[Steven Lyle Jordan]

As the holidays approach, I imagine there are quite a few people giving serious thought to buying a dedicated ebook reader for a friend or loved one (or themselves). Though I read on a smartphone, I regularly give thought to checking out a dedicated reader that might come in handy on a vacation, or allow me to read magazines, etc. And if I happen to be in a store that carries a reader or two, I may drift over that way to try to check them out.

In most cases, I'm almost sorry I did. The reason is that, in most stores I venture into that have readers, they are rarely displayed in a way that allows you to actually try them out. Many stores just carry dummy displays that show you a simulated display image in a simulated case. Some stores only have boxed products that you can't open until after you buy it. My local Best Buy had 5 readers, but displayed a dummy for one, and nothing but boxes for another. Naturally, the Nook, Kindle and Sony had working devices on display.

When I asked a Best Buy employee about it, I was actually surprised to discover she knew something about the situation. "We originally had a device on display," she told me about one of the less-well-known products. "But some customer broke the screen, so we had to put the dummy up."

In Target, I saw Kindles... all behind a glass case, with nothing on display. I could find no one on the sales floor who could tell me anything about them, and I was not allowed to open a box until I bought it. In other stores I've gone into, it's the same story: They have devices, but nothing you can actually take for a test-drive.

I don't have any interest in being locked into one store or another, and I don't mind using less-well-known devices. But when you can't actually examine them to see how well they work, how likely is it that you'll want to get one for yourself... much less someone else? In many cases, these are devices that people haven't used before (let's face it, the number of ebook readers is still low), and it is important to make sure they are good with the ergonomics and operating aspects of a potential device, which can be very different from device to device. And sure, if you search the web you can probably find reviews on every device. But everyone has different needs, and sometimes, you just need to see--and touch--it for yourself.

Has anyone else found themselves vexed by non-working displays... or no displays or helpful salespeople at all? Do you feel certain stores do these products justice, and are providing good shopping experiences? Do you feel like buying any electronic device is pretty much a crap-shoot? Help out your fellow shoppers here.

(BTW: I didn't buy a reader, and didn't feel particularly interested in getting one.)