Best Buy must be following Circuit City.

I walked into Best Buy to buy a keyboard tray to mount under my desk. The greeter dude told me which aisle to look in, but that aisle was full of something completely unrelated. I walked the entire store, was never approached for assistance, and never found what I wanted. They have them at Wal Mart for crap's sake! Walked out without a purchase, went to Amazon and was completely satisfied.

Went back a few weeks later for a Mac Trackpad. Found them quickly, but they were inside a case. 5 minutes to find someone to ask for help, they didn't have a key, but they would get someone who did. Stood there for 10 minutes waiting, watching other people get waited on, watching 4 different employees walk right past me and ignore me, and finally walked out without a purchase. Went to Amazon and was completely satisfied.

Home Depot lost my business for life due to crappy service, and Best Buy has now done the same.

gamby wrote: "Service plans" and member cards are all they care about these days--to the misery of their lower-and-lower-paid employees.

I walked out of a FYE due to member cards. I rarely shop for CDs in stores. I usually buy them used on ebay or through amazon. I wanted to get the Beetles "love" compilation.. so I go into FYE.. go to buy it and got asked FIVE times if I wanted their membership card.

The second to last time, I explained to the kid that I did not want one as I do not buy much there and if he asked again, I would not be buying anything at all. Well, he asked.. I dropped the compilation on the counter and walked out

ThePhranc wrote: Everything else can be somewhere else for cheaper. Sometimes much much cheaper. Its a great place to get touchy feely with things though.

That is the problem. Everyone is using BB as an Amazon showroom, and there really isn't anything BB can do to compete with that. Their overhead costs will always be higher and thus their prices as well.

At the same time, Amazon needs stores like BB for this reason... so the death of BB may actually hurt Amazon sales since as stated, people generally like to fondle things before they buy them.

The only solution I can see is a merger of the two.

mad_machine wrote:

gamby wrote: "Service plans" and member cards are all they care about these days--to the misery of their lower-and-lower-paid employees.

The second to last time, I explained to the kid that I did not want one as I do not buy much there and if he asked again, I would not be buying anything at all. Well, he asked.. I dropped the compilation on the counter and walked out

He's just doing what he's been told to do. What you should have done is asked for the manager - then dropped the compilation on the counter and walked out.

Ian F wrote:

mad_machine wrote:

gamby wrote: "Service plans" and member cards are all they care about these days--to the misery of their lower-and-lower-paid employees.

The second to last time, I explained to the kid that I did not want one as I do not buy much there and if he asked again, I would not be buying anything at all. Well, he asked.. I dropped the compilation on the counter and walked out

He's just doing what he's been told to do. What you should have done is asked for the manager - then dropped the compilation on the counter and walked out.

Yes, my Wife used to work retail and hated having to ask people if they wanted to open a Credit card with their store. The wouldn't have if it wasn't tied to her performance reviews and whether she was employed or not. Seriously, there was a quota for each employee on the number of cards they opened in a pay period. Soooo glad she's moved away from that career path.

I've never liked BB, always made me feel uncomfortable when I walked in the door. I actually preferred CC. Frys is just geek heaven, just don't expect to get any help though.

My brother in law and his wife own a small independent bookstore (Waucoma) in Hood River and they now sell e-books through their own website. Their business is right on main street so they get a lot of business and foot traffic, but that hasn't stopped the slow decline of sales. Walmart opening down the road hasn't helped too much either. They are adding more and more toys and other items (making sure to not step on the toes of the other businesses near them) to help boost sales. Adapt or die.

Bob Cringely says: http://www.cringely.com/2012/04/best-buy-is-doomed/

Best Buy sales have stagnated. Some pundits feel they have held onto too much real estate for too long. Some feel they should drop most of their consumer electronics and focus on mobile products. This would make Best Buy exactly like Radio Shack without the advantage of the Shack’s franchise model. Radio Shack would not be in existence today if it didn’t sell cell phones. But with every mobile network having scores of retail locations, how does “focusing on mobile” help Best Buy make more money?

Toyman01 wrote: Her response, we don't stock those and have to order them. It only takes a week to get them. I ask about the regular Transformer. Nope, order only. My response, If I wanted to order them I wouldn't have come here. I can do that online from home. Circuit City did that to me with my Sony Vaio six months before they went out of business. I bought it at Best Buy. I guess Best Buy is next. Online is going to be the only way to get stuff before long. Kind of sucks, I like to fondle things before I buy them.

The nearest Best Buy to me has a bit more sense than that. I went there to check out a laptop, and after finding one I liked sitting in the row of laptops, they told me they were out of stock on them... so if I was OK with a demo model, I could buy the one I had just been looking at for something like 10% off.

Best Buy Mobile is the new trend for BB.
Directly competing for Radio Shack's bread and butter. How does Radio Shack do it, they make an upfront payment from the cell phone companies and then a monthly percentage of the service revenue.

gamby wrote:

alex wrote: In which case, berkeley 'em. Adapt or die. You won't see me lamenting the loss of another chain of big box stores. When I buy brick and mortar, I buy Mom and Pop.

EXACTLY. Screw big box. I'm so much more pro-mom and pop these days. I'm bummed that my local Ace Hardware went under. There's a Lowe's a mile from me, but I'd much rather support the smaller guy. "Service plans" and member cards are all they care about these days--to the misery of their lower-and-lower-paid employees.

Unfortunately when it comes to electronics, they can't compete. At least not around here.

I like supporting local businesses whenever I can, but not at a 25-40% price increase when we are already talking about items that are several hundred dollars.

I've been pricing up Wii consouls and BB seems to be the same price as Amazon and everyone else. That's something I'll be buying localy, probably BB.

Adrian_Thompson wrote: I've been pricing up Wii consouls and BB seems to be the same price as Amazon and everyone else. That's something I'll be buying localy, probably BB.

Yeah, some stuff like game consoles have the same price everywhere, so there's no advantage to buying online. We've bought them at Best Buy, Target, and Costco.

However, I still like to go to Best Buy for TVs. Nobody else around here has the same variety, and in the past, I have been able to get them to match online prices.

I see a lot of hhgregg electronics stores popping up around here recently. Not sure if they are showing up elsewhere. In fact we just bought a tv from them around Presidents Day.

It was before presidents day, they said they wouldn't know the sale price of the TV I was interested in until the ads came out a few days later, but the manager offered us $200 off the TV on the spot. I gambled and took the deal. A few days later the ads came out so I looked at them online. The particular TV we got in fact did not go on sale. Their prices are usually a little higher but we were treated well by the staff while we were there and have a pretty big selection of certain electronics. Its likely they will get more of my buisness in the future.

Last time I dealt with Best Buy...... I tried to pre-order Forza 4 from them, Limited Collectors Edition. They botched it pretty good, didn't follow through on their promise to make up for it with a free gift card and free MS points, despite numerous calls to their customer service line. I know its stupid and its a small item, but its the principle of the situation. Selling something you can't deliver, then not being able to make good on your promises to try and make it right. Still a little bitter about it and if I can I'll take my business to other places.

Ian F wrote:

ThePhranc wrote: Everything else can be somewhere else for cheaper. Sometimes much much cheaper. Its a great place to get touchy feely with things though.

That is the problem. Everyone is using BB as an Amazon showroom, and there really isn't anything BB can do to compete with that. Their overhead costs will always be higher and thus their prices as well. At the same time, Amazon needs stores like BB for this reason... so the death of BB may actually hurt Amazon sales since as stated, people generally like to fondle things before they buy them. The only solution I can see is a merger of the two.

Amazon just needs a show room.

It's pretty sad when I go into Best Buy to buy a usb cable and its $25 then go look at Ebay and its $2.

oh well that too. I buy ridiculous amounts of stuff through Amazon.

I bought rear shocks for my MPV on Amazon because they had the cheapest price+shipping.

CEO Brian Dunn resigned yesterday due to a "personal misconduct" investigation. 28 years with BB.

So what was he up to? (insert crazy stuff Tyco CEO Koslowski did under his watch).

ThePhranc wrote: It's pretty sad when I go into Best Buy to buy a usb cable and its $25 then go look at Ebay and its $2.

Anyone that buys cables at Best Buy is a certified fool.

The $90 Monster HDMI cable MUST be better than the $2 one on Amazon/Newegg/eBay/Monoprice/etc!

But... The Monster cable will give me a better picture over my HDMI, right? They say so on the package, I think... otherwise why would I spend the extra $88 plus tax?

pinchvalve wrote: I walked into Best Buy to buy a keyboard tray to mount under my desk. The greeter dude told me which aisle to look in, but that aisle was full of something completely unrelated. I walked the entire store, was never approached for assistance, and never found what I wanted. They have them at Wal Mart for crap's sake! Walked out without a purchase, went to Amazon and was completely satisfied. Went back a few weeks later for a Mac Trackpad. Found them quickly, but they were inside a case. 5 minutes to find someone to ask for help, they didn't have a key, but they would get someone who did. Stood there for 10 minutes waiting, watching other people get waited on, watching 4 different employees walk right past me and ignore me, and finally walked out without a purchase. Went to Amazon and was completely satisfied. Home Depot lost my business for life due to crappy service, and Best Buy has now done the same.

Next time, spend 2 minutes talking with a manager. I usually start with "I rarely complain, but I run my own business, and if my customers were being treated this way, I'd want to know...." If their store is that sloppy, chances are the managers will suck just as badly, but a lot of times, it'll get you to the front of the line and a 20% coupon or gift card.

It's truly amazing how the internet has changed the way we shop. I've been under the assumption that the only way Best Buy has survived has been by selling extended warranties. With more and more people becoming aware that the warranties are usually crap, seems like that would have a big impact on their business.

ThePhranc wrote: Amazon just needs a show room. It's pretty sad when I go into Best Buy to buy a usb cable and its $25 then go look at Ebay and its $2.

But that's exactly what I mean - Amazon needs a showroom. Right now, Best Buy is their showroom. Take away Best Buy and then what? Sears? Their electronics dept is a joke compared to BB.

A merger of some sort would allow Amazon sales to support BB in that role while maintaining it as a retail store for those who want something 'now' and are willing to pay a little more for instant gratification.

Ian F wrote:

ThePhranc wrote: Amazon just needs a show room. It's pretty sad when I go into Best Buy to buy a usb cable and its $25 then go look at Ebay and its $2.

But that's exactly what I mean - Amazon needs a showroom. Right now, Best Buy is their showroom. Take away Best Buy and then what? Sears? Their electronics dept is a joke compared to BB.

If Amazon had brick-and-mortar stores, they'd have to start charging sales tax on ALL their sales in whatever states they have the stores in, internet or not. That's the #1 reason they haven't done it.

Between jobs 10 years ago or so I worked at BB for a total of 2 days. The first day was sitting through all of the training videos and the next day was being out on the floor selling computer stuff. We were told that there was very little margin on the computers so we were to try and get people to buy cables and service contracts.

About halfway through the first day the guy I was shadowing was helping an older lady and trying to get her to buy all kinds of crap she did not need. When he stepped away for a second I told her what she needed and did not need and sent her on her way. Then I went to the manager and said I could not work there, walked out and never went back.

I have not spent a dime in a BB since I walked out that day and never will.

Tom_Spangler wrote: The $90 Monster HDMI cable MUST be better than the $2 one on Amazon/Newegg/eBay/Monoprice/etc!

It's cause the ones and zeros that go through a Monster cable are better than the no-name cable.

Tom_Spangler wrote:

Ian F wrote:

ThePhranc wrote: Amazon just needs a show room. It's pretty sad when I go into Best Buy to buy a usb cable and its $25 then go look at Ebay and its $2.

But that's exactly what I mean - Amazon needs a showroom. Right now, Best Buy is their showroom. Take away Best Buy and then what? Sears? Their electronics dept is a joke compared to BB.

If Amazon had brick-and-mortar stores, they'd have to start charging sales tax on ALL their sales in whatever states they have the stores in, internet or not. That's the #1 reason they haven't done it.

We are getting two (actually already have one) Amazon centers in SC. So we will be paying sales taxes from now on.

$18 per square foot sales in a best buy $1000 per square foot in an Apple store . Best Buy is on the skids . Try this Link $279 Toshiba Pad Toshiba Thrive tablet

I love Frys. They will price match Amazon or any legit online retailer. Sure, they add sales tax, but that is worth it for the convenience of getting something same day and being able to test it out. Only reason I didn't buy my laptop from them is because they didn't have the specific model line I was looking for.