1. I realized there were other options after I posted. I've worked there too long, and sometimes forget that there's other ways to get computers. :P

2. They're actually a couple of aisles down. But seriously, there's a problem with that: The computers already come with hard drives. So, we'd have to do even more work to take out the hard drive, open a new one, switch the drives, etc. It'd take more time than a format (in which we would set it up and may be able to walk away). Actually, we already do the drive swapping... It's just considered a computer part install; the customer still has to purchase the hard drive (variable price) and pay for the service ($50).

As a Staples retail employee I can tell you that that would not "cost extremely little to implement." There would definitely have to be a charge, to offset the time an employee would have to be away from the sales floor while wiping a computer hard drive.

Also, we make very little (if any) profit on the computers we sell. Often times we sell a computer for lower than we purchased it (at a loss to us). We do this because the profit is gained from the protection plans, services, and peripherals (e.g. laptop bags and software).

And it would "hurt other sales" when that employee isn't there to offer protection plans to customers making purchases.

It'd be more likely that those who would gain from buying a clean computer are the same ones who would just buy or build their own custom computers.

Also, as a side note, I'll bet that most of the customers who decide to buy an OS-free computer are the same ones who will bring that computer in a week later for EasyTech because they botched the install. This isn't to say that there aren't some who would benefit--just that the average user isn't one of them.

This is actually a very good metaphor for what's going on.

I hope you don't mind that I will steal it for use in my own conversations to help me seem more witty and interesting.

I think it's quite obvious that you don't really know what's being changed. VCRs? DVRs? What the hell do they have to do with anything? They'll work fine. They have nothing to do with this switch. Whatsoever. A VCR plugged into an analog TV will still play VHS tapes. And I seriously doubt anyone with a Digital Video Recorder is going to be affected by the switch. VCRs and DVRs aren't going to "receive nothing but static."

And where's this "$100 billion" figure come from?

Oops. Forgot to mention that the download in the link is for the trial (which you can upgrade to a full version after buying the license keys). You can redownload the full game client anytime you choose through the Account Management page of your World of Warcraft Account. This can be done on any computer. Of course, you can use your discs and install them faster, if you want.

It is in fact free to download the client. You can do so here. What you pay for when you buy the game is the license key in the box that you'll then use to create an account. That's the charge. And the seller may toss in a couple bucks depending on where you buy it from.

They do have GMs that act as moderators, but there's no way to monitor 15 million people.

Besides, "behaving like a bot" isn't the problem. When fishing, you appear the same as a bot. The only way to tell would be to watch the player for the duration of their fishing experience--which can be legitimate hours.

They do ban when they spot bots. They ban regularly. The problem is that there's no way to stop the person from making a new account and doing it all over again.

Prt = Portal (A Mage-class player can create portals for other players to use)
2 = to
Org = Orgrimmar (a major city)
1g = 1 gold (currency)

In this case a player is requesting a mage to teleport them to another city, and is willing to pay 1 gold. (Since the latest patch, most portals usually go for 2-5g... sometimes I even get 10g on the Eonar server.)

tbl = Table (A Mage-class player can create refreshment tables for other players)
plz = Please

A party member is asking a mage to create a table that they can use for food that replenishes health and mana.

Ned = Need
1g = 1 gold (currency)

Someone needs money. Usually you'll see this from the lower players asking higher players for money.

rn = run (a process where a higher-level character parties with a lower level character and then proceeds to do a low-level quest or dungeon so that the low-level character can complete a quest or get an item without doing any work)
RFC = Ragefire Chasm (a dungeon for a group of low level characters)
10s = 10 silver (currency... 1g = 100s)

A low level character is asking a presumably higher level character to do the dungeon for them, and is willing to pay 10s. (10s is nowhere near the price anyone would pay for a run. Hell, you'll pick up a few gold in the dungeon...)

Now you know, and can be nerdy like us. Just like us... Just like us... Just like us...