I got my T14 for less than $100

It works great for what I need it to with Mint

The computer store didn't have it for sale. I went and asked if they had any really cheap laptops out back, that still could do browsing and streaming

They had a whole stack of maybe 15 laptops that they were going to either ditch or strip

So I think the answer is, that they'd rather sell you a really expensive computer when they know that you're afraid to buy a really cheap one