Talk about your Best Buy experiences HERE!

[eric54]

Feel free to share any experieces you've had with best buy here. This can be a great place to share your frustration, or if your one of the lucky ones, your good experiences.

 

[hergieburbur]

Lets see, where to start:

Front-end (before purchase) - They generally ignore me completely in favor of going after the older and more clueless looking customers, which is usually fine with me, as the most complicated question I generally want to ask is where are the x? When they do actually pay attention to me, and I happen to have a question, even one as simple as the above, they tend to stare at me in ignorance or point in a general direction and say "Over There". Classic example: "Do you have hardware (as is non-win) modems?" response: "Sir, all modems are hardware". Me: "See ya!" I have also had several price matching arguments with them, since they don't seem to really want to honor that.

After the purchase, I have not had too much experience. I got a head-unit for my car installed there (free as part of a promotion), and could have done a better job myself. Generally, on defective returns, its no problem. I don't get the PSP there, ever, (see below). I have however had some dealings with GS for various reasons (generally cleaning up their mistakes), and they tend to be either incompetent, or in some cases do more harm then good.

As for bigger items such as our HDTV or video camera, I have long since stopped buying from BB, since I refuse to give large business to a company whose employees routinely ignore me because most people my age can't afford the more expensive items.

 

[g-paw]

I must look like an older and more clueless looking customer because I generally don't have a problem finding a sales person. On the other hand, their digital camera selection is really poor. I was just in a BB and checking out cameras and could find either the Panosonic FZ 7 or 8 or a Fuji S6000

 

[hergieburbur]

Well, obviously, thats a generalization, but I have found it to be true that over the last 10 years, the older I get, the more attention they "try" to pay to me. I understand demographics and all that, but when I am the ONLY person in the section, and three employees are standing around BSing while occasionally glancing my way, thats just sh!tty service.

This has happened to me at several stores in very different geographical ares. But then, maybe I just put off an unapproachable vibe...

 

[purplerat]

Any body who complains about BestBuy's service is an ignorant fool. Best Buy has made it's success on selling the best products at the lowest prices. Customer service is a distant third behind those two, in large part to save money so they can afford the first two. Most employees are part time, low paid and not on commision, basically meaning they don't give a frick about you or what you buy. But guess what; that's what you people want. Lower prices at the expense of customer service. If customer's had the choice between a 10% price cut or a 100% improvement in customer service, they'd take the price cut. Computers are a perfect example. Every week Best Buy offers dirt cheap Desktops and Laptops and people line up outside the store for them(by the way I work at Best Buy and love it When the doors open they run up and demand the POS system on the front of the ad, completely ignoring the sales person trying to upsell them to another more expensive (albiet better) model. This is the usual Sunday scene where I work. The rest of the week is then filled with angry customers complaining "Nobody told me this $300 computer wouldn't play the latest games". Well WTF did you expect? Do you think we sell $1000 systems just to rip people off because the $300 ones will do the same thing? Believe it or not but I've actually been told this by more then one customer. As far as PSPs, Best Buy hardly even has to try and sell them. Most customers who buy them actually ASK for them. And if you're not a moron you can actually benifit off them. iPods are a great example. It would be immoral to sell those pieces of shit without offering a PSP for it. Anything with a rechargeable battery is also worthwhile to get a PSP on since it will pay for itself plus you'll have extra protection. Then you have accidental damage coverage. You break it and Best Buy repair it for you even when it's completely obvious it's your fault. Of course most people get pissed about PSPs. If you're using one it's because your shit is broke and if you don't then you wasted your money. Also most problems are user error and Best Buy can't fix stupid (or at least it's not covered under PSPs). Even when an item is fixed under PSP and returned to the customer in a timely fashion (which occurs more times then not), nobody is ever really happy about it. Also realize that Best Buy honors ALL manufactuers warrenties for any item sold by Best Buy, even if it was purchased from a competitor. But most importantly realize that Best Buy is a business out to make money, it's not a friggen charity.

 

[hergieburbur]

Jaded much?

First off, BB DOESN'T sell the best products, they sell mainstream products that most people know about or want, bet that are rarely the best available.

Second off, BB DOESN'T have the lowest prices either. I can buy just about anything they sell somewhere else for cheaper, and not just from online retailers either. (Wal-Mart, for example, but they are FAR worse than BB. Don't get me started there).

As for the employees being underpaid and not caring, we already knew that, its part of the problem, as is their general lack of knowledge (I don't know you and can't comment on you, just my experience). We also could already tell you worked there without you telling us.

I also highly doubt people line up outside the store on a weekly basis just to but the advertised POS of the week. Maybe at your store, but certainly not nationwide.If they did, BB would be a much bigger company.

I don't know where you get that BB doesn't have to try to sell their PSPs. EVERY time I am in there, they are either trying to upsell one to me when I buy something, or I hear them pushing it on someone else. And they RARELY pay for themselves, thats the whole point. They are insurance plans, if they always paid for themselves, there would be no money to be made on them, and they wouldn't be offered.

Lastly, BB honoring ALL of their manufacturers' warranties is nothing special They are merely acting as a middleman, and ultimately, its the original manufacturer that is honoring the warranty and reimbursing BB for the returned item.

Believe it or not, I am NOT a BestBuy hater. They are no better or worse than any other big box store. The problem is ALL big box stores have these same practices, policies, and general lack of customer service. It just so happens that this topic is tailored to BB. I could pass along CC or CompUSA stories as well....

 

[purplerat]

Jaded much?

First off, BB DOESN'T sell the best products, they sell mainstream products that most people know about or want, bet that are rarely the best available.
Second off, BB DOESN'T have the lowest prices either. I can buy just about anything they sell somewhere else for cheaper, and not just from online retailers either. (Wal-Mart, for example, but they are FAR worse than BB. Don't get me started there).

No Im not jaded (infact I've hated or disliked most companies I've worked for). The best product for the best price statement was not meant to be taken to the extreme literals, yet simply to show Best Buy's business philosophy. Yes there are better products out there, but you'll pay an extreme premium. And yes there are better prices, but for extremely crapping products. The OP of this thread even admits that Best Buy's price's can't be beat for the quality of product(see here).

As for the employees being underpaid and not caring, we already knew that, its part of the problem, as is their general lack of knowledge (I don't know you and can't comment on you, just my experience). We also could already tell you worked there without you telling us.

See here's the problem. People like you expect everybody who works at Best Buy to have a degree in computer science (like myself 8) ). But the truth is if Best Buy only hired people as knowledgeable as you or me there would be hardly anybody to work there. To expect some 20 year old college student to know what a win-modem is and how it differs from a hard-modem is ridiculaus. You say it's 'part of the problem' when in fact it's exactly how the business is set up to run; Lower cost as much as possible and pass the savings on to the customer. And what's the most flexible cost in running a business? LABOR!!! It's also contridictiary to say that employees don't care, but that you always hear/see them pushing and selling PSPs so hard. So which is it? You see that's exactly what I was saying about the Sunday morning POS shoppers. They dont want to hear what the salesperson is selling, but then accuse us of not doing our jobs when things don't go your way.
Your right that PSPs don't usually pay for themselves, and thats why Best Buy sells them, to make money. However in the cases I pointed out they usually do pay for themselves if the customer actually takes advantage of them.

I also highly doubt people line up outside the store on a weekly basis just to but the advertised POS of the week. Maybe at your store, but certainly not nationwide.If they did, BB would be a much bigger company.

Well it's true. I'm not sure as to how big or small you think Best Buy is, but I believe it is the world's largest electronics retail chain, so I guess that's pretty big and kind of hard to be bigger. But yes there are tons of people nation wide who will buy crap just because it's cheap. That's the real problem. It's not the big box stores, it's the Wal-Mart Nation mentality that is running so rampent amongst consumers today.



ps: I just realized this was my 100th post and gets my logo up. So sad it comes with me talking about my job :?

 

[hergieburbur]

I understand where you are coming from, and you are coming across a bit more clearly now. Though, when I said best price, I meant on equal items, but thats really neither here nor there.

As for the labor, I don't expect everyone to be a CS student or Grad (FYI, the person who didn't know about the win modem WAS a fellow CS student at my school), especially not for the wages they pay, but I DO expect them to have at least a basic understanding of what they are selling.

As for the PSPs, I have heard from numerous sources, including current and past BB employees, that there are incentives for selling them, and that they are basically sold on commission (just the PSPs). Is that not true? If it is, then it would render caring about your job or not pointless in relation to their sales.

As for the size of BB, I know how big it is, but it is not ubiquitous (IE, Wal-Mart or MS), and still has room to grow. The point I was trying to make is that if lining up outside was a common occurrence nationwide, they would be even bigger than they are. No matter how big you are, there is always room to grow.

As for people lining up outside, if you say its so then it must be. There is certainly no explaining the stupidity of some people...

And please, please, please don't get me started on Wal-mart, which is one of the worst things to ever happen to America.

 

[purplerat]

I'm glad we can come to some sort of an understanding. Just to make it clear though, as far as I know there's never been any sort of incentive towards selling PSPs, other then the occasional "Good JOB!". The fact is that while extended waranties will always carry a huge margian no matter who's selling them, right now Best Buy as a company is much more focused on other areas and the idea towards PSPs is offer them, explain the benifits, but for the most part they will sell themselves. Basically meaning that there's a portion of the population out there that genuinly wants a warrenty and will buy them. The scene from Tommy Boy about garunteed crap in a box pretty much sums that up. As far as how Best Buy honors PSPs and warranties, I really believe it's done right. I actually work on the Geek Squad so I deal with these things all day and can honestly say Best Buy isn't trying to cheat anybody. For a company that size it's just not worth it. However like I've already pointed out Best Buy is a business and it's only real purpose is to earn money. So no, it's not going to give out replacements to every person who isn't 100% satisfied, and yes this will sometimes lead to some people not getting what they maybe should. For the most part however things are done right. I can only speak for the store I work at, but I can honestly say I've seen far, far, far more customers get much more then they should have then I've seen people get less (that is less then they deserve, not less then what they want). Just yesterday I saw a guy get free RAM and install for no good reason. His system which was under PSP had 512MB Dual Chanel RAM(2x256MB). He decided to just through in another 512MB (1 module) on his own to get 1GB. Well that didn't exactly work (because the memory was mismatched) so he brought it in to be serviced under his PSP. I suggested he buy another 512 to match the stick he installed and have us install it, but for a charge. He pays, his system works great and he goes home happy. That is until his wife finds out he paid $120 for the RAM and install. So they come back in and complain until my manager agrees to refund the RAM and install. However since taking the RAM out would mess up the system due to the RAM he'd installed on his own we leave it in even though we returned it and give him his money back. So he got $120 worth of product and services for free which pays for most of the $150 he paid for the PSP, not to mention that every problem he had with the computer was his own fault and his PSP and manufactuers warranty could have been considered voided for several reasons.

 

[hergieburbur]

I never said users/consumers weren't greedy, ignorant idiots...

 

[lca806]

I honestly don't really care if the sales people can answer my questions or not, I do my research online before ever going to a store to look at it. (I like to actually see the product I buy before I purchase it online... call me old fashioned). But I had to share a quick story,

I set up my girlfriend with an old computer of mine, but I didn't have a monitor for it. So I figured I would find some cheap-o CRT 15 or 17" for as cheap as possible. I went to Comp USA, and they had NO crt's...

next to BB. I asked the sales person "Do you have any cheap CRT's?"(I will grant you, she was probably an 18 year old girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time) Her reply was "Whats a CRT?" I thought... ok, no big deal, I will put it in simpler terms. "You know... the computer monitors that look like old television sets?" She says "Ohhhh, ok... follow me" Then she led me to the 13" Television isle. So to just make it more painless, I said thanks and pretended to look around there for a few seconds, and then meandered around and found the CRT's after a little bit.

Like purplerat said, I realize that customer service is cut to allow better deals... but when I was a telemarketer, they made us know a tiny bit about the product we were selling (The less we knew the better about some of that crap... don't get me started on the ABROLLER!!!, and don't forget about credit cards with a 30% interest rate - seriously) Oh well... life goes on.

 

[Uscooper]

Actually Purple IS right- people line up every Sunday to run in and get the crappy stuff and when they are like I want to play games and I'm like well this one won't play those- and you need a dedicated video card- it's a lost cause. Many customers DO ask us about service plans in the form of "So what warranty comes on this and what do you offer". There is margin in PSP's, but not as much as you may think when all is said and done. Best Buy is more focused on services and such now. There isnt much margin in Products, if any- so Its more "what can we do for you" than just "what product can we sell you". Customers appreciate that as many of them know that they want something but arent sure how to set it up/ get it working the way they want. Many customers arent interested in learning how to do this themselves as they don't have the desire and/or time, but we do offer training also. As far as the knowledge, I work with a few idiots, but they come to me with "difficult" questions. I know about computers, and I know about all of our products, and I know how to sell and how to make my customers happy. I have found very few customers who know more about computers than me, and I enjoy talking to them and having an intelligent conversation. Most people in my department are in college and some even in computer fields. Many are my friends outside of work also and it's a really good place to work. There is low stress and when customers aren't around we are encouraged to get to know each other and just hang out. The discount is also great. I still shop at newegg but between the two my technology is very affordable. I think many people who would be on these forums may have a different outlook on technology than a lot of my customers. Some do their research, some rely on us to educate them, but what is always true in the end is that customers only buy what they want to. I don't think that buying a psp on something like a laptop is stupid by any means. As for Best Buy not being a "big" company or whatever Eric is saying- you gotta be kidding me right? Circuit City and Compusa aren't really competition. You want to talk about a scam- how about those mail in rebates that Best Buy, unlike other retailers, eliminated? So all the other stores and online retailers that have mail in rebates- thats one thing that Best Buy has on them. Lots of my tech savvy customers find great weekly deals on stuff that they cant get online for that cheap.

 

[purplerat]

Good to see I have some backup here :lol: Seriously though Uscooper validates to points I was trying to make. For one customers create many of their own problems, then expect under paid part time employees to fix them. Also "What can we do for you?" says it perfectly. Best Buy's focus on services is a great benifit to it's customers while carring a huge margin for the company(far higher then PSPs). And not only do the services themselves help the customer, but they also make PSPs more valuable to the customer. Why? Because you can actually get help in store or in home with your PSP. Sure a lot of things still get sent out, but having Techs(like me in store makes a huge difference. Perfect example was just a couple days ago when a woman brought in her camera that wasn't working to be repaired under PSP. I opened the battery compartment see 2AA alkaline batteries, replace them with NiHMs and voila the camera works. I tell her to buy 1.3v (NiHM or Litium) not 1.5v batteries and save her 3 weeks without her camera. Same thing with somebody with a computer with a bad PSU or laptop with a bad charger/battery. Not only are there products covered but they get them back much quicker then if they sent it to the manufactuer for repair. The same also goes for products purchased at Best Buy that don't have PSPs but are under warrenty. Thats what I was eluding to when I previously said that Best Buy covers manufactures warranties. For the most part Best Buy's PSPs and Services are much better for customers then if they had nothing at all.

 

[ImmortalDragon]

I seem to have bad luck with PS2 controllers so the last one I bought I got the warranty for it. I think it was $5 and my luck was right on. A few months after the analog stick began to just stick at certain positions so I shipped it to someplace and they sent me something like a check which I could use to buy another PS2 controller for free (actually it came out to 1 cent somehow but the cashier let me go).
I try to not buy anything there as after awhile I realized they overprice a lot of their products.

 

[JustPlainJef]

Any body who complains about BestBuy's service is an ignorant fool.

No Im not jaded

:roll: Sure you aren't...

To expect some 20 year old college student to know what a win-modem is and how it differs from a hard-modem is ridiculaus.

No, it's not. And if they don't know, they should get someone who does know, then stick around and learn something with the customer. If you work in the computer department, I expect you to know about the computers. Maybe instead of "hanging out and getting to know each other", you could learn to do your job. And learn to spell...

The best product for the best price statement was not meant to be taken to the extreme literals, yet simply to show Best Buy's business philosophy.

Then don't take it to the extreme. best = extreme. I would give them "Good products at a fair price", but that's about it. I needed a USB cable for a printer. Best Buy = $28.00 Home Depot = $10. Is the Best Buy cable 280% better? Not likely.
1 Gb microSD card. BB = $40. NewEgg = $13
Where's the best prices?

For one customers create many of their own problems, then expect under paid part time employees to fix them

I'm an under-paid part time employee at another national retail chain, and I take the time to learn about my products (which are not computers, so they are outside of my specialization). I take the time to explain to a customer when the choice they are making is less than ideal. You can spend half as much on the product, but spend twice the time with installation, and you end up not saving any money. If you see people buying the $159 computer / monitor / printer combo, just casually tell them "Just so you know, this PC will perform only the most basic of tasks." If they want more info, then talk to them and learn their needs. If the computer is what they need, then thank them for their time and send them on their way. If they want to play games, then calmly explain that they need to spend additional money, either on a better PC or on a video card. Fix the problem before it becomes your problem.


Just because you're a part time employee doesn't mean you can't take pride in what you do, and provide the best customer service that you can.

 

[g-paw]

In the long run it would seem to make sense to pay the people in the computer department an extra 50 cents an hour, doesn't sound like much unless your working at or near minimum wage, to hire people that know something about computers and can explain things in "layman" terms. Looking at the Bestbuy and other big box sales supplements in the Sunday's paper, almost across the board, putting an extra $75 to $100 into a machine would dramatically improve performance whether it's an entry level E Machine or a middling price $700 machine and I would guess the markup is better. Most of the time it's just getting the RAM up to 1GB, a little bigger hard drive, or a better video card. Pointing out it's a long term investment and how the upgrade will be meaningful for their use would often convince them to make the investment. Car salesman, most of whom know absolutely noting about cars, have no trouble getting people to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars more for useless crap, so it shouldn't be that hard to get people to pay less than $100 for something useful.

 

[Uscooper]

i cant tell you how many times we have suggested what you described about them putting a little more in the machines. Especially with laptops- you cant get anything under 1700 with dedicated graphics and they are all also 17" computers- drives me crazy. With desktops, if they want to play games we can upgrade the graphics in the store. There is actually very little margin in computers these days, and after the instant package savings, it is actually negative margin. Therefore this must be made up somewhere. Obviously online retailers with no real store and very few employees can provide much lower prices on certain products. Thats a no-brainer.

 

[JustPlainJef]

Obviously online retailers with no real store and very few employees can provide much lower prices on certain products. Thats a no-brainer.

So Best Buy doesn't have the best prices...

 

[Uscooper]

well on many things they are very competitive with online retailers- im just saying no, they wont be the cheapest on everything, and they are a company that exists to make money therefore they cannot give everything away below cost or always be the cheapest. I fell like this is a "no SH*T" concept that is hard for you to grasp.

 

[purplerat]

So Best Buy doesn't have the best prices...

Exactly what I mean about being ignorant. You jump in the conversation half a page in and totally ignore whats already ready been stated and agreed upon. Best Buy is a company based upon selling quality products for low prices. Don't be a moron with "but newegg has such-in-such cheaper then Best Buy..." Of course online retialers are going to have cheaper prices and even against other stores NO store is ALWAYS going to have the lowest price on EVERY item. And yes you are ignorant if you complain about discount retail chains having poor service, whether it by Best Buy, Wal-Mart, McDonalds(not retail but the same idea) or any other. That's probably why you wouldn't even name the retail chain you work for, because you know they're just as bad as the rest. Good help is always hard to find, and when you're constanly cutting corners to lower prices poor service is what you inevitably end up with. You can either hire a lot of poor labor and have them not be able to do the job right or you can hire a few good workers but be too understaffed to meet demands. If you can't understand that concept then you're a moron.

Here's a perfect example of how pricing strategy directly effects the quality of customer service:
When I first started working at Best Buy in the computer department in 2005 things were different. All sales were based on mail-in rebates, so everything was sold at full price with a decent margin. Generally we didn't get people looking for the cheapest crap because they couldn't afford to pay full price then wait for the rebate. Instead we dealt with a more high-end quality based customer base. At that time we had a manager who was just in charge of computers, two senoir level employees and the rest mostly full timers all of whom knew quite a bit about computers and were very good at there jobs. However Best Buy changed how they sell computers last year in order to better compete with Wal-Mart and Dell. Now all computers are sold with instant rebates which all but eliminate any profit margin and entice people to buy whatevers cheapest. Almost imeadiatly the way the computer department was staffed changed. First that management position was eliminated along with one of the senoir and all but one fulltime position. It went from having 6 well qualified people in the department to only 3. All the other positions were filled with minimum wage part timers. You can probably guess what happened to the quality of customer service. But you know what... Now people line up in front of our store every week for those cheap POS systems. They didn't used to back when we had good help, so I guess Best Buy is doing something right.

 

[JustPlainJef]

And yes you are ignorant if you complain about discount retail chains having poor service, whether it by Best Buy, Wal-Mart, McDonalds(not retail but the same idea) or any other. That's probably why you wouldn't even name the retail chain you work for, because you know they're just as bad as the rest. Good help is always hard to find, and when you're constanly cutting corners to lower prices poor service is what you inevitably end up with. You can either hire a lot of poor labor and have them not be able to do the job right or you can hire a few good workers but be too understaffed to meet demands. If you can't understand that concept then you're a moron.

Yes, I am a moron for complaining about the lack of customer service, which then you agree doesn't exist. And I'm a moron for questioning why you can say "best products at the lowest prices", then say "quality products for low prices."
Best != quality
Lowest != low
I even offered "Good products at a fair price". You contradict yourself, but I'm the moron. Thanks for clearing it up.

Oh, and to make you feel better, I work at Home Depot part time, and I sell paint. In my down time there, I learn more about my products, so I can assist the customers when they need it.

 

[LVDAX]

Where to start...
BB has a great business strategy. Move into a location full of non-Technical 30-50 y/o people (everywhere) and sell them middle of the line technology for what they think is cheaper than everywhere else.

I currently live in a small town outside of a small college town. BB was the first major technology store in the area and so knowing that, they overpriced even the cheapest technology. Their customer support is "ehhh" and their geek-sqaud are all freshman CIS\CS majors that don't know sh*t. Which is to be expected.

Anything not computer related is they do pretty well with. I love their monitor\TV selection but then again the price is a bit high.

 

[purplerat]

Yes, I am a moron for complaining about the lack of customer service, which then you agree doesn't exist. And I'm a moron for questioning why you can say "best products at the lowest prices", then say "quality products for low prices."
Best != quality
Lowest != low
I even offered "Good products at a fair price". You contradict yourself, but I'm the moron. Thanks for clearing it up.

Do you mean we agree that customer service is lacking or that it doesn't exist?
How can it lack if it doesn't exist?
If Best Buy has employees are they not doing they're job at all or are they doing a poor job?
If they're there, then there must be customer service(albiet poor). But you say it's non-existent :?
So what is it? Lacking or non-existent.

See how stupid argueing symantics is. The philosophy behind all 'Big Box Stores' is to "offer the best products at the lowest prices", including the one you work for. It's a philosophy, not a fact. So no, it doesn't always hold 100% true all the time. But if you're going to argue that point then you've totally missed the point. Look at your company. You even admit that you're under paid. Well great that you're proud of that and like to watch paint dry, but most people in those types of jobs don't. I can tell you I've never had a good customer experience in Home Depot. For one I'm too young. At 23(when I bought my house) unless I tried to steal something nobody in Home Depot could give a crap if I was there. And whenever I did ask for help (specifically in the paint department) I got crap for answers. I tried to have them mix paint for me once and I seriously thought the kid was color blind. But I really don't care if it's poor service because they had everthing I needed in one place for pretty good prices (just had to mix my own paint). I could have gone to 4 different hardware, paint, flooring, etc. stores and got better service, but I would have paid extra. Home Depot offered me what I wanted and I got it, in spite of poor customer service. So once again if you can't understand how a place like that works, especially when you work there, then sorry I cant help you.

 

[will14]

Yes seeing a best buy makes me sick. It all started when the company opened and I was probably 12 or less. Originally they were the only place that would sell computer games and have a good selection. Which now their selection is 1/2 what it use to be and mostly only crap/blockbusters. Regardless when I wanted to buy a game I would always call ahead ask if they had it and ask if it was in stock. So I'd call and ask if they carry a game, they'd usually say "wait a minute" then they'd say yes. I'd follow-up with, could you please check if you have it in stock. Never once did they say no it isn't in stock. I don't know if their inventory system was wrong or if people just didn't give a shit. I'd say 9 out of 10 times I called and then would go buy it. I'd walk into the store look for it, couldn't find it. I'd then ask a representitive and they couldn't find it or would say they don't carry it. I'd then get yelled at for an hour by my parents for wasting their time. That's my introduction to the company. I will also say I was always treated like an idiot kid when I went in( now when I go in they have tended to respect me more and more, facial hair and I guess I do have money, although I worked 40 hours a week in high school and had more disposable then).

Now all the computer stores are going out of business. I bought a HDD oem online, 320 GB SATA II $70, no way I'd get it at BB or any store for that price I know. I had forgotten my HDD screws SATA cable etc back in the last place I moved from. So I'm like hmm... circuit city and comp usa are out of business I'll try best buy even though I know they won't have what I want. They have never had what I want. I'm not the average consumer who wants generic item to do this. They are a store for someone who wants something generic or don't know what they want. Anywho I'm looking around, want to ask someone if they have HDD screws any chance, I walk around for 45 minutes and no one will even make eye contact with me, and all are either talking to each other or helping people, they were fairly busy ok fine... but I even stared straight at people at time. Eventually I went to the computer area(there was a line but I said screw it and sorta walked behind the counter and asked someone if they had them. Of course they didn't but he was helpful and explained why(only sell retail items with screws) which makes enough sense and Best Buy is not a computer store. He directed me to a Closing Comp USA. The comp usa gave me a jar full of them for free which was cool but in the future where can I buy a sata cable or some HDD screws? All stores comp usa mom and pops are mostly out of business. Any idiot regarding computers goes and buys that $300 pos that has trouble running the latest office/windows which kills off the others. Why did Best Buy put Comp USA Mediaplay out of business? They were the first to sell the huge margin items. Big Screen tv's and car sterio etc etc etc. Not to mention all the xbox ps stuff.

Business model they're great, but they have nothing to offer me. I can get most things cheaper online(large items). The small items they simply don't carry.

I also apologize I usually compose myself better. However thinking about Best Buy fills me with rage and I can't think clearly.

 

[ninjahedge]

Beast Buy
Chump USA
Circuit Sh*tty.

All the same stuff in different wrappers pointed in a slightly different direction.

Example, Best Buy Audio.

Way back when, I was looking for new speakers and found a pair of great CV 12" 3 way speakers. I looked around at all the prices online, and found a reputable dealer (after checking with ResellerRatings.com). The price was something along the line of $500 for the pair.

I was saddened when I saw the price in teh sale brochure for BB showing a $325 price for the speakers! I went in and had a look. One thing that they did not mention in the ad was the $325 was PER SPEAKER, not a pair. I am sorry, but I have never in my life found someone buy 1 speaker of that size. They were not studio, and it was just when Dolby was coming out. This was a speaker you bought in pairs. So that is one strike against teh price myth.

As for other items? Most electronics, especially ones liek video cards, flash memory or anything hardware oriented, is usually at LEAST 50% marked up (w/o tax) from what you can get it online from a reputable place. Even things that do not go obsolete, such a wires and cables, are the same.

And do not get me started on them only selling name brand. I want a spool of 14Ga wire (say maybe 100'), I do not need someone pointing me to a set of overpriced Monster Cables in the middle of the floor on display. I saw them, I did not want them. I can cut wire all by myself you know!

Now as for tech? I have talked with these guys. Most of them are nice enough, but even the ones at Geek Squad are not exactly cutting edge when it comes to talking about games and technology. They are either console hounds, or know the basics that most people would have problems with (liek level one tech support on the phone). They are no worse than other B+M's here on the east coast though.

BB just sucks overall.

Better B+M stores?

Fry's
B+H Photo/Video
J+R Electronics

Those are much better, but still lagging behind online.

Otehrs that are marginally better would be places like PC Richards or 6th avenue Electronics, but 6th avenue feels more smarmy.




On a side note. The one thing that BB IS better for is name brand promotion. If you want to buy a PS3 or X360, look there. The games will be on sale more often, and they will also have video sales if you keep your eyes opened.

But this is all on price fixed merchandise that you will not find more than a $5 difference on even online. BB, CC, and teh rest can afford to make deals with teh Mfr on these to get a better price, and they are worth getting there.

You just have to remember to get ONLY what you came in for!