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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:27:54 PM EDT
Yesterday I went shopping for a laptop. Talked at length with the sales guy at Best Buy. Decided on one at Best Buy. Went back today to get the computer and the same sales guy walks around looking for one in a box. Comes back with a frown. He says sorry all of them have been "optimized" and there will be an $80.00 additional charge. I asked what the "optimization" gives me. He says they removed unwanted programs, installed service pack II, and made a recovery disc which will be included. I tell him that I could do all that in ten minutes and say I don't want to pay for the unwanted service. He says all of the stock has already been upgraded and he could let me have the service for half price. I say no. He says since they have already been done and I don't want it then they will not charge me for it.
It's always something with these guys. 
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:34:24 PM EDT
[#1]
They'll waive it if you make a big stink.
I did, they did. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:34:39 PM EDT
[#2]
I am glad to read your story I have been looking into a laptop and what are the good buys.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:37:16 PM EDT
[#3]
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store...
Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:38:32 PM EDT
[#4]
Quoted:
They'll waive it if you make a big stink. I did, they did. I just refused to go along with the overcharge. They waived it. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:39:10 PM EDT
[#5]
Quoted: DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... My sister bought her Compaq at BB with ZERO problems. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:39:41 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... But,,,but,,,,but,,,they have a geek squad and everything!!! |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:39:42 PM EDT
[#7]
Best buy has been sued REPEATEDLY in damn near every state for their fraudulant / shitty business practices.
They got PAID to put that shitware on your computer, and then they charge you to take it off. don't get Best Boned. 
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:40:12 PM EDT
[#8]
I ordered my personal laptop, went with a lenovo. I wanted something with a bit more quality than the Acer I had before and I'm very happy with my lenovo.
My family has also had good luck with the walmart budget laptops. No theyre not top of the line and they don't have great battery life, but if your on a budget theyve worked well for us. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:40:25 PM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... My sister bought her Compaq at BB with ZERO problems. I have bought several desk tops and lap tops from BB, also with no problems. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:41:36 PM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... My sister bought her Compaq at BB with ZERO problems. I make a lot of money off people that bought Compaq's at Best Buy. 
Did she buy Norton and Web Sweeper too?? and maybe a useless extended warranty?????? |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:42:53 PM EDT
[#11]
I have three desktop computers, a laptop computer, and I helped my parents AND inlaws pick out their laptops from..... BEST BUY.
The last computer purchased was my inlaws laptop. Sales guy went out of his way to find one that wasn't "optimized" without me saying a word. He didn't even ask if we wanted an extended warranty. They claim they don't get commission. I believe them. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:43:23 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... But,,,but,,,,but,,,they have a geek squad and everything!!! those geniuses once told me that the reason my uncle's computer was going to the blue screen of death was because he was running it on the battery too much. The manager and I had an excellent one-sided conversation. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:45:47 PM EDT
[#13]
All of this talk makes me want stay clear of best buy.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:47:07 PM EDT
[#14]
I just got a smoking deal at Best Buy and was happy with the experience. Asus dual core P3 with 6 gigs DDR2, 650g hard drive, Vista home premium, $399.00
Not bad, seeing as how it did have expansion room inside, so I threw in a decent PCIe video card I already had with a gig onboard, and I'm gtg. When I got it home, it had no BS loaded all over it, just what Microsoft includes with vista, and after a quick cleaning of that crap I'm happy. If you go in knowing what you want, you can get it done. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:47:29 PM EDT
[#15]
www.newegg.com for all your computer needs
/thread |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:48:11 PM EDT
[#16]
This is the only way they can afford to keep their geek techs employed.
Listen, I own a computer networking consulting firm, damn if I'm going to pay for these kids to "optimize" anything. My staff runs rings around these minor league jokers. I went there for convenience, otherwise I would have just ordered up something specific and paid Dell with our net 30 account. We're a Dell reseller. It's a scam - $80 for a dude to run a CD? I don't think so - and if they had to do more than that I'd really worry. FBB. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:48:50 PM EDT
[#17]
I bought a HP DV6 Laptop at BB recently. It was $100 off, and came with a free Wii. I bought it, didn't opt for the optimization, no extended warr, and I sold the Wii to the guy that sold me the computer. I'm happy.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:51:12 PM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
They'll waive it if you make a big stink. I did, they did. Yep! Speak with a Manager, theres no reason they should be pushing that crap on you. They tried that with a buddy who was buying laptop for his wife and he spoke to the store manager, end result, he got the laptop "optimized" for free, and an extended service thing that those dork squads offer, not that he'll use it! |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:52:18 PM EDT
[#19]
They tried that shit with me when I bought my son's laptop.
Tried saying how they optimized it and tweaked it... I said "so you're telling me that you want to charge me more money for dicking with the settings on the machine?" He said "it makes it faster" I said "no, taking it home, running DBAN on it, and putting a fresh install of XP without any garbage will make it faster, and that is what I plan on doing with it". Apparently, they dont think that the average customer knows more about computers than their teenage asses do. They waived it. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:53:15 PM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
www.newegg.com for all your computer needs /thread that or spec one from Tiger Direct. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:53:18 PM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... My sister bought her Compaq at BB with ZERO problems. I've always purchased generic desktops (for work and home crap) and a few laptops from BB without a single issue. I did however splurge recently and had a buddy spare no expense building me a gaming machine so I wouldn't really have to worry about game requirements for a few years, but I'll always buy pc's from BB as long as their prices are good. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 1:54:53 PM EDT
[#22]
Quoted:
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... But,,,but,,,,but,,,they have a geek squad and everything!!! I thought about taking a part time job with the Geek Squad to pick up a little extra gun money. You couldnt get me to leave the house for what they are paying those guys, Nevermind go to someone else's house to work on their computer. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:03:52 PM EDT
[#23]
Ask for the manager, the extra charges will usually go away.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:03:56 PM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
Quoted:
www.newegg.com for all your computer needs /thread that or spec one from Tiger Direct. Yep.. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:07:09 PM EDT
[#25]
Buy it through the Best Buy website with the option to pick it up at the local store.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:07:41 PM EDT
[#26]
Quoted:
They tried that shit with me when I bought my son's laptop. Tried saying how they optimized it and tweaked it... I said "so you're telling me that you want to charge me more money for dicking with the settings on the machine?" He said "it makes it faster" I said "no, taking it home, running DBAN on it, and putting a fresh install of XP without any garbage will make it faster, and that is what I plan on doing with it". Apparently, they dont think that the average customer knows more about computers than their teenage asses do. They waived it. They are right! The average computer buyer wouldn't know which end of the power cord goes into the wall socket without an illustrated quick start poster. The Geeks Squad are pretty stupid themselves, but they are capable of turning a computer on eight times out of ten, which is twice as good as the average computer buyer. You may be the exception and actually know what you are doing, but customers like you are not the rule. I do not work for Best Buy, Circuit City, or any other retail establishment, and never have. I do get to deal with the customers though, as a cable technician. I have been to homes to install cable modem service and have the customer point to a shiny new computer desk and tell me I should put the computer there, and then ask me why I left the computer in my van. I have arrived to do an install and the customer points to a pile of boxes and assumes I am going to put their new computer together. I have gotten to trouble calls and had to explain why it is their own fault that they tried to plug the USB cable into the ethernet jack on the modem. I have had customers at trouble calls hand me a box with a motherboard in it, and tell me to put it in. I have had customers at trouble calls threaten to have me fired if I didn't get the virus off their computer, because it came from the internet and the internet is our fault. The average PC buyer is a moron, they can't be trusted to tie their own shoes without help and supervision, why in the world would a retailer expect them to know what optimizing a computer is, or be capable of going it themselves. Myself I would tell them to take their optimization and stick it someplace uncomfortable, but I don't blame them for treating the average PC buyer like a complete moron. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:08:02 PM EDT
[#27]
Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... My sister bought her Compaq at BB with ZERO problems. I make a lot of money off people that bought Compaq's at Best Buy. Did she buy Norton and Web Sweeper too?? and maybe a useless extended warranty?????? Not that I am aware of. I will ask her the next time I see her. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:08:31 PM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... Most anything you buy from anywhere is gonna have its share of useless shit and bloatware that's gonna have to be wiped out. Although I agree in that I've had a better experience buying computers off the web directly from the manufacturer. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:11:37 PM EDT
[#29]
I have a friend that worked at best buy. Was going to school to get a computer science degree and was uber smart when it came to computer stuff. They moved him from computers to selling appliances because he was not pushing the warranty hard enough.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:15:32 PM EDT
[#30]
Best Buy was the cheapest place that had my gateway when I was shopping around for it.
I brought an ex- HR manager with me as if to avoid them pulling any shenanigans.... The last desktop I bought there the salesguy pushed the PSP (Service Plan) so hard it was rude. He almost wouldn't let me buy it without the PSP. Fuck Best Buy. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:19:15 PM EDT
[#31]
Quoted: Quoted: DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... Most anything you buy from anywhere is gonna have its share of useless shit and bloatware that's gonna have to be wiped out. Although I agree in that I've had a better experience buying computers off the web directly from the manufacturer. Most folks who can find ARFCOM can remove the useless shit themselves... And I have a sneaking suspicion that the BB guy was lying through his teeth, and all the $80 was, was the 'Extended Warranty' they try to push on everyone... |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:24:19 PM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... Most anything you buy from anywhere is gonna have its share of useless shit and bloatware that's gonna have to be wiped out. Although I agree in that I've had a better experience buying computers off the web directly from the manufacturer. Most folks who can find ARFCOM can remove the useless shit themselves... And I have a sneaking suspicion that the BB guy was lying through his teeth, and all the $80 was, was the 'Extended Warranty' they try to push on everyone... Well, the extended warranty has its uses. I bought a Sony laptop from them that a year or so later got blowed up in a lightning strike. It took forever and a day to get it back, but they fixed it, no charge. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:24:47 PM EDT
[#33]
Quoted:
www.newegg.com for all your computer needs /thread +1 Between newegg and tiger direct (a little shadier but good prices) you will ever need to go to BB or Fry's again. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:32:54 PM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Quoted:
www.newegg.com for all your computer needs /thread that or spec one from Tiger Direct. Yep, Tiger is usually better for laptop deals, Desktops depends who has the best current sale, Newegg is best for building one yourself, |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:41:46 PM EDT
[#35]
Quoted:
Best Buy was the cheapest place that had my gateway when I was shopping around for it. I brought an ex- HR manager with me as if to avoid them pulling any shenanigans.... The last desktop I bought there the salesguy pushed the PSP (Service Plan) so hard it was rude. He almost wouldn't let me buy it without the PSP. Fuck Best Buy. Whenever I purchase a PC from BB I always know exactly what I'm looking for after having done recon and thus don't give the sales creatures time to start in with their pitch, and on the rare occasion when the register guy/gal asks about extended plans blah blah blah, I cut 'em short and say thank but no thanks. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:49:46 PM EDT
[#36]
Tn recently had their no tax school stuff weekend and my aunt bought a laptop at wally world I think. She knew exactly what she wanted and that wound up being a good price since there was no sales tax to pay on the purchase.
These days I don't really care where I buy something, I don't want them messing with it before I get to mess with it and I doubt I trust the seller to repair it if it needs repairs. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:54:19 PM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
www.newegg.com for all your computer needs /thread |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:55:27 PM EDT
[#38]
Quoted: www.newegg.com for all your computer needs /thread +1 I don't need to talk with a "sales engineer". |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:58:10 PM EDT
[#39]
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... Computer shops aren't really any better, if you know what you want then look for the place that sells it the cheapest whether it's best buy, the internet or your local hole in the wall shop. I have a couple computer shops nearby and their prices are horrible though everything is pretty expensive where I live (Bellevue/Redmond area). |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 2:59:31 PM EDT
[#40]
Wasn't Best Buy one of the companies that pulled their ads from Glenn Beck's show?
Eric
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:00:32 PM EDT
[#41]
Quoted:
DO NOT buy a COMPUTER from an APPLIANCE store... Simple enough... No Best Buy, no American TV, no WalMart... Buy a computer from a computer store - either a small local shop, or off the internet.... Bough my laptop (compaq) via bestbuy.com for dirt cheap. Zero complaints |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:03:49 PM EDT
[#42]
Quoted: I have a couple computer shops nearby and their prices are horrible though everything is pretty expensive where I live (Bellevue/Redmond area). There's a bit of an 'elephant' in the room in that area... M..... |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:07:23 PM EDT
[#43]
Quoted:
The average PC buyer is a moron, they can't be trusted to tie their own shoes without help and supervision, why in the world would a retailer expect them to know what optimizing a computer is, or be capable of going it themselves. Myself I would tell them to take their optimization and stick it someplace uncomfortable, but I don't blame them for treating the average PC buyer like a complete moron. Note also that the store has long ago figured out the ratio of take/reject on the $80 charge. They can offer YOU that low price only because the previous five buyers happily took the $80 hit in the shorts. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:07:26 PM EDT
[#44]
NEWEGG +1
They usually have better prices and super fast shipping. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:09:00 PM EDT
[#45]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Best Buy was the cheapest place that had my gateway when I was shopping around for it. I brought an ex- HR manager with me as if to avoid them pulling any shenanigans.... The last desktop I bought there the salesguy pushed the PSP (Service Plan) so hard it was rude. He almost wouldn't let me buy it without the PSP. Fuck Best Buy. Whenever I purchase a PC from BB I always know exactly what I'm looking for after having done recon and thus don't give the sales creatures time to start in with their pitch, and on the rare occasion when the register guy/gal asks about extended plans blah blah blah, I cut 'em short and say thank but no thanks. +1. The last time I bought a laptop from BB I did my research online, narrowed it down to two models and went into the store to determine what one I wanted. When the sales guy came up to me he started his blah blah sales pitch, but seemed to be set back when I said "Give me this one." He went off to get the computer from wherever the hell they keep them, and when he came back tried to sell me that extended warranty and "optimization" hoo-ha. He said that if they "optimize" it, the computer will run up to 40% faster than it does currently, and they will remove all the pre-installed trial software from the computer. I asked him "So you're telling me that you are going to make this brand new computer run 40% faster than it does currently, when I haven't even turned it on and used it in the first place. How are you going to determine the before and after speeds of the computer? Also, why would you remove the pre-installed trial software that I might be interested in purchasing?" He looked at me like he just got hit with a flying bottle containing retard juice, and muttered un-huh...He started to babble about the extended warranty, but I cut him off, asking if I needed to pay for it at the front of the store, or if i could pay in the computer section.. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:09:19 PM EDT
[#46]
I do not want anything their morons have touched. Factory seal or GTFO.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:09:38 PM EDT
[#47]
they spent time booting the machines and installing service pack 2. they should do that for free so that the product is ready to go out of the box, but it isn't a scam if they charge for their services.
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:12:56 PM EDT
[#48]
Related Q: do new laptops/desktops even come with the OEM OS disks anymore?
based on this post: Triptech:
I said "no, taking it home, running DBAN on it, and putting a fresh install of XP without any garbage will make it faster, and that is what I plan on doing with it". |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:16:11 PM EDT
[#49]
Quoted:
I ordered my personal laptop, went with a lenovo. I wanted something with a bit more quality than the Acer I had before and I'm very happy with my lenovo. My family has also had good luck with the walmart budget laptops. No theyre not top of the line and they don't have great battery life, but if your on a budget theyve worked well for us. Me, too. My employer has an employee purchase program for lenovos, so I loaded mine up. Faster processor, more ram, 7,200 rpm hard drive. |
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Posted: 9/19/2009 3:17:23 PM EDT
[#50]
Best Buy pulled their Glenn Beck ads. I try very hard to not shop there anymore.
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