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I Bought a Label Maker (But I Paid TOO MUCH!)
By JLP | August 9, 2006
I got tired of all my hand-written file labels and broke down and bought a label maker. I bought a Brother P-Touch (Model PT-1950) at Office Depot. I paid over $75 for mine after tax. Then, tonight I see the same model for $43.99 at Amazon WITH free shipping. This makes me feel really stupid!
The problem is, I already opened and used my label maker and I wouldn’t feel right trying to take it back to Office Depot for a refund. So, I’m thinking about ordering the one from Amazon and taking it back to Office Depot when it comes in.
What do you guys think? Will my plan work? I don’t want to get stuck with two of them but I hate the fact that I paid $30 too much. Is there a flaw with my plan?
Topics: Miscellaneous | 9 Comments »
August 9th, 2006 at 3:11 am
I wouldn’t do it. There would be the possibility that they would figure it out. You would be stuck with 2 and could possibly be charged criminaly with fraud, theft and or intent to defraud the store.
Mark it as a lesson learned to be more careful with your research before making the purchase.
One thing does O. D. have a policy of matching an advertised price within 30 days of your purchase, like some stores do? If so I would go that route. If not as I said mark it up as a lesson learned.
August 9th, 2006 at 7:27 am
I’ve done this before and not had any problems. The key is to make sure it’s the exact same item so the barcode matches.
August 9th, 2006 at 7:42 am
How about take the honest route and just keep the one you bought. You paid for the convienence of having it immediately, and you will waste $30 in time and effort performing this scheme.
August 9th, 2006 at 8:31 am
Just one point add to Prine of Thrift’s comment: Many stores have a policy of not matching prices that are on-line @ virtual stores. I can understand this policy b/c Amazon can offer a lower price since they do not have overhead costs of an actual store or salespeople. I’m not sure if OD is one of those stores, but I know Best Buy does not honor prices from sites that operate only on the web. It never hurts to try though.
August 9th, 2006 at 10:03 am
Anonymous,
Scheme?
Call me crazy but I don’t see this as being dishonest. I would take back the same brand new model that I purchased.
August 9th, 2006 at 11:00 am
You pay a premium for instant gratification from a brick and mortar store. Of course Amazon costs less — they don’t need to keep hundreds of stores open, keep inventory at all those stores, and have salesmen available to answer questions (though granted the salesmen are often of little value).
You received the benefit of those OD services. Buying the same product at Amazon and returning it to OD smells a little like asking OD to subsidize Amazon.
I guess what I’m saying is that even if the UPC code is the same, the OD “product” and the Amazon “product” are different. The higher OD price includes convenience (of purchase and returning) and help from a salesman.
Having said that, I doubt you’ll be relegated to the seventh level of hell if you do this. Personally, I’d feel guilty about it, particularly since you’ve apparently derived value from the labeller during the period that you’d have otherwise been waiting on UPS to deliever it from Amazon.
August 9th, 2006 at 11:08 am
Thanks for all the comments and input.
I’ll just suck it up and keep the labeler I bought. But, it bugs me to know that I paid $30 for “convenience.” I don’t mind waiting. In fact, I always make my kids order stuff off the internet because 1. they save money, and 2. they learn to control instant gratification. Plus they LOVE getting packages in the mail.
August 9th, 2006 at 1:21 pm
If you have a printer, you don’t need a label maker. You can buy laser printer labels from Avery in many sizes. Costco sells Avery labels as well as the major office superstore chains.
August 9th, 2006 at 1:54 pm
JLP, Ebay it (to some spendthrift) for more than the Amazon price and it could slice some off your $30 overcharge. How much is your time worth? Or you could ask for a price match OR come in w/an Office Depot coupon and ask for an adjustment. (Aren’t you writing it off? That could neutralize some of the pit-in-your-stomach feeling…)
Although Anonymous used “scheme” which has negative connotations, (I could tell your “fur” was up! ) ethically it would be wrong (and I believe columnists who write about ethics would agree) to do the ol’ switch-o-roo. That being said, on countless occasions of my boys’ receiving cruddy (toy) birthday gifts, and not having the benefit of a gift receipt, I have gone to Walmart or Toys R Us to get a refund or an exchange. I don’t feel this is the same situation, since they COULD HAVE purchased the gift there and the store knows what it’s doing with their stated return policy. (Toys R Us has since changed theirs and requires a receipt.) Moral of that story: always give a gift receipt!!
So, I sympathize with the $30 lesson learned, since the same thing happened when I bought a Coleman propane grill for camping at Target for $80, only to see it get down to $20 on clearance…but my receipt had expired. In the grand scheme of war and world suffering, things could be SO much worse–but I know it’s still irritating
Something good will happen soon to balance it all out…just wait and see!