"The Source" is the new name for the chain of Canadian electronic parts stores formerly known as Radio Shack. (There was some dispute between Circuit City and Tandy that required the name change.)
I was in The Source in Semiamho Mall (South Surrey) making time while my wife checked out Boxing Week clothing sales. I overheard a female customer buying a bright pink MP3 player, asking if she could return it. The sales clerk replied, "Yes," but then added this bizzare provisio: "You would only have to pay for a new pair of headphones for sanitary reasons."
I know that electronics stores are deperate for added revenue, and do stunts like charge a restocking fee for returned items. But this is the the most bizzarre "hidden" fee I've heard of -- to date. I am sure there will be other creative methods by stores to extract extra revenue from our pockets.
I wonder how much The Source would charge for the replacement set of headphones. I wonder what they would do if you provided a set you purchased from a dollar store, still sealed in its pkg.
Well, at least you now know to not buy MP3 players at The Source.
I related this story to the returns clerk at FutureShop. He noted that they get back 30-50 MP3 players a day! I asked why; he didn't know. I wonder if people find it too difficult to get music onto the players, and if they find the user interface of the tiny machines too mystifying.
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