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

As I was trying to make up my mind about whether I was ready to shell out AED8,500, I walked into a stand selling Dell laptops. Showing one of the company’s latest models, Inspiron 11z, the sales girl told me that they were selling like hot cakes. She didn’t have the exact numbers, but said that they had sold around 40 pieces that day, and suspected that the model on display was the last one they had.

Another stand nearby selling Sony Vaios also seemed to be doing well; the salespeople kept advertising that the models would have the new Windows 7 operating system, and the laptops on display were constantly changing hands.

Although I delayed my decision for a long time, the exhibition atmosphere seemed extremely conducive to buying; most people were carrying huge bags, and the whole place gave you the feeling that you can’t get better deals elsewhere.

So, after spending three hours in a loud, packed exhibition hall, I retraced my steps to the Jumbo stall, where after rejecting the printer and bargaining with the sales guy vigorously, I finally bought a Macbook Pro for AED8,374. They had run out of the Parallel software, so instead gave me a Fujitsu carry case along with a mouse and a headset.

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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.