According to "helpful sources," retail chain Target is preparing to make a killing off the uneducated and lazy people of America -- meaning they're going to make a very big killing indeed. The gossip suggests that Target will soon be offering a full game console installation service -- including account creation -- for $99.
The "Video Game Setup" deal will include the following services, all of which you can do yourself easily:
- Connection to TV/home theater
- Console configuration
- Enabling of parental controls on request
- Wireless router setup
- Registration of up to five online accounts
- PC setup to allow content streaming
I don't even blame Target for doing this. If there are people out there willing to pay just under a hundred bucks because they are stupid or bone-idle, then I say Target is free to exploit that as much as possible.
Target To Offer $99 "Video Game Setup" Service [Kotaku]
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Contest:
12:30 PM on 01.08.2010
| 
ludicrous
Best Buy sets up your PS3 for $130
http://www.thego.com.au/gaming/gaming-news/item/root/bestbuy
I can do the same thing for 50 bucks and get twice as many customers. For an extra 20 I'll explain how the internet works.
With magic.
because they're too busy buying other electronics they don't know how to use.
i don't understand why its so expensive though unless it takes over 5 hours to hook up and comes with the wifi add on.
you're spending a $100 for a guy to spend an hour if even and he's probably only getting paid $10 and hour. damn near pure profit. tough times huh?
It is a lot of profit, but from having worked (in-store, not at large) Geek Squad, I can tell you they're likely only making 20-40% on that, which is still HUGE compared to item margins and why they like this. Point is, in order to get that $10/hr employee in your house there's massive insurance costs involved, not only on the vehicle the employee uses to get there, but also on the employee himself/herself in case they go crazy or something.
And yeah, it's more of a tax for stupid people or people who have more money than time, but one wonders what they intend to do with their game system once hooked up anyway.
The rest of that is just ridiculous.
Microsoft should try to stop these kinds of activities, and have them offer them for free in Microsoft stores to increase sales. Sony: same thing.
There are plenty of people who will laugh derisively at someone's failure to perform these tasks, and will consider them day-to-day or basic, but I'm sure some of you will find these tasks either alien, tricky or plain unnecessary.
For instance, go onto a car website, you'll find people will find it hilarious that you would call AAA if you get a flat tyre.
50 dollars to set up your very complicated DSi
If you can do any of the above you can hook up a console.
PROTIP: TVersity is the answer to all your prayers for content streaming for the xbox and ps3.
But at this point I don't even have to read the manual, I just put things in the correct holes, just like sex.
I work with people who would gladly throw down $99+ just for the comfort of knowing they didn't have to deal with it. I've helped these guys with such tasks as plugging in and configuring a second monitor, and installing skype. In turn, these people tell franchise owners a few nuggets of business advice that they consider rudimentary, and I'd regard them as well-to-do.
Most of you here are like this way with something in your house. Be it the fridge TV, pluming, roofing. There are some things in your house that your just not comfortable setting up or fixing.
Thing is unless its something like building a TV from scratch then most people should be able to fix, install and setup pretty much anything in their house. With the internet at your fingers you don't even have to buy a "how to" book. You just look it up online and often you'll find much better help as you can ask questions and find more than one way to solve your problem.
So next time you think of calling a pro at least think about if you can do it yourself.
I'm not defending target or bestbuy. They are still taking advantage of people and thats wrong end of story.
When the main reason for cost those rediculous costs is vendor charging extortionate fees for something that is probably worth 3/4's the price that they sell it at.
Then there's the over-priced cost of paying someone else to put the thing together.
Come on people! It's free if you do it yourself and pay close attention to the manuel that comes with your motherboard.
In other words, if people just did a bit research and got practical. They would be paying $700-$900 for a computer that would hold up pretty well for 2-4 years.
Then there's the fact that games designer are pushing the graphics barriers less and less to save us money.
As I'm quite happy with the graphics where they are right now thank's.
and i know it seems ridiculous to people like us that there are folks out there who can't "configure" a gaming console, but hey, my home builder father-in-law probably looks at me the same way when i ask him for tips on installing a backsplash in my kitchen.
I got a 10-minute setup done for it, dumb dumb dumb dumb.
I used to run the electronics dept at the Target I worked at and I'd say you just worked for a bad store. I had many repeat customers because not only I but my team was willing to spend the time to take care of our customers. We spent countless hours explaining cameras and such to the techno-illiterate and they walked away with a little bit of understanding. How is that for respect. I know this may be rare in retail but don't condemn a whole company for one bad experience.
As for this "service", for some people it is necessary. It may be hard to believe but some people have an anxiety when it comes to hooking up electronic devices. I am talking about intelligent and educated people, not your average dumbass off the street. For these people, no amount of instruction is going to make them feel comfortable doing this. So for a small amount of the population, this is a necessary service. As for the rest, "It is immoral to allow a sucker to keep his money" - P.T. Barnum