[Tfug] WorldCare suggestions?

[Bexley Hall]

Hi, Jeff,

> Take the good with the bad.

Exactly.  This is true of all "retail" establishments.
E.g., I *never* bought anything from Radio Shack while
growing up.  *But*, always dropped in for a free *battery*
(despie the fact that they weren't of very good quality)

> From WC you can get computer peripherals
> such as mice, keyboards, cables, etc for cheap (where
> else can you buy a mouse for $1?).

You can buy mice and many cables (hit and miss) from UofA
auction for $1.

> Their computers are ridiculously overpriced.  So,

Agreed!  Silly to spend $200+ on a "used" computer when
you can buy "new" for a bit more (and get a warranty, etc.)

But, they're trying to balance the effort invested per
dollar recovered vs. effort *remaining* to accomplish their
stated goals.  I.e., time spent preparing a machine for
"sale" is time that is NOT spent preparing machines to
be given away!  So, you want to maximize the amount of
money you receive per machine so you can minimize the number
of machines that you ned to prepare (quite different
business model than a *real* business)

> just don't buy the computer there :)  But, I dunno if
> you've looked at thrift stores lately.  It's hard to even
> find a used computer for sale anymore.

I think most folks discard/recycle old electronics nowadays.
Between the city's recycling effort, worldcare's and other
groups, most of this stuff bypasses the resale market
entirely.  (and, most people think their "old computer"
is broken, too slow, etc. so rarely think of it as
having value)

> Anyhow, I've had success with asking Don to keep an eye
> out for a part.  You might try that.
> 
> BTW, anyone know why that school was sold?

The school wasn't "sold".  The board of ed (TUSD?) still
holds the title.  They lease it to WorldCare.

The building is located directly in DM's flight path
so there was fear of a plane coming down (not likely)
on the school.  The more practical reason is you
can't *hear* when those A10's creep overhead!!
(it's amazing that they can fly that slow!)

--don