When companies run coupon promotions, the idea is to get the customer
in the store to purchase the item featured in the promotion and then
either get them to purchase additional item-related products/services
(i.e. extended warranty, accessories, etc) or get them to purchase
additional items out of shear convenience or impulse.
On
July 20th, Staples started just such a coupon promotion with $100 off
any tablet (excluding the HP TouchPad, Amazon Kindle and Barnes
& Noble Nook) [found here]. Unfortunately, they decided to only run the promotion for 10 days; ending on July 30th.
After
printing out my own coupon, I immediately started visiting Staples; in
search of the Asus Eee Transformer 32GB tablet. The Transformer is a
great Android-based tablet and a couple great reviews can be found here and here.
Normal pricing is $399 for the 16GB and $499 for the 32GB. I wanted the
32GB version as I planned to use this as my primary device when away
from my standard tower PC and wanted to install a large number of
purchased apps. And with an additional $100 off, it would be a sweet
deal.
I started by going to the Staples website on July
21st only to find that it was listed as both "Out of Stock" and
"Delivery Only". Because the website had asked for my zip code, I hoped
that it was only referring to the closest stores to me (<20 miles
away). But, since I was headed off to vacation in a couple days, I was
happy to start visiting stores further away in hopes of finding one.
Sadly, I was unable to find a single Staples store (visiting several
stores in San Jose, CA and Monterey, CA plus Sacramento, CA; while on vacation) that
actually carried the device at all.
At this point, I
was worried. How the heck can I purchase something that Staples has a
killer coupon for if I can only get it from their website and their
website states that it is "Out of Stock"?
-- Minor sidetrack before the conclusion --
So
I started looking for stores that would accept the Staples coupon as
one of their own. I visited the Best Buy in Sacramento (after
discovering that Staples didn't carry it), asking if they honored
competitor's coupons. They said "yes", but they didn't have the 32GB
version in stock; only the 16GB version. "Sweet", I thought, "I can wait
until I get home and support my local Best Buy".
After
returning, I went to my local Best Buy to return something else and
asked the Customer Service clerk again if they honored competitor's
coupons. Again she said "yes". I then immediately went to the Tablet
Section and asked the nice guy there if they had any 32GB Asus Eee
Transformers in stock. "Yes", he said, "we have 3". "Sweet", I thought
again, "I just need to come back with my coupon".
So I
returned the next day (July 30th) with coupon in hand and debit card in
hand. I grabbed another nice guy and asked for the 32GB Asus Eee
Transformer. It took him almost 15 minutes to track it down, but he did.
Here it was, my Android tablet of choice. I asked this guy the same
question again, "does Best Buy honor competitor's coupons"? Yet again,
he said "yes". Since he couldn't figure out how to apply the coupon, he
had to go looking for a manager (uh oh). During this time, another new
guy asked if I might be interested in an Accidental Protection plan.
Since I was already spending over $400 on the tablet, I said "sure, a 2
year plan should work". So now my $545 (including tax, before coupon)
tablet was now $700. Whoa.
After waiting 10 minutes, I
noticed that the original guy to help me was standing over at the Mobile
Phone department... without his blue Best Buy shirt on. Nice. Another 5
minutes later, and I pointed out that fact to the newest guy I was
being "helped" by. "Oh yeah", it's 5:10pm. He got off 10 minutes ago."
Really nice. Another 5 minutes and he asked if I'd like to keep the
2-year plan. I stated that I was more worried about whether or not they
were going to honor the coupon. "Oh yeah. He (the guy who checked stock
yesterday) already heard for the manager and the answer was no".
For
the record, the guy who "heard from the manager" was less than 5 feet
from me. And yet I did not hear him say anything to the guy "helping"
me. And, for a full 5 minutes before they informed me of the manager's
decision, neither of these 2 employees talked to each other. At all. So I
was effectively being "held" until I decided on an impulse to buy it
regardless of their decision. Not cool. So I didn't buy it from Best Buy
either.
Shame on you, Best Buy. Train your employees better.
-- Now, back to the conclusion --
After
my disastrous visit to Best Buy, I called Staples directly to inquire
if there was any way to get "an item listed as Out of Stock" today. When
she asked for item number I didn't have it (silly me) but she said she
could look it up by the name (well, duh.) So I gave her the name of
"Asus Transformer" and she thought she found it. But she wanted to
confirm it further, by confirming the model and price (note this for
later). I told her it was called the "Asus Eee Transformer" and I was
looking for the 32GB at $499. She stated she found the right one and was
looking it up now. She then noted to me again that it was both "Out of
Stock" and for "Delivery Only", so it wouldn't be available in stores.
She even pointed out that the 16GB version was the same. I pointed out
that neither the 32GB nor the 16GB models had been in stock for the last
10 days, that I was checking every day and that their $100 off coupon
expired today. "Oh yes", she said, "I see that it goes off special
pricing (!!!) and that the coupon 'probably' expires today". Further
more, she stated that it should be in stock again in "5 days". I
reminder her that the coupon expired today, that their stores don't
carry it and that they've been "Out of Stock" for the entire duration of
the promotion (10 days). She could only state that it was "out of her control".
Nice. "Pass the Buck" at its finest.
Needless to say, I
have no Asus Eee Transformer 32GB Android tablet. Why? Because, during
the EXACT time that Staples had a coupon promotion in effect, they had
none in stock... AT ALL.
My only conclusion (and that of
many others, if Twitter and Facebook posts count) is that Staples had
no intention of actually selling ANY "current-model" tablets for $100 off.
Weak sauce, Staples. Weak sauce indeed.
