I have visited SLT a few years back and bought a w...

I have visited SLT a few years back and bought a whole heap of electronic components such as Raspberry Pi's, arduinos and bunches of LEDs, cables and other IC's. It was the place to go when buying a TV, hi-fi and computer goods. There was always something there on every corner that would grab your attention as either being "wow, cool" or a deal that was unbeatable on a must have item.

Sadly it has been bought out by a couple of owners who practically own all of the stores bar a few. This means that 90% of all the stores are identical and are pedalling the same crappy LED fans and low quality USB cables etc etc, ad nauseum. On par with the scourge of Oppo phone shops occupying 90% of floor space in most specialist "tech centres" in SE asian countries to give you a comparison. The top two floors were mostly vacant.

Add to the mix accusations that the said owners (or at least operators) of the few remaining PC shops are participating in fraudulent activity. Google for the news article. Common tactics include inflated EFTPOS sale price punched into the terminal and the ransom of included accessories post sale. Laptop chargers are common victims. Be wary before you shop and know exactly what you are buying. Having said that I spent 10 mins trawling past all the shops on each level before leaving unimpressed.