When you Need em ask Neadom: retail PC

Welcome to "When You Need 'Em, Ask Neadom." Today's question is from a CEO looking to buy a new computer but not sure whether to go to a big-box retail store.

Why You Shouldn't Buy a Business PC from Retail Stores

I'm a business owner and I want to buy a new computer. Why shouldn't I just go to the big-box retail store?

You could do that. The problem with the big-box guys is that they have a lot of consumer-based products. What they have is really meant for the homeowner, not necessarily the business owner.

Even though it has the same speed, memory, and processor, it's mainly consumer-grade—not for business.

Exactly. When you buy a computer from the big-box guys, they have to keep the cost down for the consumer. Nobody wants to spend $1,200 on a computer for their house. But if you're in a business, a commercial company is willing to invest the money to make sure the computer lasts a long time.

Typically, what you're getting in the retail space is a computer that the manufacturer is only willing to warranty for about a year. Whereas when you buy computers directly from the manufacturer, and it's meant for business, or you buy it from an IT company working directly with the manufacturer, you get warranties that are three to five years long.

So what you end up getting is just an overall better product. The warranties are really the big piece. If you buy from big-box guys like Best Buy, Walmart, or Office Depot, when you buy the warranty, you get the retailer's warranty.

If there's a problem with the computer, guess what? When it breaks, you have to pack it up, unplug everything, put it in your car, drive to the store, take it out, and get them to fix it. You could be without a computer for two to three days, or even up to three weeks if they have to ship it off.

Especially if you're in the middle of something like a big proposal—we know that in business, time is money.

Absolutely.

What Exactly Is Bloatware?

After the warranty, let's talk about the parts and everything inside. There are better parts in business-grade computers. Also, manufacturers install bloatware on retail computers.

Think about it—manufacturers want to keep computer costs down. They install cheaper components and also need another way to subsidize the cost. So they get companies like Microsoft, McAfee, Norton, and Adobe to install software on the products that they can advertise to your customer.

Your customer just bought a brand-new computer that needs an antivirus program, Office, Excel, Outlook—free trials.

Sure, the free trial. But if it's already installed, who's first to the game? The software companies are paying the manufacturers to install software on the computer to keep the cost down. Thus, you end up with a bunch of junk on the computer, which slows it down.

So there are really three things: the warranty, the equipment type, and bloatware. Those are the main reasons I don't like to buy computers from big-box retailers.

Outro

We really appreciate you giving us guidance on whether to buy from retail or directly from the manufacturer or IT reseller. You answered our question—thank you!

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