Kid in a Candy Store
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As stand-up comedians love to tell us, men and women are different. No one in their right mind would debate this fact, and one of the clearest differences between the sexes is in how they shop. Women can go out for hours and "shop;" men prefer to get in, get out, and get on with their lives. That is, of course, unless the store sells one of two things: hardware/tools or electronics.
See, men are tinkerers, builders, amateur scientists: every one of us. It’s in our genetic make-up. That’s why we play with Legos (and not only while we’re kids!). It’s why we create explosions in the basement with chemicals from under the kitchen sink. It’s why we build an actual miniature cannon for, of all things, a Geometry project, and enlist our father to assist us in test firing it. It’s why we doggedly pursue a lifelong quest to build a working hot-air balloon. But all of our maniacal quests require things to make them work: tools, explosives, electronic fuses, wires, computer hardware. And last night, I finally visited the Mecca of male stores: Fry’s.
Now, I have been a big fan of Best Buy for a long time. it’s a great place to go hang out for awhile, just to browse through DVDs and take a look at the electonics and computer stuff. I also enjoy an occasional jaunt to Home Depot or Lowe’s, though I am not as mechanically inclined as some of my friends. But lately, I’ve begun to notice that Best Buy is really aimed at the amateur computer/electronics enthusiast, and while that was certainly a description of me at one point in time, I tend to think of myself as much more of a professional enthusiast now.
In the past, when I’ve needed pieces of equipment that I can’t get at Best Buy, I’ve tried Radio Shack if I’m really pressed for time. The prices are expensive, though, and the selection is pretty limited, especially for computer internals, so often I’ll just get things online. Last night, though, after tinkering all day on my three desktop computers, I realized I needed some internal computer power cable splitters, and I was not in the mood to wait a week for shipping. So I went online and found the nearest Fry’s location. I’d never actually been there, though I had heard rumours of it’s coolness from other geeks over the years.
I knew as soon as I arrived that I was in the right place. The parking lot was less than half full late on a Saturday evening, and in the far corner of the vacant area, a motley crew of guys were flying their RC planes in the near-dark Puget Sound evening. I smiled, because I knew that this was the place for me.
I was not disappointed. They had everything I needed, and a lot of stuff I wanted but didn’t have money for. I’m kind of glad I didn’t get everything I wanted, though. Now I have an excuse to go back. :-)
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