Are you due for a new phone? Rather than going to a carrier store, why not check out a retail store such as Best Buy, RadioShack, or Walmart? At these chains you can shop for a phone and choose service from various carriers.
RadioShack sells phones from AT&T, Sprint, T -Mobile, and Nextel; you can also buy contract-free phones from Virgin Mobile. In July, RadioShack announced a partnership with Target, in which Radio Shack will build kiosks with the Bullseye Mobile brand in Target stores; the companies plan to install 1700 kiosks through 2011. Customers will have a choice of phones and service plans from AT&T, T -Mobile, and Verizon Wireless.
Walmart sells phones with plans from the Big Four carriers (AT&T, Sprint, T -Mobile, and Verizon), plus no-contract phones through its Straight Talk program. Straight Talk has a decent selection of entry-level phones from manufacturers like LG and Samsung, but the ultra-cheap service plans are the real highlight. For example, a no-contract, six-month plan for unlimited minutes and text messaging is $270 ($45 a month). A similar plan prepaid from Verizon is $95 a month, while one from T-Mobile is $50 to $70 a month.
Comparison Shopping
A big advantage of buying a phone or a tablet from a third party is that you can choose from dozens of phones from multiple carriers. If your contract is up and you can't decide between, say, AT&T's iPhone 4 and the T-Mobile MyTouch 4G, you can compare the two in the store. You can't do so at a carrier store, because those phones are on different networks.
If you’re in the market for a tablet, Best Buy and Walmart are selling iPad models alongside the Android-based Samsung Galaxy Tab. Using and comparing these two tablets side by side is crucial if you're thinking about investing in one, since they have very different operating systems and designs. You could do the same thing at the AT&T store (which sells both tablets) or the Verizon store (which sells the Wi-Fi version of the iPad as well as the Galaxy Tab), but in those cases you would be limited in the choice of service plans.
Customer Support
Like carrier stores, the chain retail stores have programs and resources to ensure customer satisfaction and support. For example, when you sign a two-year contract, Best Buy offers the free Happy 24 program, which provides how-to videos, exclusive offers, automatic upgrade notices, free syncing services, accessory tips, and more. RadioShack's Trade and Save program lets you turn in your old phone and receive a gift card for its value.
These stores also sell phones on their respective Websites, but it is recommended to give a phone call in person before buying it. Given the variety of devices you have access to in one of these brick-and-mortar stores, why not put a few phones through their paces before settling on one?
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