devynal

That BestBuySux site is great.

Lol @ the numerous stories about "wear and tear on your processor" and must buy "special surgre protector for your 1GHz + processor or it'll burn out."

Walter Neff

Everybody talks about how great the prices are at Best Buy. As far as I can tell, for DVDs and CDs, their prices are only really competitive for the big new releases during the first week they're out. And those are the only things I buy at Best Buy. For everything else, I find I get better prices at the independent DVD and music stores, at least here in Los Angeles.

Tom O' Bedlam

I gotta apologize for the previous post Tarantino. You seem like a nice guy who genuinely loves movies.

I'm a bit bitter precisely because I had so many bad experiences at Best Buys and I no longer shop there even with the decent prices.

UAIOE

Actually i see the prices at Best Buy rising.

$20.99 instead of $19.99...Why?

Eplicon

I find Best Buy to be a necessary evil sometimes, with the occasional rebate or some freebie for a hot new DVD release. Their prices on box sets, particualrly, are unforgiveable!

I don't shop there as much as I used to, and whenver I go in, it's almost always for self-service. I avoid the employees as much as possible. Too many of them elevate themselves to some sort of social status within the store just because they're wearing one of the store's colors. Except for the rare exception, most of them pretend to know what they are talking about, sometimes b.s.'ing their way through to unsuspecting newbies. I guess their store idealogy is based on P.T. Barnum's philosophy...

tjr2mental

What he should have said was Best Buy is the number one consumer electronics retailer in the nation.

Yea, why there are people who work at my store that do not know anything about what they are selling, those of us who do work very hard at training them so they can help with some of the more mundane questions. I pride myself in being able to answer almost any question and have to date, 17 letters to the GM about how I helped the customer understand and feel good about what he or she purchased. Most of the time I will hook up the cables to some of the items and draw diagrams that show people what they need to do when they get their new items home to get them to work.

Try to get service like that at some other store. Also, why I do not like the way Best Buy works for the most part, I do like being able to help people understand why one item might be better then another. Its always a good thing when your sales end with a smile and thank you from the customer.

spainlinx0

I like to go in to browse, but everytime I pick up a DVD from the shelf that isn't a new release sale item all I can think is "this is so much cheaper online. I'll just wait and order it."

Oh, and I also was an "idiot" who worked there. You can't blame the employees for a lack of knowledge. There really is no training when it comes to product expertise. They just give you some rebuttals to people who don't want service plans, and say "go sell some cables while you're at it." The only reason I actually knew what I was talking about for the most part was because I liked to read about home theater stuff on my own. They aren't getting paid big bucks so there is no incentive to take your work home and really learn about your products. Besides you should be doing your own research about those big purchases anyway. I have a problem trusting a salesperson to tell me which product is "better."

deadlax

My only gripe about employees is that "no means no." I understand that letting customers know about the service plan is part of their employment, but it's the end of the discussion once the customer has dismissed the idea. However, the employees should be able to finish their pitch, before the hammer goes down. People are shopping, both sides should use respect, and everyone would shop a little happier. There are a lot of stupid people that shop at Best Buy and hav eno idea what they need.

Shannon Nutt

Seems like one out of three trips results in a horror story...

Today I go to pick up "Big Fish" and "Love Actually", since this is the last day they'll be on sale. No problem finding the product, but here comes my checkout nightmare.

It's about noon, and there are only 2 of 10 registers open. Each line has about 10 customers in it already, so I pick a line and wait...about 20 mintues later, I'm almost to the front of the line and only then does the cashier mention that this is a "CREDIT CARD or GIFT CARD only line"...no signs, no mention of this or nothing...she just waits for the first person to offer her cash (the guy right in front of me) and makes this statement. Being only one other register open, several of us head to that line...another 20 minute or so wait, and right when us who moved into this line are starting to finally check out - the cashier at the "CREDIT ONLY" register closes her register and moves to another register where she takes the people in the BACK of our line immediately...now taking CASH, of course.

So it took me 5 minutes to pick up the titles I wanted and 40 minutes to checkout. While all this was happening I saw the manager of the store exit his office...pass the 30 or so people waiting in two lines, disappear for a few mintues and return with a huge order from McDonalds and re-enter his office...

Shannon Nutt

The point was that the manager clearly saw the two desperately long lines and didn't do anything to remedy the problem. I would think when lines start to crowd the aisle of the store showing merchandise, it's time to open another register.

Barney1234

Of all the years I've been going to BB, I've met 1 intelligent salesperson. He actually knew about the stuff he was selling

tjr2mental

The way that I look at it is like this... You get one good person per department for the most part. I know that I am the most knowledgeable sales person in home theater, and we have a guy in PCs that is a wiz. Same thing for car audio. It is when you go to wireless, appliances, and digital imaging that you run into the people who have no idea as to what they are selling.

I get at least two or three people a day that will only talk to me based on recommendations from past shoppers. Only bad thing about that is there is no way that they will let me leave the department. Three times I have asked to be moved, and there times now I have been denied.

DVDJay

I've never had a problem with Best Buy, and I've shopped there quite a bit over time. I guess, like some of the others, it's just a matter of knowing what you're looking for when you go. The thing is that I've shopped at Best Buy probably twice as much as other stores (Wal-Mart, Circuit City, Target), and I've had more problems with the other three places than I have with Best Buy. Maybe I'm just one of the lucky ones.

Fok

Their Canadian partner Futureshop is also pretty bad for customer service. The sales people don't know jack, they're rude and they take ages to do anything. I originally thought it was just a few stores, but it seems like these chains have a screwed up mentallity for customer service.

Tarantino

At my store, there's a few dumbasses, sure...but there are a few dumbasses at every place of business. Our managers actually do try pretty hard to get the customers what they want and to keep them happy, as do many of our sales people. Hell, I could bitch on here for hours about how I hate most of the customers that come into the store (guy that comes in and turns the radio up full blast...turn it DOWN. guy that plays on the keyboards for 20 minutes, you're NOT LIL' JON), but what's the point...I get many polite, easygoing people in my store as well.

I've got nothing but horrible half-assed service at WalMart, but I'm not going to sit here and complain about it...it's a national retail chain, I know that most of the people working there are idiots making minimum wage (which granted, isn't the way is HAS to be, but sadly, that's just how it is anywhere...). I do the research of what I want before I go into ANY store to buy ANYTHING. It's just part of being me. I know what I want and what I need with it.

And for those who attacked me, yes, I work at Best Buy and no, I'm not an idiot. I'm a supervisor who doesn't work on the sales floor, so even if you came into my store, chances are you wouldn't see me.

Fok

Maybe better training is needed, seems like a nationwide problem, even here in Canada.

Tarantino

Better training is needed everywhere in the world, not just at Best Buy.

Abob Teff

The difference is that Best Buy portrays itself to be a specialty retailer, which infers that their staff would know something about the product that they sell. Wal-Mart is a discount retailer; by definition we expect that nobody there knows squat.

I'm not saying that you or your store falls into the stereotype. I'll admit that a few times (VERY few times) I have been satisfied and happy with the level of service that I received at a Best Buy. However Best Buy, as a national business, has EARNED its very poor reputation. Sad but true.

Abob Teff

Amen to that.

Tarantino

Well take a look at a place like Circuit City...the employees there are just the same. You might get one person who's knowledgable, the rest in the department aren't. It's just how it is, welcome to America.

Hell, Blockbuster is a specialty store...look at the idiots that work there. Things aren't always as they should be, people...

UAIOE

Well i agree with Abob that Best Buy does present itself as someplace where the employee's are friendly and know what they are talking about (oh how those commercials make me chuckle).

But the point about the shit pay is true. There is zero incentive to rise up and be that employee shown in the ads. Selling accessories and service plans impresses the higher ups, not knowing where some DVD/CD is at.

Just take anything a blue shirt says as a "suggestion". If what they mutter doesnt sound good to your ears then inform your feet to start walking towards the door.


And yes, some customers that shop is best buy are far worse than any blue/yellow/black shirt clad fool working there.

UAIOE

Like the people who enjoy sharing thier singing "talent" on the karoke machines.

I wouldnt mind if they could sing, but most sound like a cat getting an enema.

Abob Teff

I won't disagree with you there. But how many people actually still go into Circuit City? Best Buy has positioned itself at the head of the class, so the argument that idiots work everywhere (while true) does not hold. The company itself claims that it has a higher standard, when it knows that it isn't true. You wondered why Best Buy gets such a bad reputation, I'm just telling the facts.

YOU may be a model example of what the company wants. YOUR STORE may be the shining star that the company could point to. However, the sad reality is that as a whole Best Buy's stores are filled with low-wage idiots and it is the company itself that allows this to go on.

At least the guy at Walmart doesn't try to feed me some BS about how "gold plated cables will give you a faster transfer rate and clear up acne." He looks at me and scratches his butt, which I expect.

I don't see too many Blockbuster commercials touting the great customer service that they (allegedly) offer. I don't see their commercials claiming that their employees are movie gods. When I do see their commercials (few and far between) I see talking snake snacks. They are selling me entertainment. Best Buy is trying to sell me their service.

Trust me my friend, it is a losing battle trying to defend an employer with a bad reputation. I used to work for Suncoast. :wink:

UAIOE

Abob also lives near a Best Buy that (in my experience) has never hired a person with a brain. I used to call that place looking for CD's for customers and every single person i talked to I had to walk them through looking up a CD or movie.

How does a person not know how to do this when most of thier (then) job required them to look items up in the computer?

They must have hired some new person at least once a week there or something.

al_bundy

if you want low price then you go to best buy or CC or some other big store. If you want good service then you need to go find a small specialty store and pay their higher prices for the service.