For a year and a half, Lance and i have been cable-less. We weren’t watching TV very much. So after baseball season was over in 2009, we turned it off.
It’s been an interesting experiment. For the most part, we just haven’t missed it. Netflix is the best invention ever, and has kept us entertained when we do have time for television. There are several current shows that we are a season behind on. But we enjoy them just as much as if we’d watched them “live,” and there are no commercials to fast-forward through. It’s been great.
And then, last year, baseball season started. Lance watched games on mlb.com, but it wasn’t the same. For awhile he tried to convince himself it was good enough. But the picture was small, and he missed the baseball network channel, which is all-baseball-all-the-time. So he was motivated to make a change before this year’s baseball season. We’ve also been toying with the idea of getting new TVs. We have an old, heavy non-flat-screen TV. It works fine, but it’s time to move into the 21st century.
And so, in the past week, Lance has done a lot of research on TV service providers, as well as TVs. He called DirecTV and ordered a service plan. He then decided on three (!) TVs he wanted to buy. Monday night, we headed to Best Buy to take a look at the TVs and make a very large purchase – three TVs plus TV stands.
Our general past experience at Best Buy has always been: we walk in wanting to browse, and are usually accosted by annoying service people. Folks, i can figure out how you have alphabetized these Wii games i’m looking at, no i don’t need your help. So we were a little surprised that no one showed any interest in the decently-well-dressed, mid-30s couple that spent 40 minutes scrutinizing TVs. A DirecTV rep tried to help us out, but he couldn’t answer all the questions we had. Meanwhile there was a cluster of blue-shirt-minions in the digital camera section, shooting the breeze.
Not getting any help, we left and ordered the TVs online when we got home. It doesn’t make much sense to me. Are they not paid at least partially on commissions?
Anyway, regardless of the Best Buy experience, it’s still very exciting to be getting the technological upgrades. We’ll have a nice upgrade for our one TV that we currently have, and Lance will get a TV in his office that he’s been wanting and another for his man-cave in the garage.
It’s not all sunshine and roses yet – sometime in the next week we still have to assemble the TV stands.
February 23rd, 2011 1:29 pm
I’m cracking up that you bought 3 TV’s at once!!! LOL!
February 23rd, 2011 9:25 pm
It’s true! Any time you really want help,you have to beg for it. Every other time, they are just annoying when you want to browse.
February 23rd, 2011 10:05 pm
I thought you were cleaning out the garage to actually put cars in? maybe you still are and there’s space for a second man cave in the house (it seems the office is man cave #1). I’m also entertained that you went and bought 3 tv’s. Hope you enjoy them!
February 24th, 2011 9:12 am
I thought we might use the garage as a garage, but now we’re talking about making into more living space. We’re not quite sure what it will be, is the honest answer.
March 6th, 2011 10:22 pm
Over the past year I’ve performed store experience audits for Raleigh-area Best Buy locations. The sales staff is hourly with no commissions, however the DirecTV Reps get a piece for selling their service. They are third-party vendors.
Honestly, the Knightdale staff is the best in the area.