Top 5 things Best Buy doesn't want you to know

[annunaki]

That article is nothing short of amazing. Does best buy hire communist gustappo or what?

 

[archemedes]

I had a customer call me frustrated after buying a tv, and dvd player at Best Buy. They sold her 3 cables she had Sattelite, and the dvd player she didn't know what the other cable was for (simple composite cable priced at 29.95) I went out hooked everything up and calibrated the set charged her my service call, and we started talking, she thought she got a great deal since the set was "on sale" she told me the price and I had to keep myself from laughing the price was the msrp we had it for $100 less, plus would have thrown in the composite cables, and hooked it up with delivery (I know that's weird)

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Holy Crap! They had police remove customers from the store becuase they had receipts!

Thats the last time I'm shopping there, I'l probably get picked-up on the way out:

Mall Security: Hey you! Stop right there!

Me: I paid for this CD I even have a receipt.

Mall Security: A-Ha! So you admit it! You're coming with us!

 

[Unregistered]

Best Buy's No recording policy

This is really weird. I work at circuit city and have gone down to best buy a number of times to check their prices and have never been thrown out.
They have us do this to check competior pricing.
This is what usually happens;
I walk in to best buy in my circuit city shirt with my nametag on with my clipboard in hand.
BB Manager: "How you doin' today?
Me: Oh, Hey I'm great. Don't mind me I'm just checking your prices for Circuit City.
Him: Oh, Great. Let me know if you guys have anything cheaper than we do.
Me: Alright, Have a great day.

 

[Unregistered]

Markup

I find it interesting that no one has mentioned the markup that monster cable and the like put on their products. If this gives you any idea they offer Circuit City employees a discount of 60% through their site. And you know that they are still making money off of that. Monster Cable is the biggest rip off. I would never buy it at retail unless I had no other choice. Just my 2 cents.

 

[BuddTX]

I see someone already posted this web site, but I will post it again, as it was burried in the post:

Best Buy Suks

 

[Khellandros66]

I used to work for Best Buys Audio Departmant, and we had some actual informative demos of how Monster Cable being thicker means its better (i know how this sounds already ) Anyways I taught my supervisor about DACs, THD, SNR and all that good stuff which is sad.

~Bob

 

[djoxygen]

My $0.02 on BBC

Many years ago (as in about 16 or so) I worked at a Best Buy in the Minneapolis area. I'm not sure they were even a national chain at that point. All sales people were on commission and required to dress the part. Suits and ties for the men, dresses for the women. The only people allowed to wear jeans were those of us back in the warehouse.

There was a smattering of low end gear, but the upper end of their range went as far as Hafler and Cerwin-Vega (yes, both for home use! - see "active v. passive monitoring" for more on using studio-quality gear at home).

IMHO, the day Best Buy took the salespeople off commission was the day they dove for the company of bottom feeders. However, even before that they would play dirty pool, and the manufacturers were playing right along with them. When the Sunday morning circular went out in the paper, the staff would go around posting higher "regular" prices to make the "sale" prices look like they were a better bargain than they were the day before. And to prevent the kind of comparison shopping that apparenly can land one in court these days, some of the suppliers (Infinity comes to mind) would sell a slightly altered model number to each competitor, so BBC would get a 3000 and the guys across the street (can't remember if it was CC or someone else) would get a 3001. Each would claim that theirs was somehow different than the other, and all but the most educated customers would believe it and be kept from playing us against each other on pricing.

Fortunately the Internet has put most of those practices in the graveyard where they belong. But the pushing of service contracts, outrageous cable markups, and the fact that rather than be trained on product performance and specifications, the only training salespeople get is how to sell the former, has kept me pretty much to buying DVDs and CDs at BBC and CC, and reserving my hardware budget for stores that can earn it.

 

[Tres]

Your experiences have better different then mine

I have worked at Best Buy for more then a year now. I agree that they do stress things like higher in cables in my area (Computers) and that they suggest battery Back UPS. I am also a computer Science Major getting ready to graduate from a local college. I am considered in a position of higher rank then my coworkers and often coach them on the proper ways of selling. I never force them to sale them something that isn't necessary. I do tell them why a gold usb cable (for example) is better then a typical plain usb cable. I do explain to them why one type of cd-r is better to sale then others. I also tell them why someone should buy the service plan. Here are my personal experiences as a customer before I worked at Best Buy. I bought a toshiba laptop and a service plan for $250. About 9 months later my battery went out. I called toshiba and they said I could pay to get it sent there and they would check the battery and then send me back one. I was like no I wasn't going to pay for it. I went to Best Buy and they replaced my laptop and rolled my service plan over. I had the same thing happen with a washer and dryer. Now I am not saying that this has happened to every item I have ever purchased. But it has happened 2 times. There service plan was well worth it to me. No one can tell me that any laptop will never break. I spent $250 on a service plan for a laptop that cost me close to $2000. So I could buy 8 service plans and if only one broke and needed replaced, break even. This is not including batterys or anything. Now the failure rate of laptops is hovering about 25% in the first year(as stated by a recent national magazine article).

One thing that I can bet my job on is that at my store, my customers are taken care of much better then any other store in my area. I have on multiple times let customers return items from other stores without receits so they could get a better model (even though we would have to sale later at a lower cost), I have often told my service techs in the store to install something for free (something no other store in my area can provide), I have often told my employees to discount a product just because the box was damaged and to check the product before it left the store for the customers satisfaction. I have also helped people fill out rebate forms so they would insure that they received them back, went to someone's house and hooked up a washer and dryer because they couldn't get it working, and even helped walk people through installing computer components that I could have charged them for (for free). This is just what I have done. I have seen many other good things. My store just took out 13 little brothers from the big brother/big sister program to a bowling and pizza night. We have donated our time and money to send things to soldiers in Iraq. We have donated items for Goodwill and the local salvation army. We even conducted a video game contest where 50% of all money collected went to the winner and the rest went to a charity. And the person who won it worked with me and gave all the winnings other then his entry fee to charity as well. So I don't think you have the right to Bash best buy employees with your slander when you obvisously have no clue what happens in every store.

I doubt you could say that you have ever been helped with a pc problem at one of my local competors.

 

[Mudcat]

Not In My Case

I wish you were in my area. The two BB I can use (Glen Burnie, MD and Springfield, VA) often use high pressure gestapo tactics, even if I'm only getting a DVD.

 

[MarkSJohnson]

Do we get what we deserve??

Seems to me that 5, 7, 10 years ago The Best Buys and Circuit City’s were easier to deal with. I was psyched when each originally opened in my area. They weren't high end, but better than many of the other options I had at the time.

No, I can barely stand to be in BB and, though I've found the CC across the street to be better, it's still no bargain in the "sales experience".

What really turned me off was when I was buying a very nice Sony 19" LCD computer monitor which was $1100 at the time. The guy I was dealing with at Best Buy was easy going and nice to deal with. Then someone else came over, I don't know if it was a superior or not, and it went rapidly downhill. The new guy asked if I was getting the extended warranty and I replied "no". He started listing off the reasons why I should and I told him that I wasn't interested. Now, I'm walking to the registers in the front of the store and this guy is FOLLOWING me, listing more reasons why I should get it. I'm starting to seethe now, and while the monitor is being rung up, he tells me I'm going to regret it because the backlight on these typically burns out in 3 months to a year and it would be incredibly expensive to fix.

What I told him is that I don't believe that Sony would produce a product with that kind of failure rate. What I said in my head and in the car afterwards was far different and shouldn't be posted here. At the time, I essentially kept quiet because I had my desk pulled out (no small feat) and really wanted to get that monitor that day to finish the installation of the new computer and get my office back to normal; the only other option I found would have been an hour's drive.

Now, for good or for bad, I'm not nice to a**hole salespeople that "push". I'm much more likely to give them a piece of my mind and walk out. Not that I'm a mean person. 99% percent of the time all is fine and I'm a guy who always tips 25%. But if you're going to push my buttons, I just don’t have tolerance for it anymore and I now push back.

Although I've gone on long enough in this post, let me throw a little slant in here that might take the thread in a little twist:

Do we, as consumers, get what we deserve?

I'll keep this short (so it won't need to be moved to the "rant" folder), but when we, as consumers, continuously patronize the place that's $5 cheaper, how else can the stores stay in business with some of the narrow margins that leaves? I get a kick out of people complaining that the airline business has such bad service, but they'll still choose the carrier that's $3 cheaper. It may not be the case with members of forums such as these who, as a general rule, are better educated about the purchases that they wish to make and on average buy a higher-level product than the majority of consumers. But by and large, don't consumers in general get exactly what they ask for? I'm not talking rudeness by salespeople, but the lack of support and knowledge and the need to sell "something" to make a profit??

 

[Rob Babcock]

Do we, as consumers, get what we deserve?

I'll keep this short (so it won't need to be moved to the "rant" folder), but when we, as consumers, continuously patronize the place that's $5 cheaper, how else can the stores stay in business with some of the narrow margins that leaves? I get a kick out of people complaining that the airline business has such bad service, but they'll still choose the carrier that's $3 cheaper. It may not be the case with members of forums such as these who, as a general rule, are better educated about the purchases that they wish to make and on average buy a higher-level product than the majority of consumers. But by and large, don't consumers in general get exactly what they ask for? I'm not talking rudeness by salespeople, but the lack of support and knowledge and the need to sell "something" to make a profit??

In my area it's not that simple- BB is pretty much the only place in town to buy that stuff. There's an Ultimate Electronics for the "semi-upscale" audio stuff & a great assortment of TVs, but they carry virtually no computer stuff. There's a local PC place, but it's real "mom & pop" and carries a very limited supply of monitors and stuff (although a good array of cases, mobos & hardware- plus advanced knowledge). And there's always Wally World/Target/Shopko, etc for cheapo stuff live VCRs. And no place in town can even come close to the selection of CDs and DVDs at BB.

So where does that leave me? I'll tell you where: buying from BB or ordering online, presumably to save that same $3. Buying by internet is another hot button issue lately- many people think you should buy locally to keep B&M dealers in business. Besides, with some online vendors you get sub-BestBuy level service.

For any audio I can buy locally, or a TV, I'll hit UE. For anything upscale I'm pretty much forced to go internet. But for the bulk of my music & movie purchases, I'm left with the Big B.

 

[Unregistered]

I didnt read all four pages of this, just the first.. but, i must say this. Do you expect somebody extremely knowledgable about ANYTHING to be working at a $7 an hour job dumping low end electronics on people? This is just the way the world works. No Mcdonalds employee can explain to you the technical workings of a shake machine and no conveinent store worker can be expected to know the amount of calories in a snikers bar off the top of their head. Its the nature of retail. The store is not there to give people the best bang for the buck it is there to make money. You are foolish if you expect anything more than you are getting out of your best buy employees. They are not trying to make friends.. just sales.. and untill they start paying liveable wages to the people working on the floor, do not expect more. (pardon my rhyme)

Jim Curtis
Buffalo, Ny

 

[MrCommonSense]

Damn capitalism!

You folks make me laugh... What did you expect? Businesses, in case you hadn't figured this out, exist to make money (duh)... So why are you so suprised that they would try to do this? Yes, things like extended or replacement warranties and high end accessories like monster cables, etc., are profitable for stores - if they weren't then why even bother to be in business? You people seem to think that these stores exist to please you, as though the whole reason they get up and go to work everyday is so you can eventually get around to using them to get something you want - cheap. Hey, there's an old adage that goes "you get what you pay for"... In retail today the only significant profit made is on cables, warranties, etc. - there's a lot less profit to be made on the primary item itself, very often no profit is made or the retailer even takes a loss with every sale. You guys need to understand this: it is NOT immoral to offer a product that you make a profit on, in fact it is necessary and good. Ask yourselves this before you open your mouths and while like a 3 year old that doesn't want to share it's toys, "what if the stores actually did what I suggest?" Here's the answer: with consumers unable or unwilling to pay a decent profit margin on all products and retailers unable to sell any products at a high profit, those products which consumers won't or can't pay a decent profit on will become a waste of time and effort for retailers and they will stop selling them. As a result, many people will lose their jobs in both retail and manufacturing, causing a serious decline in the overall economy. Chances are that if stores stopped making profits on accessories and warranties, not only couldn't you find anyone to sell you a game console like an XBOX or a PS2, or a nice TV, or a Home Theater System, but even if you could you might not be able to afford them because (by the domino effect) YOU could very well be UNEMPLOYED.

And by the way, it's not like you don't get anything for your money. Monster cables, for example, really ARE the best cables money can buy, and they really DO result in better picture and sound quality. As for warranties, hey, a lot of people wind up cashing them in and they would have been screwed without it. As for those who don't, well, they get the peace of mind that they can if they need to, they are lucky not to have any problems or hassles, and they are doing their part to cover the costs incurred by those who DO have to use theirs, as well as creating an avenue of profit for the stores that is their incentive to do things like: make deals with manufacturers to get the products you want to buy made, make deals with shipping comapnies to bring them to your town so you can buy them without driving over hell and a half acre, build clean, attractive stores for you to shop comfortably in (and keep them that way), get up every morning and put on a stupid uniform so customers can tell they work there, stay up late stocking shelves, pay the employees who tell you how to find the public restroom in their stores, and then pay the same employees to clean up where you piss and ****, provide you with free toilet paper to wipe your *** with, and put up with your inane stupity as to how things work!

Hey, anyone who doesn't like stores making a profit, there's an idea that a lot of folks tried about that: it's called "communism". I hear the weather's nice in cuba, but there's no big screen TV's (with or without extended warranties and decent cables hooked up in the back).

 

[Rob Babcock]

Monster cables, for example, really ARE the best cables money can buy, and they really DO result in better picture and sound quality.

.............provide you with free toilet paper to wipe your *** with, and put up with your inane stupity as to how things work!

Holy cow! Did someone go off their meds today?

I'll tell ya, unless it's different at the Best Buy you work at, Mr.CommonSense, free is too much for the toilet paper they use! Which is on par with the value of the advice I've received from the average BB employee...

 

[Leprkon]

RE Damn Capitalism !!

There's nothing wrong with a business offering a high-end product. Every person who ever goes into sales is trained to do that, because you never know when you have an uneducated customer (ie sucker).

There's also nothing wrong with telling people on message boards about aplces that do this religiously, and in some cases, to the extent they would risk a sale.

We always tell women who don;t want to have sex that when they say NO it means NO, quit asking, and go away. Too bad we don't have a similar law for RETAIL !!!!

As for the guy who made postings about McDonald's, I don;t expect an employee to know how a shake machine works, but I DAMNED sure expect him to be able to tell me what's on a Big Mac !!!!!!!!!

 

[Unregistered]

"As for the guy who made postings about McDonald's, I don;t expect an employee to know how a shake machine works, but I DAMNED sure expect him to be able to tell me what's on a Big Mac !!!!!!!!!"

They are not *****ing about the Best Buy employees not knowing whats in the box.. im sure they can tell you that. The people here seem to be expecting sales people with MIT degrees in engineering. My Mcdonalds analogy was vaild in that regard.

 

[Leprkon]

Re McDonalds

Let's imagine a normal person walking in to Bets Buy. He knows what kind of music he listens to and maybe how big the room is he will be putting a system in. He is going to be asking the guys at Best Buy "why should I buy the (Insert Brand Name) 1000 instead of the 900 ? Getting an answer like "well, it's their next step up in the line" just isn't an acceptable answer. There oughta be some really good reasons to dish out an extra $ 150, and if they want that extra dough, they oughta be able to earn it.

I personally don;t think it's going to far to ask a reasonably technical questions like "this model upconverts the video... how does that help me ?" and expect a truthful answer like "it doesn't change the quality of the signal or the picture, but it does let you run just one cable to the TV"; or "does the unit have seperate amplifiers for each channel ?" as this is a major separation point from the low line and better quality receivers. I certainly don't expect Best Buy people to know the DSP processor speed or number of DAC's in each unit, but they should be able to answer the questions that impact people who wouldn't know for themselves.

In many cases you will find these guys don't even know the difference between a component and composite video input, or will be happy to sell you an equalizer to go with your brand new Dolby Digital 7.1 receiver, which could distort the signal and might overdrive your DSP chip.

These are the kind of things I wouldn;t expect from a Walmart employee who might be in the toy department today and in women's shoes tomorrow. They are the kind of things I would expect from (as Best Buy calls their employees) audio consultants or audio technicians.

 

[JoeE SP9]

The way that I fight the good fight against BB and others like them is to invite my neighbors and any one who expresses an interest in good sound and video over for a demo. After I get them in the sweet spot they usually buy better stuff that they had in mind. This is a great way to kill the sales of that B(l)ose crap. Also having a killer hifi is not like having a Ferrari. You can't park it out front and have people walk by and put their fingerprints on it. You have to get them in your seat and then they will hear the point. The comment I hear the most is "I didn't know stereo/movies/TV could sound like this".

 

[JoeE SP9]

As far as those special warranties go, I tell the salesman I know their reason for pushing them is the bonus they get for selling them. I also add "if you keep pushing that on me I will take my business elsewhere". I have nixed a purchase at the register because of their pushing those warranties.