It’s most likely true you study the electronics products you intend to purchase before you buy them. You read web site reviews, watch a demonstration video of it if available, and maybe even print out a sheet with some notes before heading to the store.

You expect, as you should, the employee you encounter who will sell you the item to know the product line.

But there are times when this doesn’t happen. You encounter an employee who knows next to nothing about what he or she is selling. And that’s not helpful at all.

Here are 5 things you can do to make your tech shopping experience at electronics retailers more pleasant – even if you encounter the dopiest of employees.

1. Get the SKU of the item you want first.

Big-box electronics stores all live and die by the SKU because they carry so much product that it’s very difficult to make heads or tails of what’s in stock – unless you have the SKU.

2. Call before going.

Before going to the store, call. When on the line, ask if the SKU is in stock. If it isn’t, you just saved yourself from wasting gas.

Note: For clearance items and/or overstock, don’t be surprised if you hear an "I don’t know". Sometimes items slated for special sales are treated differently in the system and cannot be immediately looked up.

3. Dress for the occasion.

Dressing "corporate casual" will get you more personal attention once at the store. Appearance matters.

4. Don’t engage in small talk.

You’re trying to be nice, so you try to spark up a conversation with the employee you encounter. But dopey employees couldn’t care less about you. If you suspect the employee is dopey, can the small talk and stay on target with what you want to buy.

5. Go armed with a memo pad that has the SKU written down.

You already called beforehand and received confirmation your item is in stock, however it’s not over yet. Write that SKU down on memo pad and bring it with you. If you cannot find the item on the shelf, find an employee, hand the paper to them and politely ask if they have that particular SKU.

This is not a rude thing to do and in fact makes it easier for the employee to find what you want to buy. Even the dopiest of employees know what a SKU is and how to look one up.

Many (and I mean many) PCMech readers buy stuff online. In fact, a fair amount of them shopped online during the “bad old days” in the pre-2005 era. Continued

NewEgg (a favorite online computer retailer for many PCMech readers) is one of the best places to save a buck when buying computer hardware and get access to the stuff that’s not on the shelf at major retail.

Each month NewEgg updates its Customer Choice Awards that show off some of the best-rated hardware – by customers. If you were looking to upgrade some of your computer hardware you might want to check this out. Even if you decide not to buy from NewEgg you’ll still get to see what people think of specific hardware and why people rate it so highly (in the form of customer reviews).

For the month of July ‘08, some of the winners include a 22-inch monitor by Samsung, OCZ memory, a Canon PowerShot camera and several others. Be sure to check it out.