Too old to shop: it can happen to you and sooner than you think. All we wanted was a little 13-inch combo TV and VCR. We don't devote much space to our viewing pleasure. We don't have cable. Our first color TV and our first remote control, bought six years ago, which had an integral VCR, has wonderful reception, but the VCR won't clean up and spool any more. Since we're without air-conditioning and since we're addicted to the current Univision telenovela, "Abrazame muy fuerte," and it's getting too hot to go upstairs at its broadcast time, we thought we'd break down and go new. Several were on sale according to store inserts in the Statesman. Could we buy one? Well, it wasn't as though anybody wanted to help us do so. Out of stock, out of stock, needs add-on antenna, which we don't have, you opened that box (we didn't), so you have to take it by the service desk, and on and on and on. It was at Circuit City, of all places, that an informed staff person was to be found, someone who knew the features of the equipment and was ready to impart them. In no time we had made a choice, stopped off at trusty Vulcan Video, and picked out a Tony Leung Hong Kong throwaway, Tokyo Raiders, and also Wonder Boys. It'll be many a moon before we darken the doors of anything fancier than H-E-B.