In case you had any doubt that paying $40+ on "computer optimization" when you get a system at Best Buy, Future Shop, or any of a host of similar stores was a complete and total rip off and/or scam, read no further than the Best Buy Optimization Is A Big Stupid Annoying Waste Of Money article over at The Consumerist.

I once bought a system at one of these places for my mother-in-law for the simple case of not wanting to have to build it myself and just wanted something already setup and ready to go for the user so that I wasn't forced to work on things. Several hours later I realized I should have just bought the components and installed the OS fresh myself.