Consumer Value & Smart Shopping

Some guy on a forum I go to said this:

once again, people fail to realize mobile graphics cards are MUCH weaker than desktop graphics cards of the same model number...

I responded with (there are some geek references but you'll get the point):

It's all relative. if you're comparing mobile graphics to desktop graphics, then ya, the 9600m is crap. if you're comparing the 9600m to most integrated laptop solutions like the 4500hmd or the Radeon 3200, then yeah the 9600m is appealing (especially at $585).

It's like comparing apples to oranges, it's like saying you wear clothes for it's function alone. Mobile graphics categorization does not equal desktop graphics categorization, duh. Laptops with discrete chipsets aren't just for gaming, it's a compromise of portability and power. Everyone has their needs, whether it be mobility, space constraints, style, functions, etc... And saying that the 9600m "is actually a very weak card" and that "people fail to realize" it, are very ignorant assumptions.

What you guys "fail to realize" is that you're enveloped in the marketing ploy set forth by these genius marketing campaigns that cause you to focus only on the speed and power of computing these days, that you've become critical of those not meant to be the fastest and most powerful. You don't see the computer as a whole, only what they want you to see.

It's the same thing with anything else we buy. Wake up.

But really, we all need to wake up as consumers and do some Smart Shopping. It's not about jumping on the newest sale or always using a coupon, it's about the value in what you are getting.

We buy to fulfill a need, whether it's "to be cool with my ipod, because everyone else has one", "to buy a netbook to lighten my luggage when I travel", or to "replace my 10 year old computer". Let me tell you what consumer value really is, it's:

1. Timing. Buying what you need, when you really need it.
2. Research. Knowing exactly what you need and what you don't.
3. Perseverance. We are all different! What works for some, won't work for others. Know what you need first, and then take into consideration what other people say, but don't let those smooth talking salesmen/woman, or even a cheap price, fool you!
4. Price gauging. To really understand a good monetary "value", you'll have to watch market trends in any industry. In fashion: what's in style for the season is what is going to be higher priced, and last seasons leftovers are what's on sale. It's the same thing with technology. Although the trends aren't easily marked from season to season, you can read about the up-and-coming technologies and then see the other side of the spectrum, what products are on constantly on sale (which usually marks the end-of-life of a product).

Apply this knowledge to any item you buy, and that should be a good start for smart shopping. I think 2) and 4) go hand in hand, but for the most part, I organized these aspects by level of importance, to me. Remember, everyone is different, so feel free to change or even construct your own ideology and criteria for smart shopping. It's just important that you have something to buy by.


A reflection of my perspective of smart shopping

Please view my previous, relevant postings about smart shopping (it seems that I talk about this subject a lot. I think I'm just tired of repeating myself to those who I help shop for):
Bargain Online Christmas (actually anytime) Shopping
Mechanics of buying for the future (and now)
DVDs & Blu-Rays: who needs em?

It seems that I was pretty adamant back then on my shopping ways, but I have grown. I respect other peoples values now (haha, I'm such a jerk). If you can afford the luxury of a high-priced Blu-Ray collection, by all means! I'm just the kind of guy who knows what he wants and has the patience to wait for it.

My friend Jeanne, asked me in 2002, "You're into electronics. Out of all people, you should have an Ipod!" I told her, "I'm going to wait. There will be a time, very soon, when they'll have a device where it'll be your camera, your phone, your mp3 player, and web browser." I knew exactly what I wanted. Then the 1st generation iPhone came out... but it was a touch screen (I'm a clutz) and it used iTunes to manage it's music (which was very anti-pirate/secure at the time). So I waited some more, until the Blackberry Curve came out, and I was in love! My criteria for my next mobile device:

• Mp3 player
• GPS
• Web Browser/IM
• Phone
• Integrated into a car console to replace the radio.

C'mon iPhone, I'm willing to give you a chance if you're the first on this bandwagon.

Mechanics of buying for the future (and now)

Being the "go to" person when anyone I know wants to buy a new gadget, I am always asked, "When is a good time to buy a laptop?" or camera, or cell phone. Or, "What kind of features do I need?" The answer is simple:

"You buy electronics when you really need electronics, and you get the features (or services) you will actually use now or in the near future."

I know the concept is so simple, but many of you still don't seem to grasp it. You are easily swayed by the newest cell phone, with an abundance of features (most of which you'll never use). The newest sound system at Circuit City, that doesn't decode the digital sound coming from your blu-ray player. And so on. Truth is, we are all gimmicked to buy things that we don't need, or will never use to it's fullest, because of our consumer-istic nature and our never-ending quest to satiate the need for material things to fulfill our life.

Today, I will talk about how you can make better decisions in your next tech purchases.

Buy if and ONLY IF you need it. You buy a computer, and you are convinced that, since it is tons faster, it's worth the $2,000+ because it will motivate you to edit those home movies you've never got a chance to edit on your slow computer. Years go by, and you never edit one movie. That $2,000+ you spent went to surfing online, and checking email. Yay for you.

• Don't let new sales sway your decision into buying a new gadget you were going to buy 6 months from now. Technology advances crazy fast nowadays, you buy a new tv today, most likely a bigger, brighter, and better tv will come out next month for the same price. So if you bought a new tv on sale earlier this year for 2009's Superbowl party, most likely, you will have lost your money and missed out on the new 120hz, bigger screens, and brighter pictures that are the same price now as those smaller, dimmer, 60hz scan tvs earlier this year.
• Don't buy an HD video camera if you don't plan on editing it. These files take up space. If you don't edit them right away, be prepared to buy extra external hard drives or dozens of dvds, to fill with useless movies you probably will never watch. Instead, remember that digital cameras now record movies, and they are a lot smaller too! If you already have a digital camera and plan on buying a video recorder to capture short clips of say, your family memories, then invest in newer batteries and a bigger storage card instead.

Determine the features you want. Any good Best Buy salesman, who are all evil, will feed you a load of crap to buy something you don't need, so do your research first and know what you want.

• Basic guide for buying computers.

1. Generally, for simple web browsing and email, Atom Processors on laptops are all you really need, or any budget pc with 2gb of ram will suffice.
2. For video editing, you'll need a bigger hard drive(320gb+) and more ram(2-4gb).
3. For gaming, a discrete (separate) video card, 128-bit or more and 256mb or more.

• Make use of what you already have. Be aware of the features and upgradeabillity of your current electronics. Most of you have a cell phone, a camera, and an mp3 player and carry it around with you everywhere. You must have ultra big pockets or huge purses! If you listen to music, make phone calls, and take pictures sparingly, then why don't you invest in a good cell phone that can do all three! Or expand your cell phone's memory (usually max 8gb) to take more pictures or listen to more music?

to be continued: DVDs & Blu-Rays: who needs em?
sorry, i skipped gmail basics, but will cover it real soon!

Bargain Online Christmas (actually anytime) Shopping

As you all may know, I'm very up to date with computer & technology gadget prices. Online bargain hunting has become somewhat of a hobby to me, in which I spend hours a day, keeping up with current market trends in prices and technology. Today, I will go over some of the tools and techniques I use to get these awesome deals so you can find them yourselves!

1. Slickdeals.net - This is one of my favorite tools to keep track of all sorts of online bargains day by day, from pampers to laptops.

Here are the major sections I use on this page:

• Front page deals - these are the deals that are shown on the front page. Usually these are the best prices you can find for an item online or in-store(aka B&M - Brick & Mortar)
• Search - Located on the upper right hand side of the front page. Slickdeals front page is based on user reported deals. The best deals get posted on the front page. But you can also search for specific products not shown on the front page with this tool. These deals are categorized in popularity, by a "thumbs up" rating on a scale from 0 - 5. I usually look for deals with a "thumbs up" rating of more than 2 when using the search function.
• Hot Topics section - Don't know what you're looking for, or just want to browse the popular deals not posted on the front page. Just browse the hot topics section on the right handside of the page. If you click on hot topics, there are a plethora of deals you can now waste hours browsing.

2. Techbargains.com - Another bargain site I go to. More technology-based deal listings.

• Front page deals - these are the deals that are shown on the front page similar to slickdeals' frontpage.
• Search - Located on the left hand side of the front page. Use this to search for a specific product. If no results are found, it means that the item you specified has not had a deal recently.

3. Froogle.com - aka Google Products. Search for any specific product, and it will return a comprehensive list of all the online stores carrying them, along with price, and shipping.

Tips for using froogle

• Be wary of shady sellers. When searching, scroll down to the very bottom and look for "Refine product results". Then look for "seller rating" and choose "3 stars and up". This will narrow down the results to sellers with reputable rating. When choosing to buy online, also keep in mind the number of ratings a seller has. The higher the rating, and the higher the raters, the better the seller. (note: I choose 3 stars and up because even stores like BestBuy or Walmart are sometimes rated with 3).
• Refine your results. At the very bottom of a result page you can set the price, choose the brand, etc. This will help find the specific product you are looking for.

4. Pricegrabber.com - Search for any specific product, and it will return a list of major online stores carrying them, along with price, and shipping. This takes most of the guessing out of whether a seller is reputable or not. Usually lists the popular sellers online. Although, they do have "Storefronts" which I always avoid! These are 3rd party sellers.

Bargain Techniques
In this section I will be discussing various techniques to obtain ridiculous deals.

1. Pricing Errors - Every now and then, the tired data entry specialist will enter the incorrect price into the system that is available to buy online. A $500 camera will sometimes be listed at $5.00. These deals usually get posted on slickdeals hot deals, but they usually go quick. If you happen to stumble upon a live pricing error:

• DO NOT CALL to order. The customer service representative will almost always catch the price error and adjust the price online.
• ADD TO CART, & CHECKOUT w/ expedited shipping. Adding a pricing error item to your cart and using expedited(or the fastest) shipping will usually allow you to get the price mistake item. Sure shipping will be $50+, but when an error is between $500 and $5, the $50 is well worth it.

2. Coupons - You're all aware of the coupon. Sunday clippings, email offers, they are all over. But sometimes online, you can combine these coupons to get extraordinary deals. So keep those coupons you get from Best Buy, Staples, etc. in the mail. Most likely, someone on slickdeals will find a way to compound that with existing coupons online!

3. Price Matching - A famous concept made famous by Circuit City. Most of you remember that commercial with the kid who bought a walkman in the 80's. "I bought this last week, and then I saw this, this week" handing the store clerk a Circuit City ad, who in turns gives him the difference. "That's it?" "That's it."
This concept is now honored by several stores who advertise and include it into their store policy, as well as other stores whose managers may negotiate with you.

Tips for price matching

• Print out an online ad from another store with the lower price. The store usually needs to be a B&M (definition at top) when bringing it in to another store for a price match. You can also chance it, by printing out the lowest price from an online retailer.
• Remember coupons. Once you have a successful pricematch, keep your coupon handy. Most likely the manager will have to initiate the price match, and when he leaves, show the store clerk the coupon for i.e. 20% off! Last year, I got a $400 printer & camera package, for only $115 by doing this! And if the manager doesn't leave, try it anyway.
• Pricematch online. Staples is one of the best places to pricematch online, by either phone or live chat. Try it! Make sure you have the link handy for the item you found online, or at least the store you found it at.

So these are basically the tools & techniques I use to find my crazy deals. Sure there are dozens of sites out there that have bargains like: edealinfo or bensbargains. But most of these are just repeats from the two I've posted. FatWallet, is worth a try once you get the hang of bargain shopping. Good luck to you all!

Next topic - Back to the basics: Effective Googling