Brooklyn: don’t believe the hype
February 18th, 2008 by adminI’ve been shopping online for a camcorder. (Something I think every new parent does). I hit upon the model I want, and while I wait for Sony to release it (they appear to have moved up the release date for their new line to the end of Feb), I decided to do some price comparisons. (I reasoned that it’s close enough to the release date that everyone should have it listed so I can preorder it). Somewhat unsurprisingly, I found several places that have the camcorder I want for well below retail price. All of them:
- Close early on Friday
- Are closed on Saturday
- Are located in Brooklyn
Seriously – do non-Jews even go into the electronics retail business anymore?
Now of course comes the real question: Do I really even want to order from these guys? I hate to say it, but all of the stores have the same feel, and they all feel sketchy. I’ve been to these types of stores before, I’ve had them bait and switch me, and I’ve had them try to sell me inferior or “international” merchandise. The price is right though, do I risk it? Regardless of my personal stake, do I want to support those whom I know to employ such sketchy tactics?
February 19th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
The places in Brooklyn can be skeezy. I heard of one frum owned place in Manhattan, B&H maybe, that was okay. Non-Jewish friends did okay with them. I’ll see if I can find out the exact place.
February 23rd, 2008 at 7:54 pm
B&H and J&R are both NY based electronics and camera retailers which are reputable and well regarded.
February 24th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
One of the big firms, Jewish-owned or not (e.g., J&R) should be OK. If they have to call you to “close out” or “confirm” an order, just cancel. They will probably have pulled a similar piece of BS that one tried on me when I was looking for a digital camera: quote a ‘body only’ price when the box is supposed to come with battery, case, etc., then charge you ridiculous prices for what actually comes in the box from the factory.