PhotonStopper

The local Apple Store (Westlake, Ohio)  just refused to sell me one of their ( $29 !) accessory adapters tax-exempt “unless purchased with a computer!” My local government agency forbids us to pay sales tax on any purchase made for the agency; it upsets the state auditors. The store manager (and Apple policy?) represented their own retail practices as Ohio Sales Tax law and tried to convince me he was correct. He repeatedly said, “we checked; it’s Ohio law!” Is this what they do to prevent “small” tax-exempt sales from taking up too much sales staff time? If the manager or some other staffer would have just made the sale, it would have taken way less time (and cost less) than our extended discussion about whether the “not accessories” rule originates with the state of Ohio or with Apple, Inc.! What might actually speed customer interaction is installing an old-fashioned cash register with a person to run it; I didn’t need to consult with a sales person, I just wanted to pay for a little adapter and be on my way! Store policy made that impossible. So what’s the point in us shopping at our local Apple Retail Store for accessories when I’ll have to go to Target, or Best Buy, or order online from CDW-G? The exchange took an otherwise pleasant visit to their shiny store and flushed it down the toilet. Bought the darned thing at the local (Ohio) Best Buy using my store-issued tax-exempt card, no problem… there.