want anything he suggests then change your mind at the register. It would take a rep with some serious chutzpah to refuse to sell you the laptop when it is setting right in front of you.

My $0.02

Go in with a friend (or your SO), but enter the store separately. See if they'll sell you the laptop without crap first, when they come back with no stock, beg and plead them to check again *really* thoroughly--you'll wait.

Once you lose out on the deal, the other person asks for the same model a few minute later, but with all sorts of shite accessories. They even say they want TWO of the machines!

Get the machines on camera and I think you might have enough evidence to bust the store for bait and switch. Especially if there's multiple of the machines available to the customer buying junk. Hard to say "Oh, I found a few of the laptops holding up the broken the leg of the bosses desk!" in that case.

*sigh* If only I had the time or actually cared to buy anything in those types of stores. I haven't been in a Future Shop or Best Buy for over a year apart from boxing day, and don't plan to go again (apart from sleeping outside on boxing eve again!)

This is a potential bait and switch: Advertise low priced product, customer comes in to get it and its not available. Offer something else.

Bait and switch is a fraudulent retail practice. It is not specific to online shopping in anyway, and it's older than your grandma.

So, do what HurtsSoGood suggested, just a little differently.

Go in with the intention to buy none of the crap. Select a laptop you don't want that's reasonably similar (They might want to move the $3,000 laptop at any "cost", but the $500 special you saw maybe not so). See if it's "in stock". If the answer is yes, change your mind and get the one you like. If the answer is no, again, change your mind but start with the bullshitting.

Making them check stock twice is not unreasonable behaviour.

@jake7294:

Yep.

And next week the complaint will be about an online company and the response will direct the OP to Office Depot for an instore purchase.

This of course only applies to warranties you buy in the store, I have heard purchasing an extended warranty directly from the manufacturer of your product is a different story.

Of course you could do that at OD and then buy online but my personal feeling is its sleazy to visit a bm store and not buy there or at least their online store.

@jake7294: Or "My opinion is superior to your opinion. I'm going to call you an idiot so that others think more of my opinion."

I've been getting a lot of that action lately.

Now I guess I gotta go into a store and use the computers to "check out" the browsing capabilities and happen to leave this page up on the screen. I do this every visit to BB on their most prominent computers about their most recent customer service foible. HAHA

Laws like "bait and switch," "unfair competition," and other "regulations" are often pushed to the limit (and beyond) by businesses - ESPECIALLY bigger businesses. Now that they've effectively killed off most regulatory oversight (and nearly all the mom and pop businesses), big box stores are taking the next logical step and running wild like a cancer. It will eventually kill off more and more stores and jobs leaving a few "winners" with little to no competition.

Short term thinking can and will eventually be gamed to the detriment of everyone's long term interest. Office Depot used to be a fairly decent place, this indicates to me they must be in bad shape and going for broke.

1. Say yes to the add-ons.
2. Verify they have it in stock - request to make sure you look at the box to examine "the description and technical specs," "that it wasn't tampered with" or any other convincing reason.
3. Ring up at the register, look at the total, freak out or show concern (not difficult to do in this economy), remove all the add-ons, then hand them your credit card and complete the sale.

If companies want to play dirty, let them eat dirt.

While I definitely believe others have had bad interactions, I can say that I'm a loyal OD customer for both office supplies and computers. Too bad everyone doesn't have the positive interactions I've had. And, since I'm a Consumerist reader, I'm pretty strict on how I rate my experiences with stores. Of course, I'll be vigilant on my return trips, but then again, I always am.

What disgusting policy.

I suggest going to an OD or BB and getting a feel for the keyboard and screen of the laptop you're interested in, and then -- as others have suggested -- shop for your choice online at j&r, b&h, amazon, or some other reputable seller.

I simply will not do business with a company that plays games like OD. If they game me in this way, why would I trust them to be there for me when God forbid I might need support or service?

As Daffy Duck might have said, their sales practices are "dethpicable"!

@philmin: Yet that's pretty much how it works everywhere. The margin on consumer electronics is razor thin. It's accessories where they make their money. And quite frankly, I doubt it'll change anytime soon. Unless all the stores sort of collude to raise prices, no one's going to suddenly jack their price by 10% unless some other factor will drive people to buy from them rather than their lower cost competators.

Unless they throw all the crap on in the backroom before producing the laptop, and tell you it's the last one when you try to back out. But, worst case scenario: you leave without paying anything.

Nevertheless, +1

Then again, I really don't get why anyone would buy a laptop in a retail store, for the most part. Online you get better service, much wider selection, more customization, lower prices, newer models, and you don't get harassed to buy scammy "warranty upgrades" and such. If this is the business model stores are relying on for the future, they deserve to go out of business. There are only so many idiots and people who need immediate gratification for them to prey upon.

Just looking at my local Office Depot shelf arrangement (or lack thereof) skills tells me that I'm not sure I even want to buy paper from them anymore.

In reality, you get this kind of BS where employees and store-managers learn to game the system. Everyone loses in this case. The store actually ends up with less sales and unsatisfied customers.

Isn't this what those camera and electronics stores in NYC do so notoriously? I was visiting one time and ran up on a good deal on a camera ($600 for something that normally ran $2000). The guy went to the back, brought a box out and put it on the counter behind them. Started trying to sell me memory cards and extra batteries and such at about 500% of retail. I said no thanks and all of a sudden that camera wasn't for me, it was for another customer. I asked to see a manager and was told to get the fuck out. Since learned thats the way they do business.

The upsell simply isn't viable these days, almost every computer shopper knows about it, and will resist it to the end. I would even argue the vast majority of consumers these days are savvy to the upsell, and will resist it for many items. There have been many news stories, newspaper articles, and hundreds of articles on the internet written about avoiding the upsell and not buying the extended warranty.

What do these people do then, they go online and buy the laptop so they don't have to deal with retail stores, and then they never return back to the store because all purchases after that are then made online. I don't see how this is helping the store's business any.

"Yes, lie to them so they don't screw you by lying to you. It's like we're shopping at street markets all of a sudden."

So, companies can implement and practice any type of deceptive techniques to make a sale from a consumer who is not informed or misinformed and this is okay?

The consumer is not allowed to participate by using the same type of technique on the seller to negotiate a better exchange of value for him/herself?

Most business transactions are "gamed" to favor the seller not the buyer. I see nothing wrong for the buyer to use the same strategies or tactics on the seller that the seller is willing to use on the buyer. If the seller established the rules, they should not be shocked or surprised or upset when the lamb being fleeced objects to the method of fleecing.

Chris hit the nail on the head with the salespeople trying to game the system but this gaming of the system carries risks with it also. If the salesperson were to pull this stunt with the laptop and then suggest another (higher priced or lower feature) laptop that they did have in stock, it would be casebook bait-and-switch.

A customer could also call the salesperson's bluff by ordering online with in-store pickup (I'd do it right there in the store) and watch them dance their way out of that.

A smart Regional Manager will see through this charade anyway - the higher attach rate will come at a severe decrease in volume. Since the actual point of the ad is to get you in the door and returning as a more profitable customer, this store is negating the value of their expensive ads and exchanging short term profits for their longterm profitability and viability... a fool's move.

I absolutely hate upsells, and I buy very little stuff where accessories and extended warranties are mandatory. I am not buying things that I don't need and wasting more of my money just to satisfy the "numbers" of some company.

It will never be a smart business practice to sell computers at 1% margin then assume you can make a profit by selling useless crap along with it. Same goes with TV sales. Im looking at you, circuit city and best buy.

Wait... Circuit who?

One way to get around this, yank the shabby salespersons chain and make them salivate telling them you will buy everything they suggest, including the $29.00 moist towelettes to clean the LCD screen.

When they bring everything out, say you changed your mind but you will just take the laptop.

I say shop for what you want in store, then LEAVE and buy it from an online vendor.

I've purchased notebook PCs from Fry's, Newegg (twice) J&R and Amazon with no regrets.

This should be the only recommendation...

I've worked for several companies where the Store Managers and District Managers live and die by their add-on/upsell numbers.

I've noticed lately at the store where I work that customers are more resistant to upsells lately, could this be because the economy is in the tank and folks don't have a lot of money to be spending? Hmmm...

This policy/practice maybe unethical and perhaps illegal, but personally if I were buying a computer, Office Depot would be way at the bottom of my list and I felt this way before ever seeing this post.

It will never be a smart business practice to sell computers at 1% margin then assume you can make a profit by selling useless crap along with it. Same goes with TV sales. Im looking at you, circuit city and best buy.