Another Day in the Life of Retail Electronics Quiz

Answer: Yes

Sony, RCA, Optimus, Panasonic, and most other stereo equipment (unless you're talking about specialized PA equipment) work the same. Buy freely. Buy often.

Answer: Yes

Typically, fixing corrosion damage wil cost you more than the price of a new phone. It's more cost-effective to buy a new phone.

Answer: No

Remember that this is a retail electronics store--not a carrier. Also remember that Verizon Wireless phones don't have chips like Cingular Wireless phones do. Go ahead and get a new phone with Verizon. They're incredibly inexpensive, and you're going to have to sign a contract anyway.

Answer: False

In order to get a new handset to go with your old base, you'd have to get one that matched your base's frequency *exactly*. That would be WAY more expensive than buying a new cordless phone!

Answer: No

WalMart is cheaper in a lot of product categories. There's a reason for that. There is no training program to allow associates to become knowledgeable enough to answer customers' questions. You get what you pay for. Don't expect to spend your dollars at one store and then ask the associates of another chain to help you for free.

They get paid to sell, and you aren't their customer if you bought it elsewhere.

Answer: False

Radar detectors work by detecting the signal of a radar that has "bounced" off of another car. If there are no cars for miles around you (or other large metal objects), your radar detector doesn't stand a chance of picking up the radar's signal.

Solution: Don't go that fast in the first place.

Answer: Your guess is as good as mine.

How the heck would I know? Television reception varies from ROOM to ROOM within your house! How would I know from my store what channels you'll get at your house? How would I know what kind of interference you'll encounter? Give me a break! Remember that as of June 2009, you won't get any channels in the U.S. unless you have a digital converter.

Answer: A telephone recorder, batteries, and a tape--provided you tell your daughter you will be recording her conversations.

Federal law requires only one person on a conversation to know it's being recorded. However, some states are stricter (remember the Monica Lewinsky/Paula Jones thing?). As long as the father tells his daughter that she's being recorded, the father has done his job.

The daughter doesn't have to tell her friends unless the state requires it (Although she probably should to avoid conversational blunders...).

Answer: No

Rechargeable batteries sit in a package for days to weeks while waiting for you to purchase them. Even if they haven't been used, they cannot hold a charge that long. In addition to that, if someone charged your batteries before packaging them, it would shorten the life of the batteries for you.

Answer: Because I have a social life.

Seriously. Retail stores post their operating hours. In many cases, they have remained the same for years. This means that retail employees expect to leave their stores shortly after their posted closing time and then spend time with their friends and family. Don't be a selfish jerk. Shop during regular business hours and leave when it's time to close unless you need to finish up an actual purchase.

If you chose "Because my company won't let me" you're living in a dream world. Companies will let you spend the night if you're so inclined, and they think they can make a dime off of your stay.