*slips on his old man hat*
Dear local and franchise computer stores in my area:
Go fuck yourselves.
There was a time, once, where when I would visit you, you'd have something. May not have been the best selection, but at least there was one.
What the fuck are you today? Best Buy is now a Phone, Tablet and TV store. Oh, they carry a couple PC parts. From exactly two manufacturers. All I wanted was a simple, light, usb keyboard.
What am I offered?
Overpriced wireless media keyboard/mouse combos, targeted at people who don't know shit about computers. Oh, and one by Dynex, the exact same company who made the keyboard I just broke. The keyboard I bought a few ago after, again, being frustrated at being able to find a good one. The one offered was also a keyboard/mouse combo. Ah well, I say, Best Buy stopped being a place for PC builders to buy from years ago. Surely one of my local computer shops still carries something.
Wrong. They carry 1 brand, of a generic, no name manufacturer also selling wireless keyboard/mouse combos. I didn't even bother with the other place, they don't even carrry merchandise. I'm pretty sure DTI closed their doors years ago and only operates a warehouse that doesn't do walkins. They're all eerily arranged the same too; lots of open space dominated by tables with monitors and price tags next to them. Nothing racked. Nothing hanging, nothing displayed.
These places literally exist to prey on the weak and stupid these days. They're there to overcharge elderly people for "fixing their computers" and to build them overpriced systems, with cheap hardware, bought at the lowest possible price, and sold for 175% profit. Or they're there just as a physical space for the new ****ing iPhone to be sold.
Meanwhile, I go online to find a keyboard and it's the exact opposite problem. Tons of seriously expensive mechanical keyboards, with HUDs, light up displays, 2x the amount of buttons as a standard QWERTY keyboard because you need hot buttons to, for example, instantly put your computer to sleep, probably while you're doing something important. Not even Newegg specs out the two things I care most about: weight and cord length. I'm about ready to buy one from the only manufacturer who bothered to put that info on the product page.
This is what I get, apparently, for just not buying the cheapest, shittiest $20 USB keyboard I could find. Searching for something that actually deserves my money only shows me how much stuff out there isn't, how completely fucking feckless any place billing itself as a computer store is these days, and how bloated and expensive everything supposedly targeted at "enthusiasts" is online.
I'd seriously knife a BB employee today if a Fry's would open up in my town. No idea if Fry's is as big a piece of shit as every other computer chain now. But the last time I was there, a decade ago, it was magical. Racks and racks of hardware, all there for your perusal and discerning selection. No fucking jerk off 16 year old trying to lie to you about what he thinks he knows about computers. No egregious use of floor space, where 75% of the floor is given over to giant tablet, phone and laptop displays. At this point, I'm probably going find a better selection at Staples or Office Max. Hell, that's where I had to go to find a copy of Windows 7, because Best Buy sure as shit doesn't carry it!
I mean, I get it. No one can make money on PC hardware anymore out of a brick and mortar store. But why even fucking bother then. Get out of the goddamn game entirely. Don't lie to me with your marketing saying "If you need it, we got it!" because I know that's bullshit. I actually bought memory at Best Buy, once. I know what a phrase like that should translate to. But BB stopped selling that level of hardware a decade ago. And now I can't even try to buy a keyboard without wanting to set the fucking building on fire. If Brick & Mortar wants to know why online has gotten all my business, it's because of fucking days like this.
Now back to the internet, the only place the supposed PC "master race" can shop, to overpay for some feature-bloated keyboard. Screw it, maybe spending money like I care isn't actually worth it when it comes to something as basic as a peripheral.