Recent Spadina/College retail experience

[Alex Beamish]

Hi TLUG,

I upgraded my wife's computer from Windows 98 to Windows XP for Christmas,
with the unexpected side effect that the motherboard audio stopped working
(CMI something or other -- it doesn't matter now). After flailing around and
trying to fix it, I decided to visit Spadina/College for a new PCI sound
card card.

I usually patronize Sonnam[1], but their web site suggested that they were
out of stock of the $40 PCI sound card that I wanted, and Hardware Direct[2]
seemed to have a suitable card for $20. So, I love a bargain, and headed to
Hardware Direct.

Well, the place was crowded as they were still dealing with their extended
Boxing Day clearance, so I sidled up to the counter and waited for a staff
person to help me out. While I waited, and waited, and waited, I observed
that three of the four guys behind the counter were spending a lot of time
searching through the counter displays and shelving units for stock that
didn't appear to be there. Lots of stuff, just not what people were asking
for. A customer asked about different payment options, which lead to some
discussion between him and a staff member.

After about fifteen minutes I finally got served (they were busy), and I
asked for a specific sound card (their web site said they had one in stock,
and I had the flyer in front of me) and his response was "I can't find it."
I asked if they were out of stock, and he repeated, "No, it's in stock, I
just can't find it."

Well, I asked, do you have any PCI sound cards that work under Windows XP?
Wordlessly, he handed me a small box containing a sound card. Reading the
fine print, I saw that it was for Windows 95/98/2000/ME. Not Windows XP. I
pointed that out, and he just shrugged. So that was the end of that retail
experience.

Next I went down College and hit A Plus Software[3], spending about five
minutes scouring the walls, looking for any kind of sound card, while one
staff member served a customer and another yakked with what seemed to be
either a friend or a long time customer. There were no sound cards on
display, so I asked the cashier -- at least he couldn't ignore me -- and
found out that they didn't have the inexpensive card I was looking for.

So I ended up back at Sonnam where there were two staff members behind the
counter, both busy with customers. I took a good gander around the store and
finally found the sound cards offered, and pretty soon had a staff member
ask me what I was looking for. I told him and he immediately pulled out a
$15 sound card, with installation CD, and explained the drivers were for
Windows 98/2000/ME, but weren't needed for Windows XP. Plug and Play. I
bought it, got home, plugged it in, set is as the default sound card and it
just worked.

So .. I think the next time I go looking for computer parts, I'm going to go
straight to Sonnam.

Does anyone else have stories about shopping at Spadina/College? Is my
experience unusual?

-- 
Alex Beamish
Toronto, Ontario
aka talexb

1. http://www.sonnam.com/
2. http://www.hardwaredirect.ca/
3. http://www.apluscomputers.ca/
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