What is the point in having a shop in this day and age ?

So if you worked in a John Lewis store that stokes thousands and thousands of different items you'd know everything there is to know about every single item I guess? They're general retail staff, not specialists. Given your questions you're displaying a level of knowledge well above the average consumer, in which case I would have expected you to have done your own research beforehand (because that's what I'd have done). I don't understand people who walk into a store wanting to spend hundreds of pounds on an item (or more) that don't have the first clue what they're looking for, all the info is at your fingertips, take an hour to find out what you need to know and then go out shopping.

Unless it has changed, many moons ago I did a stint doing work experience in a John Lewis. The staff for each section very much stayed in that section so they had a knowledge about the products. I don't think that expecting a sales assistant to know about the products they are selling is asking too much tbh. If I owned a shop I would ensure they did or they would be out on their ear.

John Lewis is an upmarket superstore not a specialist outlet. If you had been in an independent camera store asking these questions then the I could understand your dismay. The thing is you will be hard pushed to find such a store as the service you are actually looking for cannot be provided along with red ticket pricing that is generally expected. It comes as no surprise that the sales staff couldnt answer your questions just as the guys in Tescos can't answer a question on wine.

Well, what the OP describes is pretty much the reason I order most items from the internet shops. That and the price advantage. For pretty much anything that's small enough to carry in two hands.

On the other hand, when I need to evaluate a product on sound or picture, I do prefer to audition before buying. In that case a brick and morter shop does have its advantage above webshops. That's the way I did it with the hifi. Not with the tv BTW, although for a future tv purchase I'll go to a real shop for the reason I stated above.

... which pretty much echoes the OP's question, if you do your 'homework' and know what you want by the time you go shopping ... why bother going out at all and not just buy online ... ?

I think mega retailers such as Currys (did I spell that right?) and the like, which have a huge assortment of products in brick and mortar stores will be extinct soon. (They did, imho, also have abysmal customer service).

Specialists, as in hifi, will carry on, survive and probably prosper again. There is no substitute for listening to something and whilst some companies offer home trials where you can send the product back if unsatisfactory, many people dont like the perceived hassle associated with it. They on occasions disappear and then re-surface with a proper Distributor. Perhaps all these specialist shops will soon be part of Tesco or another big Brand supermarket but thats another story.

regards

Shop (noun): Somewhere you can return your unwanted online purchases to without having to pay postage.

There are some things that work online, but other than certain ancillaries, Hi-Fi is better bought from a specialist, knowledgeable dealer, who will subsequently give support, advice and back-up.

You only have to see how many threads you get on here, where people have blindly bought 5* products, that have then  proved disappointing.

eggontoast the idea is when you go to places like this you take your tablet or smart phone with you & check the speck online, in the shop, so you don't have to confuse the staff.

Tablets have been selling like hot cakes at chrismas over the last few years.

Judging by your comments on this forum one can read into the conversation which took place with the shop assistant, they probably didn't want your business, some things just aren't worth it. Your rantings on here hasn't put me off from purchasing from John Lewis though .

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