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but probably even less likely to be found at a garage sale.
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Yeah, but at the fleamarkets you never know... I have seen things come out of company and home cleanouts you would never believe... Often times with newer items it is that the item was bought for a one off project which never transpired, or given as a gift from some client or prospective reseller trying to gain an account with the company or was something in mid transit that the company was selling to the client that most likely was an unusual sale for them.
Even if it the company didn't close, stuff like that can often just get thrown out by a manager or given to whoever is passing by in the office that day... That is how I got my first DVD player (a few weeks after they were released in the US).
All you'd need for the M8 is some dumb CFO that decides to buy it while at a conference on web design or something (Read Caribbean vacation) and sends it to the local office's IT staff. He was told how his company could save money on web design if his own staff used X inventory software and photographed its own products. And marched into the first high end camera shop and purchased whatever was most expensive and trendy. Of course what he didn't realize was that the entire company, from the warehouse to marketing accessed the inventory via a custom frontend with the database stored on a Novell server. And using the new software would require buying new equipment and revamping the whole setup. Also the photos are taken, for free, from the distributors...
So after a week or so of hair being pulled out the local manager says, "I'll just tell the %&$(head we are doing it his way and we'll keep things as they are. He's to stupid to know the difference anyway". The camera sits around for six months in the managers office while three guys from IT drool over it hoping they can snag it. In the end the manager gives it as a gift to Mary, at the front desk, because he is trying to get into her pants. They wind up dating for three months til Mary finds out the manager is sleeping with Sarah from data entry. Shortly after splitting up with the manager Mary gives the camera -still unopened- to her friend Joan that sets up at the market once a month to sell for it. Joan says she'll research a good price for it, which involves opening the current Best Buy catalog and looking at the prices for 10 megapixel cameras. Deciding that new prices seem to be about $150 for name brands, and she has never heard of Leica, she knocks off $50 for it not being new, and another $25 since it is an off-brand.
While glancing briefly at the stuff she is unloading from her overstuffed Celica I notice the unopened box and curse myself for having just spent everything I had in my wallet on Mobile Fidelty Lab pressings of Abbey Road, Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Peppers. Knowing that it is going to be a couple grand I don't kick myself too much but decide to ask the price for @#$%'s and giggles. When the $75 pricetag is revealed I try to not show my excitement, as well as not passing out from the lack of oxygen as I didn't breath for a full minute. After asking if she could hold it for a few minutes and finding out I don't like her very much I walk away and then run as fast as I can to the nearest dealer-friend of mine in the next row to borrow the cash off of. After sprinting back to her stand I find she is putting the camera in a bag for a guy that just talked her down to $50 since he can't register the warranty for the camera without a receipt.
Disappointed I return home, my only solace is getting to listen to one of my new albums. While prepping my table I find that someone has messed with the tone arm and snapped off the needle on my Shure V15 mk III cartridge. I then go to the kitchen, find a bottle of Nyquil, take a couple swigs, and with pillow in hand go to the couch and watch a rerun of M*A*S*H til I eventually pass out... Life, don't talk to me about life...
-MJ