Best Buy making me angry

[maxama10]

Have you heard of Best Buys new policy? Its absurd and making me angry
I say we boy cott Best Buy

check it out http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20041108-4382.html

[SpecialBlend2786]

lol.

[B.A.M.]

I love best buy and i think they are doing the right thing but thats just me.

[SCpoloRicker]

You obviously don't have any retail experience

The wording of "devil customer" may be a bit misleading. What if you ran a PB shop, and a customer would always come in, look at 12 different guns, dry-fire, etc. only to walk out because he can get it $10 cheaper online? You spent time and money helping him, when you could have been helping a better customer (who, incidentally, may have already left).

The point is money is spent to get each potential customer in the store. You want to maximize the amount of money you get per person. So, disencouraging non-profitable customers makes sense.

God, now that I'm off work, I don't have to hammer out ten word "U r Teh L4m0rzz!!!! LOL!" I can actually respond. Wait, what

[maxama10]

You obviously don't have any retail experience

The wording of "devil customer" may be a bit misleading. What if you ran a PB shop, and a customer would always come in, look at 12 different guns, dry-fire, etc. only to walk out because he can get it $10 cheaper online? You spent time and money helping him, when you could have been helping a better customer (who, incidentally, may have already left).

The point is money is spent to get each potential customer in the store. You want to maximize the amount of money you get per person. So, disencouraging non-profitable customers makes sense.

God, now that I'm off work, I don't have to hammer out ten word "U r Teh L4m0rzz!!!! LOL!" I can actually respond. Wait, what

Well id understand if it were some 'mom and pop' electronic store but its a huge company and its not like when i go to best buy i can ever get help anyways.... but i go to circuit city and theyre friendly and very helpful
i guess its just your preference and opinion....

[BeaverEater]

I hate best buy not cause of their new policy but because their customer service has sucked for a while now. I would rather go to like circuit city or something in that nature.

[Python14]

lol, It doesn't really suprise me in the least.

I buy from Circuit City for most of my home theater/sound system stuff for a reason.

BTW, for the HT/SS buffs here, don't come barking at me. I don't care if buying my stuff at CC is the equivalent of buying paintball gear at Walmart. I have no complaints about my stereo and TV and they even showed me how to install it.


Computer components are a different story tho....

[mikey101]

haha, i can explicitly say that article is bs.

best buy being my source of employment, i can legitimatly say this. Here's the real policy best buy is working on. Since there's so many stores accross the us (futureshop in canada) they can no longer expand as a store, but they can't just sit still. Their new method of growing is called organic growth, this is the process of becoming a customer centric store. Pretty soon you'll be seeing an individual employee following one group around the store until they check out. All of the reward zone and other "gimmicks" are to get as many people back into the stores that already exist instead of building new ones.

In all of my training not once was I told to look for a customer that might bring in more money than the next. In fact, i've had many people complain to me saying they've been asked if they need help TOO much. This is part of best buy's new policy as well, as they see it they would rather have someone approached too much rather then never at all.

don't get me wrong, I think best buy goes the wrong way on a lot of things, but it's amazing what people read through and instantly believe.

[Bluestrike_2]

No offense Mike, but I hate Best Buy because of their employees.

The majority know absolutely nothing and just repackage marketing babble.

"Well, you need Monster Cable because otherwise with any other kind, you don't really get that good of a picture." BULL! Monster Cable is overpriced for the quality cable. Kimber, Audioquest, Better Cables, all make higher quality cable. Some for less....

Monster is the Walmart of the cable market. A step above the string they give in HTiB's(why are they even called a home theater. It's an insult to everyone who works hard to create a true home theater), but not the "best." Far from it actually.

Again, you guys, no offense, like to push it....

I make it a mission to correct these fools whenever I see it If I'm in any store.

"Well, Macs, like, have nothing for them."

"Sir, no offense, but I beg to differ. In fact sir, I'd be proud to go over to your Mac department and prove you wrong, no offense. Really, CompUSA, who sells Macs should try to educate their sales people. It's a shame your management doesn't think of you guys...."

or

"Widescreen shows LESS picture. 'Cuz there are like the tops missing....

"Sir, that is the most insane statement I have ever heard. With fullscreen, you lose approximately 33% of the picture. It is not the way the director intended it to be seen. In fact, some movies show things in their FS version that were never supposed to be seen. Booms, mics, light posts, and a few other things. Pirates of Penzanze comes to mind....."

OR my favorite

"This is all you need to have a TRUE home theater. Forget the movies. This $400 box comes with the perfect sound system. It's the best. Add some Monster Cable and your set...

I actually had no reply. That was quite sickening.

Also, these were three different stores I noticed it at. Two Best Buys, and one CompUSA.

Mike: So next time I'm in Best Buy because everyone is closed(that sells quality), I can expect to be stalked?

Well, you guys can shove it. If an employee was stalking me, I'd have a fit.

I argued with the movie theater manager last night during Meet the Fockers about the fans that keep kicking on. I missed part of my movie, but it was worth it. I'd have no problem picking a fight with a manager of that....

Being approached too much is an insult. It makes it seem as though we're infants. The majority of us are not. So your place of employment should take a lesson. They're kind of mixed up....

Sorry if I insulted you personally Mike. I'm just in one of those moods today....

[maxama10]

haha, i can explicitly say that article is bs.

best buy being my source of employment, i can legitimatly say this. Here's the real policy best buy is working on. Since there's so many stores accross the us (futureshop in canada) they can no longer expand as a store, but they can't just sit still. Their new method of growing is called organic growth, this is the process of becoming a customer centric store. Pretty soon you'll be seeing an individual employee following one group around the store until they check out. All of the reward zone and other "gimmicks" are to get as many people back into the stores that already exist instead of building new ones.

In all of my training not once was I told to look for a customer that might bring in more money than the next. In fact, i've had many people complain to me saying they've been asked if they need help TOO much. This is part of best buy's new policy as well, as they see it they would rather have someone approached too much rather then never at all.

don't get me wrong, I think best buy goes the wrong way on a lot of things, but it's amazing what people read through and instantly believe.

i suppose everyone is full of it eh mikey? http://channels.lockergnome.com/news...s_devils.phtml

http://www.wcpo.com/wcpo/localshows/dontwasteyourmoney/1a5efbb.html

I was also informed by Clark Howard..... i guess hes wrong too?

http://forums.firingsquad.com/firingsquad/board/message?board.id=hotdeals&message.id=270&jump=true

??????are they all wrong mikey???????

[Can_Opener]

If you go to any major retailer to try and learn about a product you are just asking for blank stares. Every store I go to everyone loves me because I don't ask stupid questions about everything, I just ask where to find it, spend my money and leave. I also appear to be a rare shopper because I know exactly what I want before I enter the store.

I used to have a big gripe with Best Buy for their customer service, but my local one has really made a big improvement over the past 2 years (and our Circuit City sucks).

[TDonovan]

I used to love Best Buy...

They didn't want to hire me on a few different occasions and instead picked a bunch of idiots for new employees. I like to go check out the big screen TV's and sound systems every time I'm in an electronics store and this is where I observed the worst employee ever.

He asked me if I was looking for anything in particular or was interested in purchasing a TV. I replied with an "I wish...". He said something back like that he doesn't blame me for checkin out the plasmas and sound systems because they are pretty freaking cool. But then he told me that I should go play around in there and have fun, specifically stating that it is fun to draw pictures on the LCD screens and push buttons until things don't work.

I gave him a blank stare and said, no thanks, I don't do that. He then replied that he'd broken several portable DVD players in his time working there, and he did not care what I did in the department.

Then I remembered how I talked to the manager (or whoever was in charge of hiring employees) about getting a job on many occasions, and how the meetings we were supposed to have on my behalf never materialized.

I might just be a little bitter about not getting a job there, but that's my right Either way, I'll never shop/visit there again.

[tony3]

Best Buy in my opinion has been fine. Go into best buy educated and not needing help when they ask you. Only thing I have ever asked someone in there is where is so and so. Circuit city you have a workers trying it attack you like leeches to get there commision on stuff they get you to buy.

[Bluestrike_2]

I always go in educated. Many do.

However, you are treated as if you aren't. To the point where some even go as far as to say "That's not what you need. This Monster cable is!"

Yeah........

I hate when they push stuff....

[mikey101]

I'm not arguing that more than likely some CEO's do not appreciate the use of their gimmicks, why do you think they put the rebates there in the first place. They know most people are probably not going to send the stuff in. What company would rather lose money than hold on to it? I'm just saying what I have seen and heard first hand to be the honest truth. I think the media grabs ahold of something and exploits it to make it look worse than it is. You wouldn't hear about best buy's millions of dollars sent into education would you? of course not, degrading news sells better than positive news.

The majority know absolutely nothing and just repackage marketing babble.

I would agree whole heartedly. I also take into consideration a lot of things when i see this though. There are no hiring standards and everything is equal oppurtunity. anyone can get a job there regardless of your tech knowledge. Most people that work the floor are getting paid crappy, don't have much of an education, and are being pressured by 7 or more upper management personnel (4 managers on duty at all times, 1 general manager, department senior, department supervisor and sometimes district and regional managers). Everything is score carded, everything you say, sell and push. This is the only way for these kids to keep their job, hell yes they're going to bs all over the place if it means you get the product out the door! Believe it or not, this method is proven to work well.

going into best buy looking for advice on what's a better value is about a good idea as going to a used car lot and asking the sellsman which car is more reliable. From what it sounds like everyone seems to know that, yet they still complain when they ask questions of the employees. I'd suggest doing your own research and making your own opinions, that's the best policy on anything really.