First off let me just say I know that just because I think a certain way does not mean that is the right way or that most people think that way. OK, got that out of the way!

Earlier today (02-21-2007) I went with a coworker to the Staples on Dale Mabry near I-275 at lunch because he wanted to get a 1-gig xD Memory Card for his camera, they have them on sale for $14.98 with no rebate. That is a very good price, I was thinking of getting an SD Card for my Dell AXIM or an extra card for our Nintendo Wii.

Neither one of us had ever been to that Staples before so we had no idea where to go for it other than the computer area. Turns out they keep it next to the cameras, no big thing. Anyway we find the slot on the shelf for the xD Card, and of course they are out of them. However there is a sign that says you can order them online at Staples.com in the store at a kiosk and get free shipping or something like that. Before we go look for the kiosk we ask a clerk at the front if they give rain-checks for memory cards, her answer was "maybe" said with much disgust. Hey, sorry you do not like your job, but don't take it out on me, not to mention she did not answer the question.

We look around and of course the kiosk is in the back of the store, after some fumbling with the setup we find the xD Memory Card, but when you try and add it to the basket, you get an out of stock error and it will not let you place the order.

So we go up front and ask this other guy how can you order when the sign on the aisle says you can but the order page says out of stock. He gives an answer that made no sense, seriously NO SENSE at all! It would be like asking someone what the time is and them replying "go downtown and give a dead flower to the first person you see with a Fez on".

By this point trying to order is more of a badge of courage than anything else, we both know there is no way it will work. However we give it another shot, this time we search for the xD Memory card by item number instead of using the link on the sales page. We find it and add it to the basket, so far so good. Then we try and check out, you need to have an account to order. No problem, we fill out the information and create the account, are we taken to the check out page, no, of course not. Now we are forced to log in again using the sparkling new account that was just created.

Now we are logged in and ready to place the order, but wait! On the final page the item has disappeared, but there is a -$16 coupon still in the basket, so with shipping (wait, shipping is not free??) the Grand Total for the order was -$8.05.

Let me say it again, the Grand Total for the order was -$8.05...it boggles the mind.

I suggested that he go ahead and submit and see if Staples would be dumb enough to credit him for -$8.05. Sadly he did not, one other thing, if you do not sign out manually, the next person could use your account to place an order, so I am not sure how safe this kiosk thing they have going is. You have to click the “logout” link, but  your User Name is still in there and since the User Name is your email address it is there for the world.

So after 30 minutes we left Staples, no xD Memory Card, no order placed on the internet, and certainly no good feelings.

When we got back to the office I went online and tried to place an order for one, the first time I did the program allowed me to place the xD Card into my basket and of course I had to sign up for an account, sigh.

Once I signed up, miracles never cease, the shopping cart said out of stock and took it out of my basket, I tried to recreate it for some screenshots, but this time it let me keep it in my basket, I even went to the end of the order and just had to submit before I stopped and logged out.

I do have a few shots that are silly:

Here is the basic advertisement, notice how the popup window does not mention anything but SD Memory Cards, I was brave and clicked it anyway!

This took me to a page that had all three memory types on it; Compact Flash, xD and SD. Fair enough. Not sure what shopping list is so I clicked it, it just makes a shopping list for you to print out to take with you to the store, OK, I guess that might be handy.

Anyway, since this might be for me I click the SD "Buy Online" link and instead of going to WHAT I WANT I am sent to a page that has all the SD SanDisk stuff like USB Drives and SD Memory Cards. Why can't they send me to the page that has what I want to buy? There are 9 items on the page, what if someone not that familiar with this sort of thing was going to order this for me as a gift, what do you think the odds are that they would get the wrong thing?

Why do companies make it so hard to buy their stuff? Going to Staples today I found:

• Employees rude and not very helpful.
• Employees did not know how to answer simple questions.
• Despite walking by many employees with a clueless look on our faces as we searched, not one asked us if they could help.
• Employees not able to communicate in a manner that is relevant.
• Signs hanging that say one thing but store policy seems to be another.
• Website that allows you to order that which is not available, only to tell you after you jump through hoops you can not order it.
• Website that does not offer an obvious way to protect your identity when using a public kiosk.
• Website that actually allows a NEGATIVE VALUE at checkout.
• Website that does not take me to what I want to buy, but rather gives me options I do not want or at worst will confuse me into buying that which I do not need,

Look at the above, if you are doing any of these things to your customers, you need to change how you do business. Big companies like Staples can survive on low prices alone, if you are a small business owner, you can not, you have to have an edge and that should be superior shopping experiences.