Best Buy Adopts Circuit City Success Plan

[admin]

Discuss "Best Buy Adopts Circuit City Success Plan" here. Read the article.

 

[agarwalro]

The article closes with "And what will we be left with? Wholesale stores or Walmart. Now there's a depressing thought.".

I think this is true for BM stores and it is truly a sad state since the only AV centric places left will be the obnoxious BM places like Definitive Audio here in the Seattle area. On a broader scale, the nice looking, flashy BM store days are over. Yet, I was a Fry's Electronics the other weekend and the place was booming. I even had to wait in line to checkout. Why? It is unpretentious, has a wide assortment of items on their catalog and the prices are not always full retail. The staff being knowledgeable is a hit or a miss but at least they are helpful. So, the closing statement in the article is only representative of a narrow segment of the retail market that is operating on a business model not relevant to the times. The book, Good to Great by Jim Collins has several case studies of this nature. When facts are ignored and executives make decisons against market trends, companies fail.

That said, IMO, the new decade will see the rise of ID stores. There are several examples in the AV world. Amazon, Monoprice, JR, Cruchfield, etc., indeed even the AH Store. These stores show a customer facing concern for quality that is now missing in BM.

We here as AH have been using ID selling model to our advantage for a while, as the concept becomes more socially acceptable, the utilization will increase too. Then the pricing structure will adjust also.

 

[lsiberian]

I think that people are better off at Fry's or buying ID anyway. The store I hang out in now is Lowe's not Best Buy. There is nothing in Best Buy to interest me. The world is changing and wasted resources will be shifted to something else if we are wise.

 

[GlocksRock]

I really wish there was a Fry's here in Charlotte, I went to the one in Atlanta and really liked it.

 

[sawzalot]

I really wish there was a Fry's here in Charlotte, I went to the one in Atlanta and really liked it.

I second that here in Jersey we have Best Buy and thats it !!! We need some competitors to give us some choices,something,anything.

 

[jliedeka]

I really don't have any use for Best Buy. We have a few BM stores in this area for high end audio and consumer electronics. I try to support a local or regional company if possible, otherwise I just get stuff on line.

I used to buy a lot of media from BB but Amazon Prime took away my reasons for making the drive over there.

Jim

 

[speakerman39]

My local BB is a joke. I mean, they have good people and all, but they no very little about anything beyond BB. Just lots of young kids that have no idea what an ohm is let alone how to provide good customer service. Personally, I buy very little there myself. Fortunately, I have a good friend that sells ht gear. At least, he knows a little bit about what is going on in the industry.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[bigred7078]

My local BB is a joke. I mean, they have good people and all, but they no very little about anything beyond BB. Just lots of young kids that have no idea what an ohm is let alone how to provide good customer service. Personally, I buy very little there myself. Fortunately, I have a good friend that sells ht gear. At least, he knows a little bit about what is going on in the industry.

Cheers,

Phil

lol i resent that! i know exactly what an ohm is, and i know ALOT about what is outside of best buy. Honestly i know alot of people that work at best buy that are very knowledgeable not only with BB product, but outside resources as well. But of course that varies area to area.

 

[skizzerflake]

My experience of Best Buy is that if you ask the salesperson for advice, listen carefully and then do the opposite, you have a better than even chance of getting it right. Who sez their info is worthless......

 

[jamie2112]

I myself, won't miss BB a bit....

 

[Highbar]

I'll miss a good BM store but there haven't been any that I've seen in quite a while. The two BB's around never have anyone that knows anything, if I go in there to buy something it's after I do my research and know exactly what I want. Now most of the time I buy online though. I think my next TV is going to come from Amazon.

 

[drinke]

I would never go to BB or CC looking for advice - that's what these forums are for. And I really think that's what big numbers of the mainstream are starting to do now.

Generally I would do my research here or avsforum, narrow things down a bit, and THEN go to BB or CC and fiddle with whatever I was interested in. It gave me a feel for the equipment, build quality, aesthetics, etc... That is very important in making a big purchase decision, especially with respect to TVs - a manufacturers reputation only goes so far. This is basically how I bought my 2 plasmas - both of which I got from CC at incredible deals within the last 2 years.

So, that's the one thing I'd miss and is something ID stores can't provide. Stores like BB and CC generally had huge displays of the best models of the best brands that you could compare side-by-side. Maybe some of the wholesalers will offer this, but I would not count on Walmart to do the same.

 

[kdbbudman]

I hate to say it, but you guys don't quite have it correct. Yes, best buy is changing some things, but they are not just lowering pay on their best employees. They are changing their business model. Right now you have a manager for every department, a supervisor or two, then you have your regular staff. They are just trying to trim some of the fat and not have so many managers. Yes, some people will take a pay cut, but soon there will be more people on the sales floor actually helping people. I have sold part time in home theater for four years now and my job is not in danger. I know that most of you here know much more about audio and video than the average big box salesperson, but you have to understand that you are a VERY small minority. 95% of all customers I talk to don't know their butt from a hole in the ground when it comes to audio and video, and most don't want to pay much for it either. I am not claiming Best Buy to be perfect, we all know it is not, but where else can you go to see and touch the product and have an opportunity to ask questions. If there is a national chain where you can get home theater, appliances, computers and electronics please let me know because I cant think of any other.

 

[Wayde Robson]

I am not claiming Best Buy to be perfect...

I hear ya kdbbudman.

I don't mind Best Buy. To use a tired old sportscaster's cliche :

"It is what it is"

If you've been buying electronics for the last 20 odd years BB is just part of the tapestry. It doesn't excite you about audio like the hi-fi shops do. But I can find good prices on media when I'm too impatient to order it online.

 

[darien87]

My local BB is a joke. I mean, they have good people and all, but they no very little about anything beyond BB. Just lots of young kids that have no idea what an ohm is let alone how to provide good customer service. Personally, I buy very little there myself. Fortunately, I have a good friend that sells ht gear. At least, he knows a little bit about what is going on in the industry.

Cheers,

Phil

There are 2 Fry's within about 10 miles of me, and they are both a joke also. About the only thing you can do is educate yourself before you go in, and then see if they have the best price. Don't expect good sales help. Also, I don't know why, but the one right by my house has a HUGE percentage of Africans working there. Not African-Americans, Africans. This isn't a racist comment, (I'm half black), it's just an observation. It's like someone moved here and got a job at Fry's, then wrote all his friends back home and they ALL moved here and got jobs too. Weird.

 

[westcott]

My prediction is that Best Buy will not survive this depression no matter what business model they follow except the internet solution. Too much overhead for little in return for the store or the client. The impulse buyer can just as easily get his fix on the internet. PayPal is a wonderful thing!!!!

I am not picking on BB. All brick and mortar stores are having a rough go of it for the same reasons. Every time I go into a retail establishment, I am reminded of how tough the times are. Fewer and fewer staff. What staff is left are poorly trained or have the attitude of text messager without his phone fix. I remember the days when retail was King and you used to get tired of everyone trying to help you. Not any more but it is just a sign of the times and you get what you pay for.

P.S. Death to WalMart!!!!!

 

[lsiberian]

I hate to say it, but you guys don't quite have it correct. Yes, best buy is changing some things, but they are not just lowering pay on their best employees. They are changing their business model. Right now you have a manager for every department, a supervisor or two, then you have your regular staff. They are just trying to trim some of the fat and not have so many managers. Yes, some people will take a pay cut, but soon there will be more people on the sales floor actually helping people. I have sold part time in home theater for four years now and my job is not in danger. I know that most of you here know much more about audio and video than the average big box salesperson, but you have to understand that you are a VERY small minority. 95% of all customers I talk to don't know their butt from a hole in the ground when it comes to audio and video, and most don't want to pay much for it either. I am not claiming Best Buy to be perfect, we all know it is not, but where else can you go to see and touch the product and have an opportunity to ask questions. If there is a national chain where you can get home theater, appliances, computers and electronics please let me know because I cant think of any other.

Please don't sell people Bose speakers. Try to steer them away.

I wish they would start selling KEF instead of Bose. Then I would visit BB more often.

 

[lsiberian]

There are 2 Fry's within about 10 miles of me, and they are both a joke also. About the only thing you can do is educate yourself before you go in, and then see if they have the best price. Don't expect good sales help. Also, I don't know why, but the one right by my house has a HUGE percentage of Africans working there. Not African-Americans, Africans. This isn't a racist comment, (I'm half black), it's just an observation. It's like someone moved here and got a job at Fry's, then wrote all his friends back home and they ALL moved here and got jobs too. Weird.

Ours has Indian engineering students.

They tend to hire college students in our engineering department. So you get some people that are actually fairly smart. But I live in Texas and we have computer nerds like crazy. So a few of the ones run the areas.

Fry's is a great store and is intended to be a do it yourself place for most sections. They'll help you if you ask, but they don't bother you either.

 

[speakerman39]

lol i resent that! i know exactly what an ohm is, and i know ALOT about what is outside of best buy. Honestly i know alot of people that work at best buy that are very knowledgeable not only with BB product, but outside resources as well. But of course that varies area to area.

Oh, I am aware of a few that seem to know what they are remotely talking about. However, most of them don't. I must say though, it is not from a lack of trying. The young ones seem to want to help. At times, they merely spin their wheels so to speak. Like you said, it does vary from store to store. No pun intended.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[speakerman39]

There are 2 Fry's within about 10 miles of me, and they are both a joke also. About the only thing you can do is educate yourself before you go in, and then see if they have the best price. Don't expect good sales help. Also, I don't know why, but the one right by my house has a HUGE percentage of Africans working there. Not African-Americans, Africans. This isn't a racist comment, (I'm half black), it's just an observation. It's like someone moved here and got a job at Fry's, then wrote all his friends back home and they ALL moved here and got jobs too. Weird.

As already been mentioned, I am sure it varies from area to area as well as store to store. My local BB has a few people there that know a little bit of what they are talking about. However, in the end I do what I always do: just go to see one of my best friends that sells audio gear and buy from him. The only problem with that, is quite simply selection. That is, I am limited to the brands he sells and to the stock on hand. If I order something not usually kept in stock, I never get the deal I have grown to like. As such, I try to find something in stock and ready for immediate liquidation. My methods sure help my pocket book out.

Cheers,

Phil