The camera decision

Went back to CompUSA, to whom I must give kudos for two things:
1) they took back our open and used camera, and with no restocking fee
2) they removed cameras from the alarm thingies to let us insert a card and take pics with them to view on the laptop we brought with us to compare quality. This they did with some questioning looks and a required okay from the manager, but with no complaints.

We ended up with the Canon A550 for $200. Very nice pic for the price. I would recommend it over the others in the price range. Whatever you do, never buy a Polaroid digital camera.