Best Buy Becoming Useless?

Which "company"? It seems that you have been frustrated about trying to save money on some items or deals and ended up landing on a bad business transaction? I wonder if you could provide some clarity about which you have written about? I'm sure your knowldge will help us inspect on our own buying and selling habits to econe our guide. We all like saving money and continuing fair business trading with people of integrity.

Thanks.

 

I like Best Buy, they have a good range, true they have a monopoly in some areas, but what's not to like? The prices are good, there is a loyalty card system, and they do offers all of the time. Yes, you may need to ask for help, but that is store dependent. Personally I do buy from them, but online and then I pick up from the store.

 

I think the opposite, really. They've run most of the other electronics companies out of business because they tend to have the best products, the best prices, and staff who are actually knowledgeable on what they are selling.

 

I rarely go to Best Buy any more these days. Though they are one of the only brick and mortar stores still around with a decent selection of electronics, I still prefer the greater selection of electronics that I can find online. Plus I can often find deals online that are much lower, even with shipping factored in (though I often get free shipping from sites like Amazon too).

Considering the breakneck speed with which new electronics are being released, I often find that many of the items they are carrying in store are already somewhat "old". For example, I was looking at Canon point and shoot cameras there a couple years ago, and they were still carrying models such as the Powershot S95, which were already a couple years old, while the newer models such as the Powershot S110 were available for sale online.

I also find their aggressive upselling rather annoying - since I usually have to refuse the offers several times before the store employees finally take a hint.

I don't really find much of a need to shop there anymore since most of what I am looking for can be found elsewhere with a better selection to choose from. I used to mainly go there for computer equipment and to buy music and DVD's. However since I don't purchase physical CD's or DVD's anymore, I don't need to go there for that. And with things like kitchen appliances, places like Bed Bath & Beyond have much better selections. As for computer equipment, I would rather just order my computers directly from the manufacturers, so I know I'm getting the latest models and not something that's been sitting on a shelf for months.

 

While the savvy shopper can most likely find better deals on electronics online than at Best Buy, not everyone has the expertise in electronics to know what to look for when shopping online. Also, many people enjoy being able to see and test out the electronics before they purchase them, which is not practical when shopping online. Furthermore, purchasing electronics can be somewhat of an investment, as they can get pretty expensive, depending on what you are purchasing. As such, people like to see what they are buying before they pay their money. Finally, I think that many people go to Best Buy in order to have someone with some expertise in electronics help them find what they are looking for, solve a problem they are having, or as a safety net in case something goes wrong with their purchased item down the line.

While I usually do not like shopping at Best Buy because their customer service is not always the greatest, I have purchased most of my electronics there and will most likely continue to do so, as there are not any alternatives in my area.

 

I still like Best Buy. Most of my electronics is old now, but I purchased it there, and I have been happy with the quality. I like to shop online and do much of my shopping online these days, but there's just something about going to a Best Buy store and immersing myself in the variety of brands and types of products available there that I enjoy. I also like that their employees are very knowledgeable about the products they stock. I am not usually in the market for the latest and greatest version of something, so I'm o.k. with a slightly older model being available for purchase.

 

I really like BestBuy because they are helpful and patient people. They got things on sale that I need and they are helpful if you need help too, so I like shopping at BestBuy all the time. I don't feel intimidated when I go shopping at BestBuy too for everyone is friendly and helpful.

 

Well to be fair to Best Buy, I am pretty sure that most of the traditional, brick and mortar stores are experiencing the same thing so they are really not alone. We cannot be too surprised though, because with online shopping it was really only a matter of time. I am sure that the company will adapt, but it will take time and it will come out looking different than what we are used to.

 

I'm not sure about that. Best Buy seems to still have plenty of customers. I think there will always be a demand for it, but maybe not to the extent that it used to be.

 

Well alot of their stores seem to be closing nationwide. i know the one in this area did. I can't even tell you when I was in Best Buy the last time. It just seems like their is so much competition in that electronics market for them right now that they may be doomed to failure. Circuit City went out, and Best Buy may not be far behind.

 

I wouldn't say they are useless. At least not completely. I still go there from time to time. One thing I find is how the CD section of the store keeps shrinking. Gets smaller and smaller with each visit. I'd have to think that it will be gone soon enough to make room for more relevant products. I find their prices to be pretty competitive on most products. Especially TV's and computers. I'd rather shop online, but if I have to go to a retail store, Best Buy is still pretty useful.

 

I am not a fan of Best Buy. They are definitely a monopoly in some areas, but I find that I can always find the same of equivalent items online or at other retailers much cheaper. They do have a decent rewards program, but it's not worth earning rewards by paying higher prices. I will give you one trick to Best Buy returns, given to me by a friend who works at Best Buy. Best Buy's policy is a customer's always right kind of thing. So if they won't accept a return, you basically just have to raise your voice or get a little huffy and they will give in 90% of the time. It's corporate policy. I have never returned anything there, but have given the advice to a few friends and it has worked at multiple store locations. LOL

 

We had a local Best Buy here in town who closed down their whole store and build a whole new store one block away. I am not an economist or a business man or anything like that, but that just seems like a really dumb idea and if it is as stupid as I am thinking, then it is a nice little anecdote for their company as a whole. The market is changing, and they are not really adapting too well.

 

This is the first time I'm hearing about Best Buy. I had a look at the site and it looks like it has a very wide variety of goods at affordable prices. It's a shame I can't buy from there because they say international buyers have to use a US address or collect orders directly from one of their stores, so basically they don't ship worldwide. They would probably 'clean up' if they did ship worldwide, too.

 

I think Best Buy continues to exist because there are people who refuse to buy electronics online. If someone wants to play with their electronics before buying, be able to touch it, see how comfortable they feel with it, maybe even ask questions of store associates, then Best Buy is their go-to for electronics.

Personally, I shop almost exclusively online, but I do drop by Best Buy on occasion to check out their inventory. On one particular occasion, I was looking for a laptop bag, so I brought my laptop and checked out how well it would fit into the bags available. This is something that couldn't be done when shopping online, so there's something to be said for the tactile shopping experience as well.

Also, I feel like 95% of all laptops given by parents to their children are probably bought at Best Buy.

 

Well I don't know, but I quite like Best Buy. It's fun to go play with some of the technology out there and they have a pretty good selection. Nothing you can't find online, but it's nice to actually see and touch it. In fact, I will probably go to Best Buy when it's time for me to buy a new laptop.

 

While I am not a fan myself, I think they are still a really strong store. I have family who will just buy there because they trust them so much, even if they can find something cheaper online. They knew how to play it and now have many established costumers. Also, like rosemoon said, it is always nice to be able to check out what you are buying.

 

I worked at Best Buy for about a year a while back after first graduating college. A lot of people like going in person to try before they buy and there's always those that aren't very tech-savy that come in for help, though staff knowledge was pretty hit-or-miss. The nice thing is they price match so you can look at the products in person, find cheaper prices online, and buy it for that price in-store. But it has to be the exact same product so they've been starting to carry 'exclusive' products like TVs and laptops that are almost like just another model, just a slightly different serial number.

The employee discount wasn't a straight percent off, instead we paid 5% above what the store bought it for, so I knew just how much markup the products have. The store didn't actually make a lot of profit on the big items like TVs, games, and computers; it was all the accessories and add-ons like Geek Squad Protection, cases, and cables. I got like $15 off a $900 laptop but paid $20 for a $55 phone case and $12 for $60 HDMI cables.

 

Yes all specialty stores are on notice and increasingly less necessary due to the growth of online distributors, but I don't agree that they're "preying" on anyone. Online shops have all the advantages when it comes to pricing (heck some online shops sell solely drop shipped goods), but I still visit physical retailers and I don't think it'll be good for anyone but the higher ups at Amazon if Best Buy goes the way of the Dodo.