Buyer Beware
Posted on | March 7, 2007 at 5:42 am | 12 Comments
This “Limited/Special Edition” CD thing is getting out of hand. I went to Best Buy yesterday to get the new Arcade Fire album Neon Bible. (Yes, I know it’s available on eMusic, but a group like AF really needs the full dynamic range to be appreciated, not a neutered MP3 file.) While there, I was confronted with the normal version or the Deluxe Edition for a few dollars more*. I knew there was a DE out, but I failed to properly do my research and find out how it was different. And of course the box doesn’t say. I figured there must be some additional songs, or maybe an extra disc with some videos or (hope against hope) surround or hi-rez versions of the songs. So I bought it. But no. From what I can tell, it has the exact same disc as the standard version. The same 11 tracks. No bonus tracks. It’s in a box with a lenticular cover instead of a jewel case – big whoop. And there are two small “flip books” included, which might hold a few minutes interest for a 7-year old. I really wish I’d done my research on that. Oh well.
Maybe I should’ve just gone with eMusic after all…
Latre.
* – I remembered from the weekend flyer that BB was advertising the discs on sale, with the standard version for $9.99 and the DE for $11.99. But of course when I got there, the discs were thrown in the new release rack with stickers on them for the non-sale prices ($12.99 and $16.99). No indication at all about the sale prices other than the sign above the rack saying “$9.99 and up“. This is about par for my sub-par local Best Buy, which despite being in a new, bigger building, has worse customer service and worse selection than it did in the old building across the street. I had to actually go to the checkout counter to check the price. Now is that any way to run a business and sell CDs? I bet they would’ve sold lots more if they had some indication of the actual price.
P.S. Yes, we all love all the angsty-ness of Arcade Fire, but for the ultimate downward spiral, you can’t beat self-proclaimed antichrist Britney Spears.
Comments
12 Responses to “Buyer Beware”
March 7th, 2007 @ 11:46 am
And the moral is: Don’t go to Best Buy. They hacked me off ten years ago and I haven’t been back since. That’ll show ‘em.
March 7th, 2007 @ 1:27 pm
Funny – that’s how I feel about Circuit City.
March 7th, 2007 @ 1:52 pm
And actually, I do have to give props to the Geek Squad at the local Best Buy. Last week, a guy there diagnosed the bad power supply on my dad’s PC and didn’t charge me. And then I went to CompUSA and bought the new power supply there, since it was cheaper. I’m evil.
(And yes, I know when a power supply is bad. However, this breakdown was weird, as it was still partially working and supplying power to some components but not all.)
March 7th, 2007 @ 2:27 pm
I downloaded the AF album from eMusic yesterday. I just love the instant gratification and not having to go to a store. What do you think of the CD? Several of the reviews I’ve seen have compared it to Bruce Springsteen, which is not a comparison I would have thought of, but it does have a certain Boss-like majesty & grandeur, I suppose. So far it’s my 3rd fave album of the year, after Dynamico and Kristin Hersh’s Learn to Sing like a Star.
March 7th, 2007 @ 2:39 pm
What do you think of the CD?
Haven’t listened to the Arcade Fire yet. I’m really backlogged, and haven’t listened to the stuff I got last week yet. Although I finally listened to the Chris Brown CD today and I really like it!
March 7th, 2007 @ 6:18 pm
Ahh, symmetry. CC is the place that I will go
March 7th, 2007 @ 6:19 pm
Frak! Which damn metatags work in this thing ?!?
March 7th, 2007 @ 9:17 pm
BillF: Not those ones. Anyway: I’ll probably buy the AF thingy (although not the “special” edition, as my new financial advisor Flasshe has cautioned me that it’s a poor investment), because as much as I like eMusic’s price, I also like packaging (cue Lala.com aardvark wars) and having a clue what’s going on on the CD in terms of who’s playing, etc. Of course, not all CDs provide such info – but if there were one thing that would make eMusic even cooler, it’d be including even a text file that included the same credits as on the CD. Probably won’t happen – it’s a lot easier to rip digital files than to scan text – but hey, dreaming is free, as the great philosopher Deborah Harry once said.
March 8th, 2007 @ 2:33 am
You had a GOOD experience with Geek Squad? You should really let them know, I understand they’ve always wanted to find out what a satisfied customer looks like…
And as for bigbox retail, both Circuit City AND Best Buy are evil (CC moreso) but then I live in a place with Fry’s Electronics stores, so I have the luxury of avoiding both.
March 8th, 2007 @ 5:35 am
I’ve gotten taken for a few of those “special editions” for a few extra bucks. I hate it when they later re-release the same album with the bonus tracks or DVD later. Where’s the love for the true fans that shelled out money when it first came out?
March 8th, 2007 @ 6:48 am
Frak! Which damn metatags work in this thing ?!?
Standard HTML, bubablah.
March 8th, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
Standard HTML, bubablah.
Sorry, I’ve been posting on oddball non-HTML-enabled boards so much I forgot the real HTML tags. I grovel in ignorance.