Retail Store "Best Buy"...isn't.
 

I don't know if this would be the correct sub-forum to put this in, but I found a thread over at the HTF talking about the apparent new pricing campaign that they have adopted in relation to Sun Coast's (a Best Buy subsiderary) pricing method in order to up their profits.

And this pricing campaign, surprisingly, actually involves charging more for DVDs than their MSRP.

This confirms all along my on-going motto that the retail store Best Buy really iisn't. In that yeah it's true that they have a excellent selection of titles and they tend to have the cheapest price on DVDs during their release weeks, but after that, they jack up the prices to SRP or even higher as suggested on the previously mentioned thread with several examples.

And there's even some examples where their in-store price is higher than their on-line website price. By up to $20 or more.

Moving to Best Buy Hatred Forum... er, Store Forum. :)

If you feel you are being over charged anywhere, go somewhere else. simple as that. Many places over price and many places Under price in an effort to get you in the door. So you save some money in one item but you lose some in other items.

You do realize that MSRP means Manufactor SUGGESTED Retail price.

hmmm, I wonder what that bold word could mean. They don't have to sell it for that price or below. they could sell it for what they want really (in some cases, if it's to low, then they could get in trouble) but the point is, Best buy like any other store is in it for the buisness.

Also, when you compare a store vs. it's online counter part, it is pretty wrong to do so. You can chalk it up to the simple fact that if it's in store, they have to Pay for shelf space. the area cost money to build/rent/etc. so the simple fact that it's a store equels justification that the prices might be higher opposed to an online store which really has just different warehouses in different areas. When you order from amazon, your order might come from one of the many different warehouses because there isn't one specific "amazon super store" that the order is being shipped out of. to compare the two is pretty stupid if you ask me and your best bet always is to become a EDUCATED CONSUMER and shop around looking for the best price for the item.

that simple.

True, you know the stores that say something like "If you find it somewhere cheaper, we'll refund your money PLUS 10%"? They don't include online prices...EVEN if the price is from thier OWN web site...Circuit City won't sell an "in-store' item for the cheaper price on thier own web site.

Best Buy can charge whatever they want to for the items they sell. You can choose to buy it from them or not. It's a free country, you know.

A thread in the Store Forum bashing Best Buy? How daring!

CC and cc.com are two separate companies.

And quite frankly, if I ran a B&M, considering how easily on-line "printouts" are photoshopped.... I wouldn't price-match on-line stores either.

That is not my experience at all. I have had no problems price matching CC.com's better prices at my CC B&M.

That's great. You're one of the lucky ones. As Jackskeleton pointed out before, these retail stores gotta pay more fees to keep the items on the shelf, unlike the internet sites. And have you ever noticed that you pay Shipping and handling when you purchase online? The handling part is built in to the stores prices, plus they've already paid for the shipping so that would be another reason why the prices are higher.

Hopefully they continue price match for you. You've got a good thing going.

Well considering that I have never even been in a Best Buy, I don't need to worry about that. However, since I do have a local store, an On Cue that is in the process of being bought out by Sam Goody which in turn is a Best Buy subsiderary, their DVD prices are insane. The only time you can ever get a fairly decent price on them is the week of their release. And even then, you'll probably pay $3-4 more than they're charging at the Wal-Mart in the same shopping center. So needless to say, I hardly ever buy DVDs from them.

Yes, thank you very much. I wouldn't have known that without you pointing that out. :rolleyes:

I also know that the MSRP is usually the suggested premium (highest) price. So to charge more than that, is IMO, just plain suicide for the store doing it.

This would be like going to an auction and paying more for a new (as opposed to antique), used item than you'd pay for it brand new at a store.

And that's the problem. If word gets out that they're overcharging than the SRP, people aren't going to pay it. That's like a gas station charging $.05 more for a gallon than ever other station around it. That station isn't going to be selling any gas.

Ahh, but you see, that's where you're wrong. When the store's own website says it's available for in-store pick-up and it's supposedly cheaper if you order it on-line, your "shelf-space" theory goes out the window.

Yeah, OK, but read my above explanation.

Yes, I know. I follow the UPS tracking guide for practically every order I make. And they do come from different warehouses, however that doesn't explain price differences. Whether they ship it from Campblesville, KY or from Tulsa, OK, the price is going to be the same. So again, your example doesn't hold.


Agreed. But the issue was that Best Buy has been discovered that they've been raising their prices lately to match the Sun Coast pricing model. And it's really that simple. ;)

Imhotep & Jackskeleton,

I've been reading you're back & forths and you both make good points. I was curious to hear your thoughts on this statement:

Besides the more common releases, places like SunCoast, Sam Goody, Media Play (which sounds a lot like On Cue that Imotep mentioned), or any other one of these "overly priced" stores...don't you agree that they over price these DVD's because of the selection? Sure, places like Circuit City may have a lot of the same items, but (IMHO) places like SunCoast stock a LOT of items that you can't find anywhere else. Anime and Adult titles are the PERFECT example! The Media Play near me has an entire section devoted to Adult and Anime.

Places like CC and BB only stock what they feel will sell well and that's why thier prices are cheap. A place like SunCoast stocks practically EVERYTHING you could ever want...that's why they are expensive, you're paying for the selection. Unfortunately that covers the same DVD's you can pick up at WalMart for $10 cheaper, but that's your choice. I would never slam SunCoasts or Media Plays prices because I know I can shop there and find something I'd never find anywhere else.
I've never done this so I can't say my statement is 100% truth, but does that only apply to items they have in-stock? I also wonder who gets credit for the purchase? The online site or the store you pick it up from? Sure, they're both Best Buys, but (as was pointed out) they are different in a business sense.

p.s. To Jacks point about places underpricing one item and overpricing another...I remember in the early 90's, McDonalds did the most CLEVER marketing scam EVER! Their hamburgers and cheeseburgers used to cost like $0.69 and $0.89 respectively, but what they did was LOWER their prices to like $0.49 and $0.69 respectively. So you were saving $0.20 on every burger purchase! Where's the genius? Well, everyone who goes to McDonalds doesn't buy just a burger! They gotta have fries as well! So McDonalds (knowing they were losing $0.20 on every burger) raised the price of fries $0.30!!!!!! So you thought you were saving cash, when in fact, they were getting another $0.10 out of you! Suberb Marketing!!!!!!!!!

I don't understand one thing... you started this thread, yet you've never been in a Best Buy?

Maybe I'm not understanding the intent of your post.

"You ever picked your feet in Poughkeepsie?"

Take a cruise over to DVD Clubs Forum and check out the info on CH DVD Club.
I've gotten over a hundred DVD's from CH and paid under $10 each for all of them.
Many of these titles are still $20 or more at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. etc.

I agree about CH. Since I've started getting DVDs for about $8 each from CH, I turn my nose up at most sale prices, even the $9.99 sales. The only sale prices I pay attention to, are for box-sets or criterions.

I don't mind waiting 3-6 months for new-releases to become available from CH, because I already have a backlog of about 20 DVDs that I haven't even opened, much less watched.

There is a Best Buy now in Carbondale, and of course the one in Fairview Heights.

As for Best Buy's pricing strategy, I don't see them employing the pricing strategy of Sam Goody, except for maybe a few select items. They need people in the store buying inexpensive media so that they can then sell them the hardware.

Is Best Buy a hardware (computer / TVs/ radios, etc) first, or a software (including CD/DVD/games, etc) store first?

The point is, you're supposed to check online whether the price is real or not. Not just look at a piece of paper and say OK.

BTW, there's something good about BB having overinflated prices on some dvd's. I returned Secret of my Success yesterday to BB during their post-Christmas lax-return period. I have no idea where I got that dvd from, but it rang up on BB's screen at $23! Needless to say I was pretty happy about that.

Do I dare start a conversation about the "Online Tax" that the lawmakers are trying to put in effect? Would something like that stop you from buying online?

I was told by the GM at the store here (when i worked there) that CD/DVD's....so on were simply there to lure people into the store in hopes of getting them to buy other more expensive items.

Also there is the fact that outside of appliances and possibly phones (home phones) you really do not need anything from the store.

Its hardware first, software 2nd.