[caveman]

My son is making a visit to NY in the new year. Where is the best place for him to pick up an iRiver H340. BTW we are Brits, we did see a mega store recommended on another forum but cannot trace it.

 

[davidd]

best buy probably. and also not sure if this also applies to the h340, but the h320 is only $250 after rebates (50 instant, 30 mail-in)

 

[Slow_aetk]

Btw mail-in rebate will work only with US residents

 

[caveman]

I read of a huge shop / store sold all kinds of electrical goods. They also were the best prices, but I cannot find the thread. Any store recommendations?

 

[GSTom1]

If your son is staying in Manhattan, the four biggest retailers to try are Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA and J&R Music World.

Best Buy has a store in Chelsea on the SE corner of Sixth Avenue and 23rd Street.

Circuit City is located at the south end of Union Square (next to the Virgin Megastore) on the SW corner of Fourth Avenue and 14th Street

CompUSA has two locations: Fifth Avenue & 37th Street and Broadway & 57th Street.

J&R is a large downtown music and electronics retailer. They are a series of stores located on Park Row across from City Hall.

Another place I like to go to is a small Jewish electronics store on the Lower East Side called Etronics. Sometimes their prices can be pretty good. They are locate on 37 Essex Street and also have a website:

Etronics.com

CHEERS!

 

[caveman]

Thanks for the info.

 

[bundee1]

Sometimes the salespeople at J&R are jerks but for the most part are knowledgeable. Best Buy salespeople suck, while Circuit City has the best return policy. If you know exactly what you want and cant be swayed by BS any of the stores mentioned above are OK. I trust JandR the most though.

 

[Sweet Spot]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bundee1 Sometimes the salespeople at J&R are jerks but for the most part are knowledgeable. Best Buy salespeople suck, while Circuit City has the best return policy. If you know exactly what you want and cant be swayed by BS any of the stores mentioned above are OK. I trust JandR the most though.

I'll have to disagree on two counts there. For one, J&R guys are NOT knowledgeable. They're wolves after the commission and love to throw the "pod" word around left and right as if it's the only DAP in existence. Any time I've ever gone in there, some shiesty salesman was trying their best to get a handle on the ins and outs of the iPod, whilst totally ignoring the needs of the person requesting advice. That's when *I* usually step in, and totally RUIN their commission chances ! I DO agree that Circuit City and Best Buy sales people suck as well, and by proxy, even more than J&R guys because they have absolutely no sense of urgency, being that there are tons of sales people on the floor all the time.

Secondly, I do NOT trust the J&R guys in comparison to the other places mentioned because of the fact that they HAVE to BS so much, in order to cover their asses because it's always the same people you have to deal with. (You really have to go deep on that one). ALSO, J&R do NOT have a great return policy, and can give you the run around if you're unlucky enough.

Personally speaking, I'd go for (if you have to go for the big B&M places) either Circuit City (because of their return policy) or if you are willing to PERHAPS spend a bit more (not necessarily though),

do yourself a favour and shop @ B&H photo

Looks like they've got a nice rebate there too. B&H= great customer service.

 

[Slow_aetk]

B&H Photo is also a Jewish store but they have a good reputation at least in the Photo area.

 

[GSTom1]

J&R have a pretty good selection of mp3 players. For example, I have seen the iRiver H340 that you are looking for, but I can’t remember the price. You should go to the mezzanine level above the computer area. That’s where they have all the mp3 players and mini-speaker systems. The electronics department (in another building) also have portable electronics, but not as good a selection as the dedicated mp3 area mentioned previously.

I rarely buy stuff from J&R because I don’t find them to have the best prices. Their strength is that they often have an item in stock before other chain stores or that they have an item in stock while other retailers are sold out. I agree that J&Rs return policy is not necessarily the best. It’s only 14 days compared to 30 days with most other retailers. Also, I think they also charge a restocking fee on some items.

I think your son should go to Best Buy. I have seen the iRiver H340 there and for the most part, the staff is friendly and helpful. They also have a decent “no question asked” return policy (well that’s my experience anyway).

 

[wolfen68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slow_aetk B&H Photo is also a Jewish store but they have a good reputation at least in the Photo area.

The two "jewish store" references seem odd to me...but I'm not a New Yorker so maybe I'm missing something here.....

 

[Slow_aetk]

Well, usually when you enter a store the religion of the owner and staff doesn't show up. There it is more than obvious. This is very specific to NYC as there are many of these stores, mostly electronics. For a visitor like me it is very surprising, its part of the big apple "charm" and I never miss a visit in one of these stores when I go to NYC. It is fun on top of having some very good deals

 

[Davie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfen68 The two "jewish store" references seem odd to me...but I'm not a New Yorker so maybe I'm missing something here.....

B&H is run by orthodox, in fact I believe Hasidic, Jews. Most of the staff are men with beards and side-curls. Also, both B&H and etronics strictly observe the Jewish sabbath so they're both shut well before sundown on Fridays and all day Saturdays -- something to keep in mind if you plan on paying them a visit! I believe J&R used to also be closed on Saturdays, but they're open normal hours now.

B&H is a lot of fun, if slightly out of the way. Etronics is a hole in the wall deep in the heart of the Lower East Side -- but they've got the best prices in town. Asthey recommend on their web site, if there's something in particular you want then call ahead so they can bring it from their nearby warehouse, that way you won't have to wait.

J&R is extremely popular with foreign tourists. It's also conveniently located. Selection is much better than Circuit City or Best Buy. You can actually get mp3 players at two of J&R's many storefronts. I've generally had good experiences with the guys at the Portables location (which is also where you can check out headphones). There's also a bunch of mp3 players in the Computer location on the second floor -- the guys there have generally been rude and unhelpful.

When I was in London last summer it seemed that most of the electronics stores that line Tottenham Court Road were run by south Asians. Seems like electronics tends to be an ethnic niche industry.

 

[bundee1]

I really liked the service at B&H. The salespeople are very helpful. I went to buy something for my cheapo digital camera and the guy suggested a cheaper and faster option.

I have had good experiences with JandR salespeople and if you buy a couple of things from them you can bargain their prices down a little. I bought a couple of dvd players from one of them and the guy gave me 10% off. Eh, it covered the tax.

 

[PYROTAK]

personally i alwasy loved jandr.

since you can haggle and get a good deal.