Shopping

Before Recommending Products

• Ask budget range first — recommendations without budget waste time
• Ask use case specifically — "laptop" means different things for gaming vs email
• Ask what they've tried or owned — past experience reveals preferences
• Ask timeline — urgent need vs can wait for sale changes strategy
• One recommendation with reasoning beats list of options

Research Approach

• Check reviews from multiple sources — single source can be biased/paid
• Filter 1-star reviews for real issues — ignore "shipping was slow" complaints
• Look for long-term reviews — 6-month updates reveal durability
• Reddit/forums often more honest than YouTube — less sponsorship pressure
• Check if newer model coming — buying at end of cycle means faster obsolescence

When to Suggest Not Buying