Giant bins don't mean bargain, but $140 off The Chosen Collection sure does

November 21, 2006

So the missus and I were in Best Buy the other day. It dawned on me during this visit that any thing that is displayed in a giant bin is perceived to be priced less than anything not displayed in a giant bin. They had one full of dvds in the middle of the floor, and I gravitated to it like eggs for breakfast. I found myself thinking “Hey! It’s only ten bucks!” before realizing that the dvd bin prices where no different than any other ten year old dvd sitting on the shelves. There are just certain forms of retail display that make us think “bargain”, even if there is no bargain there. So, be alert shoppers, and don’t get conned.

Also this past week I had the good fortune of getting the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Complete Series box set for $139.99 from Future Shop. Great price for this particular set, which includes all 7 seasons, and is usually closer to $300. I almost didn’t get it. The first store I went too had it in their computer, but couldn’t actually find the package in the store. WTF? So I called another store, and the kid said “Yes, we have The Chosen Collection,” to which I replied “Great. Can you actually see it? Because the other store is full of crap…” Anyway, he could see it and I was out the door.

So I get to Future Shop, and I’m looking everywhere for this box set, and I can’t find it anywhere. And I’m getting frustrated. So I figure maybe I should find a sales assistant. Ah, there’s one helping that gentleman…get the last copy of the Buffy The Complete Series off the shelf. I couldn’t believe it, I’d come all this way to be crushed by some middle aged joker with a thing for blonde cheer leaders. But then he walks away, and the kid is querying the store computer, with the box in his hand. So I hover, not sure what’s happening to that box, but I’m not taking my eyes off it.

The kid sees me, and nervously asks me if there is something I’m looking for. “Yes,” I say, “it’s in your hands.” He backs up ever so slightly.

So the guy comes back after a little bit, and he and the kid talk briefly, hushed tones and all, and then the guy leaves without the box! So I rush up to the kid, and I’m like “Why didn’t he take it?” and kid goes “It’s not wide screen.”

My heart sank. It’s not wide screen. Crap. I love wide screen. I started to remember all those great Buffy episodes I watched in glorious wide screen. Why there was, uh,…and that other one…uh. Wait. Was Buffy even filmed in wide screen?

While it’s true that many of todays television programs are viewed in wide screen goodness, Buffy never was. She started out square, and ended square, with never a letterbox to be seen. Which means there is no wide screen version of Buffy, and there never will be, and Don Quixote over there just missed out on a royal deal.

So now that I’ve got the big box o’ Buffy, I’ve got four individual season collections for sale: 1, 3, 5, & 6. Like new. Email me if you are interested. If I don’t sell them local (or through this site) in a couple weeks they’ll be up on eBay.

Posted lovingly by Ryan 1 Comments 0 Trackbacks Permalink