Would you pay $25 for this brand new console?

That is Australian dollars and we know everything is MUCH more expensive here.

I went into the local KMart yesterday and saw the console bundle on the shelf. It had a $170 (it was released way back then for $300) price sticker on it, but on the off chance it was wrong (so often they are), I did a scan of it and it read $25. I rubbed my tired eyes, as I have been sick of late, and scanned it again. Then I did it again, just to be sure, as well as read the description VERY CAREFULLY. The bargain of a lifetime I thought - even though I have 2 already, but they are both PSP1000, not the 3000 of this one.

Off to the counter I go and ask the lady to check it on the register for me. Then all of this heads off to crazy town. Another staff member is there and I could see they were extremely tense. One with a stock gun grabs it off her and scans it. Without showing me the screen, she says it isn't on file. To which I tell them it scans at $25 on the price check point. I am then told that it is a mistake and I can't have it for that price and one of them takes it away.

I thought bummer and I am not one for a confrontation so I let it go. I didn't let it go for long though. I spoke to my partner who is less inclined to take guff from shop assistants. She told me that I should still get and then went to get it herself. That ended badly when they told her that I didn't see it for $25 and then promptly ignored her. The worst part about this was they were calling me a liar. Neither were okay with that.

Upon arrival at home, we rang Head Office to complain about our treatment. Whilst non-committal, they said they would get the store manager to contact us. The whole evening went on and more and more I was getting irritated about being called a liar and in fact, that was more important than getting a great bargain. First thing in the morning on my way to work I dropped into the store to see the Store Manager myself. I had no intentions of being beligerent, rather I intended to sway him/her with reason and how offensive all of this was.

I explained to him the back story. Much emphasis was on how rude it was for the staff to call me a liar. He explained to me how the computer kept marking the product down for clearance, but it had been in the storeroom, meaning it was a mistake that someone put it out by mistake. I am a conservative looking person, well spoken and was dressed in smart business attire, so that helped my case. In the end, he wanted to maintain good customer relations so he apologised to me and gave me the bundle for $25.

So now I am the happy owner of a shiny new red PSP at very little cost and it matters little that the Vita is out, as I have about 60 UMD games I will continue playing for years to come. I learned some lessons for the future as well - if I ever find a great bargain like that again, I will not let it leave my hands until they have agrred that the price is right (come on down).