JMLEWIS1

They're putting in a huge store called Ultimate Electronics near my house...just wondering if they sold DVD's and if so, were the sort of like a Best Buy/Circuit City type store... thanks

SAShepherd

They opened one recently near my house. I've only been in there once or twice and don't remember any DVDs/CDs. Their prices seemed (based on my less-than-even-cursory review) competitive with BB/CC.

RandyM

There's one near me. No DVDs or CDs, just electronics. The salesmen must get paid on commission because they swarm you as soon as you walk in the door, so if you go, make sure you dress like a homeless person.

klh

They operate under the "Soundtrack" brand in Colorado. Their market niche is above CC or BB. They are basically a CC but with more higher-end stuff. I don't even bother to go in there anymore as (just as was posted) their sales folks wear suits and are all over you. Their strategy is to upsell you to the highest component in the general area you are looking for. For example, you go in for a $150 DVD player and they steer you toward the $200 one that is the same line as the $150 with more features.

The only reason to deal with them is if they have a cheaper price that you can get CC to match.

In Boulder the Soundtrack is directly next door to the CC. I find I don't even bother to go into the Soundtrack anymore. In general, I've found the CC sales folks to be fairly educated and the prices there are generally very good.

None of the stores they have in CO stock DVDs either.

cowanrg

being an employee (suit-wearing salesperson) of the boulder soundtrack, i kinda want to defend myself...

there is a GOOD reason many of us try and upsell. ask ANY salesperson in the industry what they personally own. most of what the customer comes in to buy is not what is really that great of a product. almost everytime i upsell someone on a better product, i get a phonecall or something saying how theirs is SO much better than their nieghbors/friends, whatever...

put it this way, the guy buying the $500 dvd player isnt getting ripped off. he's getting a player that $400 better than the $100 player.

soundtrack (and ultimate electroncs, same company) ARE commission, but so are circuit city. the difference is that at CC they arent trained as well. they lie, trust us :-) we get SO many people coming over saying "the guy over at CC told me..."

since we make ONLY commission, this is a pretty important job for us. most of make in the $40K+ range, and we take our jobs SERIOUSLY. for most of us its a hobby, and we research all the products completely. i subscribe to most all of the magazines, research online, etc, to find the best product for a customer.

plus, it seems like you have never really given us a chance. you would be amazed. we have a 94% overall satisfaction rate (meaning that our customers, randomly surveyed, rate us 94% out of 100%. and, 70% of business is repeat). about 50% of my customers REFUSE to shop at CC or best buy, they come in to see me ONCE, and they leave with something.

give us a chance, just listen to what we have to say. you may leave paying more, but you will end up with something SO much better.

most of the DVD players and stuff that people in this forum have arent so great. for like $10-$15 more, you would be amazed how much better something could be. as us to show you. we will hook it up as close to what you have.

Shoveler

We have an UE in Cedar Rapids, it's right across the street from BB. I think that cowanrg had some good points, here's how I break it down. If you want a "full service" buying experience, then I would recommend Ultimate Electronics. I've never bought there, because I generally do my own research and know exactly what I want, and their prices seem to be higher than BB or CC (based on my limited sampling, so that may not be a fair statement, please take it for what it's worth!).

If you want someone who knows what they're talking about to hold your hand and lead you toward the "ultimate" piece of the type of equipment you're seeking, then it seems to be the place to go. The sales staff there do appear professional and knowledgable. They also "detach" quickly when they sense you're not a serious buyer (which I appreciate very much!).

cowanrg, I think the biggest rap on commissioned sales people is when they can't take a hint, and, in the case of the CR Ultimate Electronics store, I haven't experienced that the few times I've done comparison shopping there. If it's a corporate philosophy, that may be why you have such high satisfaction numbers. There's nothing wrong with salespeople, it's the annoying salespeople that give that profession a bad name!

Lurker1999

It's like an upscale CC. The sales staff work on commission, that's clear but they tend to leave you alone if you appear young or not in a serious shopping mood. This is done without making you feel like you should leave because you're not actually going to buy anything. I think that's going to be the key for their continued survival vs. smaller non-national stores catering to the higher end market.

My friend bought an HDTV from UE on their credit card with several months of 0% financing and then paid it off completely before the financing ran out. Additionally the unit he bought dropped in price a few weeks after he bought it and was able to pricematch the difference.

Once I'm seriously in the market for an HDTV I'll probably buy the model I want from them for the 0% financing so I can keep the money in savings longer.

One thing to do before walking into a store selling on commission is to do your homework in advance. I generally don't rely on sales staff on the day that I'm going to make a purchase.

cowanrg

thanks for the positive comments guys...

you would be surprised though. im only 22, so i do approach most of the younger crowd in the store. ive had some big sales off of them too!

ultimately (no pun), we are there to help out. sure, we upsell, but the person still has to pull out the credit card and buy it... we dont force them into that. if its way over their budget, we back off.

plus, i cant tell you how many times ive done a full-scale demo of out $30K+ home theatre. (krell and martin logan, $5,600 for each front speaker, $1,300 for center, $1000 for each rear, $1,500 for dvd player, $7,999 for processor, $7,999 for amps, $15,000 for 60" plamsa, $1,200 for subwoofer, $1,200 for power conditioner, and another $1,000+ for cables).

i really dont care if you arent buying, of im not busy, ill give a demo. most people have friends. if you go home and tell someone "ultimate electronics is cool, you should go there!", well, i still did my job.

DVDJay

The one time I went into Ultimate Electronics I was out pricing televisions. I was jumped by a salesman as soon as I walked in, and the guy just watched me browse the TVs the entire time. I finally had to tell him I wasn't going to buy anything that day and I was only looking. That's his job, and I respect that, but it makes me feel uncomfortable, and more importantly, doesn't make me want to buy anything.

cowanrg

i hear ya...

im into high-end gear, and when i got into boutiques looking at $30K+ audio setups, i hate to be stared at and followed...

you did the right thing there. i like it when customer are honest. once again in the salesperson's defense, we try and read the person... nothing is worse than a customer walking up to someone at random and saying "i want this one" when you were there the whole time, or in our case, got them something to drink, etc...

linear D

I bought my 32TV from UE in Des Moines about 4 yrs ago. I got exactly what I wanted and even saved over $100 on the price. I like dealing with comm salespeople. Being one myself at one time I know the door to negotiation is wide open when you walk in. If you play your cards right you will get a deal from a salesperson who just wants a tick on the board and be able to move on to the next "laymedown".

edclem

Here in MN, the chain is called Audio King. I've only made a few purchases there, but they have been positive experiences. Yes, there is some of the upselling that's going to happen. But in general, the sales staff are quite helpful, and FAR more knowledgable than the people at CC or (shudder) BB.

If I look for another mid-line component, I'll definitely look there in my rounds through the stores.

Cheddarmuff

Sounds like a nice place....wish they would open one in Detroit..

Spicollidriver1

When I saw this thread Iwas gonna post that this is Audio King here. Also one of the best parts is that there is leeway in the pricing which is great for all the cheap folks here to be able talk the price down. I have friend that works at the flagship store here in MN and everyone there is pretty knowledeable and very passionate about the stuff they sell which is very cool. I was all but offered a job there a long time ago and I turned it down and now I wish I didn't. Also a cool touch is that usually they will get something to drink while you shop.

cowanrg

thanks everyone for the good comments.

the minnesota stores i hear are pretty nice. our boulder store is getting a complete overhaul this coming year. the store is one of the oldest in the company. its really really nice, but they want to make it one of thier flagship stores though. i cant wait.

and yes, we do have some room to move on many items in the store. dont expect us to take $10 off a $100 dvd player. that stuff is at cost already... but if you want a mistubishi bigscreen, i have taken several hundred off before... it just depends on if the item has markup. and, its ALL up to the salesperson, if you are a jerk, you wont get crap. if you are just a great person to deal with, you will get a great deal. just how it works :-) be nice to your salesperson.