Geek Squad

This is where consumerism gets to me. Maybe this isn’t exactly consumerism, but this story from the Consumerist about Geek Squad is what really makes me sick about corporate America.

5. Every store meeting, it’s crammed down our throats to upsell, upsell, upsell.

“Offer a cleaning”, “Attach anti-virus install”, and “Everyone needs a data backup!” are just some of the crap they tell us. While we realize that the majority of the people who use a computer are capable of pressing “Next” on the Norton Anti-Virus install window, we are constantly pressed to “persuade” the customers to purchase these services. Yes, data backups, cleanings, and software installs ARE things the average consumer can do, so if you are offered these services, always remember you CAN say “no”.

I guess consumerism really refers to the customer buying and buying, but the big companies are pushing it on people. Yes, you can say no, but when the focus of corporate America shifts from selling relevant services and good products to trying to sell whatever crap they have in order to make a buck, there is something wrong with that. I still agree with a lot of Heath and Potter say in The Rebel Sell, but I wish they would have addressed this side of it.