Alan Smithee

The media sections are usually why I go into the stores in the first place. If they get rid of those, I likely won't ever go in unless I'm specifically looking for electronics (and given Best Buy's crappy service, I'm likely to make the purchase someplace else.)

thetao

South-central PA isn't a huge market, but there are plenty of other B&M stores for buying major appliances, televisions, and mobile phones. Somewhat less so for computers, car stereos, and other home entertainment. But how many televisions, refrigerators, and stereos does the average household buy? I visit a Best Buy for music and movies, and while their selection was once formidable, today I prefer the mall...which is about as bad an insult as I can imagine. Excluding BB-exclusives, very special sales, and Christmas (got a kitchen spacemaker radio/CD player there this past December), for me they have already ceased to exist.

UAIOE

I ran into a former co-worker (who is still at BB) and he said that the store here now carries only the top 700 albums vs when I worked there (circa 2000) when they carried the top 5,000 albums.

I was amazed (but not surprised) at that reduction.

Tarantino

Our CEO resigned today. Not sure what that means for the company, but I'm optimistic. Hopefully they bring in someone from the outside to change some things up.

Deftones

It means he sees the writing on the wall!

Goat3001

I wonder how many people that are happy about Best Buy going under are going to be the same ones that bitch when Amazon and Wal-Mart start raising prices.

Chrisedge

I just bought a 55" Samsung LED from them, it was the same price as Amazon and elsewhere on the interwebs. Oh and I bought the warranty too. :forumsheadexplodes:

I like BB

Tarantino

I don't think it was his decision.

Shannon Nutt

It's not just about pricing...it's about customer service - and BB was/is one of the worst at that.

Deftones

Sounds like he was under investigation. Woops!

http://www.startribune.com/local/146811365.html

Tarantino

great news scoop there, April O'Neill.

Goat3001

And where exactly can you get low prices and great customer service? Wal Mart? Target? In my experience they're all the same. They hire cheap labor to keep the prices down and it reflects in their customer service. If I were buying a tv, I could go to a specialty store, but why would I want to pay a higher price if I'm already knowledgable about the product I'm buying?

Deftones

I'm just reposting a link from a Consumerist article about it. I'm sorry that you will soon be out of a job.

Tarantino

glad to see your personal vendetta against me goes beyond the web.

I'm employed now and my guess is that won't be changing anytime soon.

Matt

Word on the street is that this guy is next in line to take over as CEO:

Alan Smithee

Was just at a Best Buy today because of their deal on the "Darkest Hour" and "Three Musketeers" 3D Blu-Rays for under 20 bucks each- don't have a 3D TV yet but may be getting one soon. They ALMOST lost the sale because once again these discs both had slipcovers that weren't sealed, and fucking Best Buy stuck price tags right on top of them. I managed to peel them both off in the store without damaging the cover, so I went ahead and bought them anyway since nobody else had this deal (my alternative was to just buy "Darkest Hour" by itself at Target for $19.99).

Was on limited time but took a quick look at the TVs on display- NONE of them had the remotes out, and they were all fastened to the wall so I couldn't look at the back and see what sort of inputs/outputs they had. If I buy a TV I want to at LEAST check out the remote and get a feel for what sort of control the TV allows (can I adjust the overscan to my liking? Can I turn off on-screen displays when they annoy me, or do they stay up for a few seconds no matter what? Will it automatically go into 4x3 mode on standard-def channels and sources? How do you access the closed captions and alternate audio tracks on TV broadcasts? That sort of thing.) I remember a couple years ago I got some salesclown to actually track down a remote for a TV I wanted to look at, but he told me to make sure and set the picture back to the way it was (with overcranked color and brightness) when I was done. I asked him "Why, is it company policy that TVs on display are required to look like crap?" I think he pretended not to hear me

Timber

Guys want 2 things when they're shopping, and I say guys because that's BB's main market. First they want to be left alone, second they want people around if they have a question. Best Buy is horrible at both. I don't want some random coming up to me when I'm looking through the Blu-rays asking if I need help, and if he's asking he better damn sure be prepared with an answer if I throw something at him.

Target, Wal-mart both excel at the first (leaving me alone) while are not particularly good at the second (knowledgeable) BB fails at both.

Goat3001

You do realize that you're in the 1% of people that give a shit about what their slipcover looks like, right? And you're also in the 1% that cares about what the back of the TV looks like? Best Buy caters to the masses. How do people not get this? If you want all the things you want then pay the higher price and go to a store that specializes in selling TV's.


Interesting. So you want to be left alone unless you don't want to be left alone? I never understood what was so hard about saying "no thanks" to the few people that come up asking if you need help. It's a 5 second interaction. Even if it happens 10 times in a single visit, is it REALLY that bad?

Easy

Exactly. I don't frequently go to a store but I do buy from them online. More competition is always good.

fujishig

Interesting... so even taking tax out of it, why did you buy from BB instead of Amazon if it was the same price anyway? Doesn't Amazon have free white glove shipping on big tvs (or is that only for Prime members)?

Timber

Why yes exactly. If I go to Target I don't have people stalking me throughout the store. Now their sales people don't generally know a thing but at least I'm not fending off attacks while I'm there. And no it's not REALLY that bad but it's bad enough that I'd prefer not to have to deal with it.

Goat3001

I'd do the same thing. If I had to deal with a possible return or replacement, taking it back to a B&M is much easier.

Alan Smithee

Well, since they keep saying the market for media in general is declining, if they want to keep selling any at all they're going to have to cater to people like me. The whole trend of un-sealed slipcovers is the WORST packaging trend I've ever seen. (And I never disliked the snapper cases, which some people refused to buy any title that came in that package.)

I thought TVs WERE the main thing Best Buy specialized in. And 99% of people don't care about their TV having the right connections to hook their stuff up?

Obi-Wanma

I'm the same way. Anytime anyone in any store asks me if I need help finding something, I tell them I'm just looking to get them to leave me alone, even if I am looking for something specific.

I like them to be visible if I actually do need something, but I'd really prefer they don't even speak to me unless I speak to them first.

Timber

Exactly what I do as well. "No, I'm just looking."

Now my wife on the other hand is different. I went with her to BB a few weeks ago because she wanted an iPad case that she saw in the add. She actually went up and asked somebody over in that section if they had any in stock and where they would be. The guy looked at her like she was an alien, pointed in some general direction and said the cases are over there, if we have any that's where they'd be. They actually pay people for "expertise" like that?