I am big on supporting my local camera stores, just because I’m a nice guy and I hate to see the big bad internet take over the world of retail. I like to be able to go into a store and talk to the people, have them help me out, handle the gear, take some test shots, etc.

But just the other day I experienced the “stereotypical” retail store for the very first time. At least I think, and I hope I’m wrong. I went in to get a memory card; I really needed it for the children’s play I was about to shoot, so I was going to buy one no matter what. But I asked about rebates, and the guy at the counter said they were all over. So I paid ninety-something bucks for a Kingston 133x 4 gig card, which *was* a really good price the last time I checked…

Turns out that from May 1-31 there’s a $30 rebate on that card, and retail should be just $60, making it $30 after the rebate. Ouch! And it looks like I can’t get back in on the rebate, because they’re only for select dealers. So maybe the guy didn’t lie and he was just not up to date, but still, I don’t even work in a camera store and I’m like a walking encyclopedia on camera gear and where / when to buy it… I wish every camera store employee was as geeky as I am about gear, then there could be 100% honesty between us and I could rely on them for all the latest news. At least ONE of us would have looked online and realized the massive difference in the price of that CF card. I’m totally willing to pay an extra 10-15% in order to get an item on-the-spot when I need it, but paying 300% too much is something I don’t want to do on a regular basis.

Moral of the story? Well, I think that unless you’re really on top of your game as far as online / in-store prices are concerned, be careful buying stuff in-store.

Also, lol, if you really need a memory card right now, get a Kingston 133x 4 gig or 8 gig card, they’re SUPER cheap! (the 8 gig has a $50 rebate, knocking $115 to an astonishing $65!!)

Of course if you don’t REALLY need a memory card right now, don’t bother “pouncing on this deal”, because prices only go DOWN and in a few more months prices might be even lower…

Take care,
-Matt-