Mac Mini M4 on sale

TidBITS Talk
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Micro Center has the base M4 Minis on sale for $449. It’s been that price since early July and I don’t know how much longer it will last.

I saw this come across my screen a few weeks ago and didn’t look into it further as the stores near me are still 2 hours away. Feasible but not sure I wanted to take the time.

While I was researching docks and looking at pricing in general over the weekend, I found a post that said to buy at Best Buy and have them price match.

This is what I found: Best Buy does do price matching but only at specific stores. And Micro Center is one of them.

The fine print I didn’t know:
Best Buy requires you to have an account AND sign up for their program. There is a free level and a pay level. I’m not sure exactly what the program is since I never got signed up for it because of the phone issue below.

My phone was attached to another name when I did a pickup for someone years ago. They managed to get me through that but it took 45 minutes, a chat and two phone calls. And I still think my phone number is attached to that other account.

You can apparently get a price match after you buy something but I did it as I bought. They sent me an invoice to pay. (and I picked up the machine so it was legit)

The money saved goes to my cables, adapters and dock so I’m happy about that.

In a nod to history, most of us probably remember the days when you bought at MSRP but a few resellers would give extra ram or other bonuses at the same price.

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Why buy from Best Buy if Micro Center has the best price?

Micro Center is one of the last remaining chains that specializes in computers and electronics, including an large section of Apple gear and support for hobbyists and maker-space projects with people on staff who can actually help you make intelligent decisions.

While Best Buy is a corporate big-box store with employees that don’t know anything other than how to ring up a sale.

I know who I’d rather give my business to.

(I do recognize that Micro Center only has 30 physical stores, and you may prefer shopping in person. Fortunately, one of those 30 stores is only an hour away from where I live.)

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That’s funny. I too think that Micro Center is great, but I rarely go there because one of those 30 stores is 30 minutes away from where I live.

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I would have loved to but it’s a 2 hour drive each way for me. The sale is in-store only, had they included online orders I would have done that.

I couldn’t justify 4 hours round trip - and I’d probably spend an hour walking around the store.

You can’t pay me enough to deal with traffic near NYC or LI. Which is why I’ve never gone to BH Photo either (but I buy from them often)

I considered Cambridge but same thing with distance and traffic. If they were in CT or Springfield up to Northampton, I would have done it.

All the stores near me are in cities which is another strike between traffic and parking.

I agree with supporting businesses like that and encourage it if you can, but I couldn’t in this case.

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Darn! That’s an excellent price. Been looking to moving from my M1 Mini (extremely reliable machine) to the M4 Mini, but the closest Micro Center store to me (I’m just south of Seattle) is in Santa Clara, CA.

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