Why I shopped at Gitex

Why I shopped at Gitex

Gitex Shopper was perfectly tailored to make you spend money: it had fancy gizmos, dedicated sales teams, and a plethora of money-saving offers.

October 27, 2009 2:13 by Aarti Nagraj

Most of the stalls were full, and those promising free gifts were packed beyond capacity. It was difficult to even move in many places and I really pitied the tiny children who were being dragged along with their families across the venue.

Having wandered around a bit, I entered the Jumbo stall, and checked out the Macbook Pro. While the 13 inch laptop came at the same price, the 15 inch laptop with the 2.53 GHZ configuration cost AED8,499. There was no price reduction, but they were offering an HP color printer; a copy of Parallel – a software that allows you to jump between windows and Mac operating systems; a two-year warranty-one international, and one local; and a number of accessories. The salesman insisted that it was the best deal that I could get, and I was starting to believe him.

After promising to return, I went hopping to other stalls, looking for some better bundle offers. Sadly, i2 was the only other exhibitor offering the Macbook Pro (even big names like Jacky’s, Sharaf DG didn’t have it) and the offer there included a Digital photo frame, and some smaller accessories. The stall did not have the 15 inch Macbook Pro with the 2.53 GHZ configuration, and the young sales guy there seemed uncertain if they would get it.

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Tags: buy, crowds, Deals, Dubai, electronic goods, Gitex Shopper, laptop, Macbook Pro

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4 Comments

Karthik on October 27, 2009 2:51 pm

Congratulations! on your new Mac Book Pro. It’s worth every penny spent
Jasmine on October 28, 2009 6:56 am

Bravo! You actually picked it up! I’ve been thinking of getting a Mac desktop for quite a while now, and went to Gitex to either pick that up; or a new iPhone 3Gs.
Honestly though, after some basic research, I was so frustrated with the crowds and the smells, I just could not make myself buy anything. A friend mentioned the possibilies of getting faulty/faux products due to bulk buying that was taking place and I was out of there in minutes.
P.S. – Did you see the food court? It was HORRENDOUS!
John on October 28, 2009 8:19 am

oh…yeah…u were right….

i just went to look around and ended up buying a Lenova netbook from Jackys….eventhough my Office laptop and the home Laptop were just fine….

The reason…freebies!!

- External HDD
- HP Printer
- Anti-virus SW
- Cooling pad
- Headset
- Mouse
- Backpack
- Netbook Sleeve

Dunno whether it was worth it….

GITEX Shoppers was well-packaged to sell….i guess…

Everyone seem to be buying Laptops
Rohan on October 29, 2009 1:12 pm

This Gitex was a perfect way to make a fool of the patrons who visited. I draw your attention to the Blackberry offer, where they were offering a Blackberry Storm free on purchase of a Black Berry Curve. All this for a AED 2250. Interesting !! .Hell Yeah ! .What they offered you was a one month free service of BIS( Blackberry Etisalat Services) on your existing number plus the number they hand you over. Alas till this date the service has not started for me and I am sure this is the plight of 100 others who have opted for the same. When contacted plug ins ( the retailer), they pass the buck on Etisalat and vice versa.

The Gitex was nothing short of sham and a way to fool consumers by retailers like Plug ins and telecom operator Etisalat. Anyone having the similar experience are invited to pen thier angst.