POS, or at the bar

No, not what you're thinking. Here, "POS" abbreviates "point of sale." As in, where you go to buy cameras.

I hate the camera bar. Or, as I've described it elsewhere, the "camera anchorage." That semi-circular tier of cameras on display, where every camera is attached to a weighty metal anchor which, in turn, is cabled to the display.

This is the worst way to experience a camera. You can't tell how a camera feels in your hands if it's bolted to an anchor. You can't tell if it's lightweight or too heavy. And you probably can't tell whether its tripod socket is in a centered position or off to one side.

I want that experience.

More to the point: I want to power up the camera and see if it works as I expect. That means the power connector from the camera bar has to operate. Which it seldom does.

Target, Walmart, BJ's and Best Buy all have a variant of the camera anchorage, and every one I've experienced has electrical issues. Kmart still has cameras in a display case, which requires a sales clerk to extract one. You have a less-than-even chance of finding a sales clerk anywhere in a Kmart.

Can you think of a better reason to consider buying online? If you can't experience the camera without the metal anchor, why bother with noisy ol' Best Barn?

Note to retailers: remember, most purchase decisions take place at the Point of Sale. With the camera bar, you're chasing away customers by spoiling their first interaction with the product they intend to buy. You can set up satellite systems to beam daily specials onto plasma screens in the store, right?

Finding an alternative to the camera bar shouldn't be this difficult.

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