on second thought, i can get a 1 tb drive over amazon for basically the same price as a 500 gb drive, but the difference in the store is still $30. the best deal is the 1 tb over amazon; it's the same price as the 500 gb in the store.
i'm making a choice not to buy from anybody besides amazon. this is from amazon. it should be a new drive in a box. i will immediately return it if it isn't.