fujishig

If appliances/services are really where the money is, how dumb was Sears leadership to basically go under (merge with kmart, same thing) instead of pivot and corner a market they were already dominant in?

Noonan

I would imagine they won't decide to stop selling things which create profits. Clearly, physical media is no longer doing that between shelf space, warehouse space, shipping cost, and manpower to pack/ship individual discs.

davidh777

My local hardware shop WAS Magnolia until Best Buy bought the brand.

orangerunner

I think Best Buy has probably resigned itself to the fact they are a showcase for new product which will then be purchased elsewhere on-line for cheaper. The Best Buy near me has sub-leased most of its central floor space to mobile phone companies much like department stores sub-leasing their prime space to cosmetic companies.

It's sad but the on-line marketplace is essentially using the expensive floor space of its competitors, such as Best Buy, to showcase and test the items (at no cost to them) and then undercuts them on the price while giving the over-the-moon happy on-line customer an amazing deal.

orangerunner

Progressive technology created the profits and further progressive technology removed those profits. Wash, spin, rinse...

The profits of DVDs were shared with studios, writers, actors, directors, replication plants, trucking/warehouse industry, retail stores/rental outlets and clerks. The streaming model is, if the studios get their way, now just for the benefit of the studios and a handful and its direct employees.

...on the positive side, you get to watch whatever you want for $12.95 a month plus tax!

Maxflier

I am lucky enough to have one of those on my street as well, awesome store.

milo bloom

There was a 2nd & Charles in the Naperville shopping district for a few years but it actually closed down. I rarely ever found anything that was at a decent price, and there's also a Disc Replay and a Half Price Books in the area that did it better, so I guess that's why they closed.

Maxflier

Can't say I have ever bought a movie from there, I go for the graphic novels.

PhantomStranger

2nd and Charles prices their used DVDs and BDs a little out of touch with market realities. Then they have to clearance them out at cutthroat prices when they don't sell.

BobO'Link

That sounds like what Hastings used to do.

Spiderbite

Shopping there is like a flea market to me. Sometimes you just get lucky and find a rarity at a great price. Most of the time you usually just see junk priced higher than what it is worth. But I have found some kickass deals before.

It is all about luck and timing.

Alan Smithee

PhantomStranger

No doubt, there are deals to be had there. Usually I believe when their employees mistake one similar item for another and price them at the more common item's pricing.

Josh-da-man

Since this seems to be the current Best Buy sucks thread, I was looking at laptops on their website, and it seems like 90% of the options are either "refurbished," "open box," or "previously owned."

Is Best Buy turning into a sleazy flea market like Amazon?

Noonan

If you can't beat them, join them.

TheBang

I didn't see that when browsing their website. When I went to the Windows laptops section, and filtered by Pickup today at my local store, there were 142 options for new products. Many of them had open-box options when you add it to cart, but it's not the default option. The open-box stock being shown is sometimes only available for shipping, which means it's not just local stock, but also online order returns.

Alan Smithee

Just saw a posting from them on Facebook promoting TOYS- Hot Wheels and stuff like that. Yeah, THAT’S what I want.

fujishig

I mean it is Christmas.

Alan Smithee

There’s a Toys R Us right next to our Best Buy- oh wait, that went out of business and can’t blame Best Buy on that.

Heard Best Buy is selling patio furniture also. For sitting outside and watching digital movies on your phone, I guess.

milo bloom

Best Buy has had toys and stuff for a while now, if you had actually been in a physical store you would have seen them

They even sell Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon cards.

DJariya

Uh yeah people actually go to Best Buy to buy other things except movies. Movies and video games aren't going to pay the employees and keep the lights on.

Alan Smithee

They’re still an electronics store. Why would anyone even think to go there for patio furniture?

orangerunner

Once upon a time there was a book retailer called Amazon...

TomOpus

I've bought home videos at Barnes & Noble and Toys R Us. I bet you did too.

slop101

A new Barnes and Noble opened not far from me (actually moved from a smaller location), and it's literally the only place that I can browse physical media.
The movie selection isn't too robust, but it's not bad, with titles Target and Walmart would never stock, and they do have a ton of Criterions (and they just had their 50% off Criterion sale as well). And they have a ton vinyl to flip through - and I appreciate that it's all new vinyl - I feel gross flipping through used vinyl, which are way overpriced these days anyway. They're pretty much the only game in town.