I want to buy something.

There are very few stores left and I’m usually confronted with salespeople who may or may not be trustworthy. It’s hard to believe their motivation would be anything except trying to sell you something, particularly with big ticket items where it would be unlikely you’d ever return.

The internet has a wealth of information. As the years go by, filtering good information from bad is nearly impossible. (See Louis CK on customer reviews on Amazon). Unless it’s a small site clearly run by careful amateurs — see most of the model train sites — I’d hesitate to accept any information as legitimate. And…a couple of opinions aren’t evidence.

I’m at the point where I’m totally dependent on Consumer Reports. If their testing and/or methods are called into question, I’ll be doomed.