Seven Things You Should Never Buy at a Store | Benzinga

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December 26, 2012 by Benji

Being in the Commercial Real Estate business, and specializing in the Retail Market I know that the online stores are giving the Brick and Mortar stores a run for their money on some items. But I still like to shop for most products in person. I like to touch and feel things, see their scale and actual size before i buy them. I don’t believe that all retail will be online anytime soon.

But when I see Benzinga writing about it, it makes me nervous. They tend to be spot on. Luckily this article is fairly tame and goes to the point that its the random purchases that you generally don’t need to be in-front of t purchase, like CD’s, Books and cables.

I am ok with that!

See Below.

Seven Things You Should Never Buy at a Store

Louis Bedigian, Benzinga Staff Writer

December 24, 2012 10:47 AM

While there are many reasons to shop in person, there are some items that should never be purchased at brick-and-mortar retail stores:

Extended Warranties

This is something consumers should never buy, regardless of the location. Best Buy (NYSE: BBY [FREE Stock Trend Analysis]) may attempt to paint a nice picture, arguing that your HDTV’s picture might not be so nice in two years. Truthfully, however, high-def TVs rarely die young. They are sturdy items that will remain on the same dusty shelving unit for at least five years. And, when it comes to replace them, consumers may find that they could buy the same TV in five years brand new at the same price as the extended warranty.

HDMI Cables

Sony (NYSE: SNE) has produced some of the thickest and most reliable HDMI cables available. The company sells them for less than $30 at Walmart (NYSE: WMT). That is a fair price. The $90 that Monster charges for its cables, however, is not.

Budget conscious consumers can find a variety of HDMI cables on Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) for less than $5.

Music CDs

This is a no-brainer. With higher prices and fewer selections, consumers are better off buying new music from Apple’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) iTunes service. If you prefer CDs, check Amazon or BestBuy.com.

Cell Phone Accessories

Why spend $20 or more for an iPhone case you could find online for $10?

DVDs After Launch

When movies and TV boxed sets are first released, Target (NYSE: TGT) and Best Buy often fight for the best price available. After those sales end, however, consumers are typically better off shopping online. Otherwise they will have to wait for another sale to come around at the nearest big-box store.

Video Game Download Cards

You walk into a store. You see a copy of Game X sitting on the shelf and a download card sitting next to it. Which do you choose?

Seriously, which one? If you have to ask, you might as well have stayed at home and downloaded the game. After all, it is not as if that card holds any value — you will still have to go through the trouble of downloading the item.

The exception to this rule would be Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network points. But Xbox Live subscriptions are usually cheaper on Amazon.

Items That Are Cheaper but Damaged

Brick-and-mortar bookstores want to beat Amazon so badly that they are willing to fill their stores with zillions of books that nobody wants — including some with scratches running up and down the cover!

Follow me @LouisBedigianBZ

via Seven Things You Should Never Buy at a Store | Benzinga.