Pointing out the alleged sexuality AND girth of an individual when it clearly had nothing to do with this person's story is just kind of tactless.
No, I believe that I was being discriminated against. Just because I'm a white, good looking male, I am entitled to the same rights as any other group.
If I was an ugly chick, I don't believe that the sales person would have had the same attitude. And that's discrimination.
There are many things Best Buy is doing wrong in their stores, I'll just name a few things they need to improve.
Customer service is the obvious one. They may have an army of employees to assist you at every waking moment, but they are just sales people. They know nothing more than what's written on the package. And, sometimes they don't even know that...they have to actually look and read the specs on the packages or on the computers...something you as a consumer could do on your own. Selling electronics requires more training than selling clothes or other non-technical products. Usually if you have a question beyond the box spec's they have to get one of the more technically trained guys. In most departments of Best Buy, that's one or two people, who don't work every day and are usually barraged by other customers because they actually know something about what their selling. Hiring and TRAINING more tech-savvy employees would be very helpful.
Building on the idea of better training, they could further promote the in-home delivery, training and set-up. Not many electronics companies will offer that. Apple does a great job with the One-On-One and the training classes. That's one of the best reasons to buy Apple, they will train you to use their stuff. They are a brick and mortar store, why not take advantage of the fact that they have a living, breathing, people waiting to help you. Even if you have to make appointments, that hasn't stopped people from coming back to Apple Stores. Amazon, Walmart and the likes aren't going to go that extra step.
Get rid of the impulse items, or at the very least tone them down. They are really wasting money and time by selling snacks and other impulse items in their stores. Just silly. Focus on the products that people are there for.
Get rid of the bargain-basement items and sell Mid-range and High-end products. If you want a cheap-ass TV, go to Walmart. Why bother competing with Amazon and Walmart when they obvious beat you every time. cheap products have no profit. Use Consumer Electronics websites and 3rd party reviews (Consumer Reports, CNET) as your source for stocking products. Heck the grocery stores started showing the wine-point-scale next to popular wines as a marketing solution to selling more wine. Why not do that for electronics?
Include a free shipping option for products on IN-STORE. I like the idea of floating check-outs like Apple Stores, but take that further by allowing a free method of delivery if they don't have it. The Customer spent money on gas and time coming into your store for a product, so if you don't have it, offer a free shipping for out-of-stock items and market it that way. BB has the volume to justify the cost.
Don't call it "Solution Central". The "Geek Squad" name has been pretty successful, just build on your existing marketing structure....like "Geek Squad Station" or something.
One of the strong points to BB is their massive selection of different products/models. They also sell an butt-load of accessories. In most cases, the accessories out-shelf the actual products. I'd be curious to see the numbers for % of sales on Accessories vs. actual products. Seems like they could cut some margins if what I think is too many accessories.
Drop the furniture lines...keep the wall mounts and things of that nature. but to sell office chairs and crap desks and entertainment cabinets is just wasteful...and the products are crap at best. Target, Walmart and Ikea do much better business at that, so don't try and beat them in a market they obvious do much better in.
Look what Barnes & Noble has done in the past year or so. They made the conscious decision to slowly phase-out all non-essential products and focus on selling BOOKS. They are a book retailer, so they decided not to compete with Amazon and the likes and just focus on what they do best. They dropped music and movies almost entirely. Some stores still have them, but listening to insiders...I've heard that they will drop a lot of the non-essential stuff.
There are many more ways to improve, but that's my 2 cents.
I usually block your posts but someone else quoted you. I give credit where it is due. Nice post. In fact, I read this after I posted my comments and it looks like a copied you on several points.
The sale of retail cd's and dvd's is going to continue to decline and as that happens it will only highlight the cavernous space that Best Buys contain. Best Buy would be better off shrinking their store size and focusing on having everything on display work than adding a huge customer service bar. I mean really, who doesn't buy at Best Buy because they can't get their questions answered?
Why people buy at Best Buy?
Price
Convenience
Availability
If I were Best Buy, I would leverage their online ability as much as possible to be able to compete with Amazon. Just like Circuit City, Best Buy's days are numbered unless they do something drastic to turn things around and a customer service bar is not the answer. Just more clutter and confusion for the customer.
I usually block your posts but someone else quoted you. I give credit where it is due. Nice post. In fact, I read this after I posted my comments and it looks like a copied you on several points.
It's a pharmacy. Everything is over the counter, and you have to pay the staff to let you consult you on your products before you can touch it.
The shopping industry and experience needs to change because the on-line/in-store experience is still rather fragmented. Only then will I actually enjoy pulling out my wallet and hitting the stores.
Putting everything behind locked glass and having those lame paper photocopies of the product that you have to bring to a store employee is obviously a loss prevention measure. It's also why everything is encased in ultrasonically welded plastic that's nearly impossible to cut through without a bolt cutter. How many times have you gone to Best Buy and the alarm was going off because somebody tugged on the security cord of the display model too hard?
And of course, everytme you talk to those store employees they try to up sell you on extended warranties. Are you sure you want to decline? It's just $129 for two years, starting today, not two years after your factory warranty expires, which means you're double paying for the first year. You wouldn't want <insert horror story about dust in your optical drive> to happen!
I used to visit Best Buy weekly, just to shop around, and now I don't even bother. Yes, iTunes music store has replaced any reason to shop there for music, and Amazon, despite the lack of "right now" satisfaction does a pretty good job at getting things at a competitive price to your doorstep, and you know whether it's in stock when you click Purchase. I haven't set foot in Best Buy in years.
Of course, Apple Stores are still terrific places to go, but I only go when I have a question or want to buy something.
Right. And your "explanation" was just as offensive and homophobic and irrelevant as the original post.
Haha, that's pure baloney. I'm not homophobic at all. That person was a bigot and also sexist. Are you one of those people who claims that a gay person can not be a bigot? Or that a minority can not be a racist?
aside from their other faults, the reason i will never purchase another product from best buy is their idiotic requirement that you give them your first born just to return a product. well, not your first born, but your id, which they then store in a mysterious 3rd-party database over which they have no control and which their affiliates have access to.
i'll shop at best buy, but it'll be an especially cold day in pinckney, mi, before best buy ever sees a penny of mine.
Of course, Apple Stores are still terrific places to go, but I only go when I have a question or want to buy something.
Seriously? Who do you ask in Apple Stores for help? I have found that most of the Apple Store employees aren't that knowledgeable. They know about Apple products and services but they don't even know much more than the better people at Best Buy. Go to the local Apple Store and ask a random associate the MTTF of the Time Capsule (or at least the hard drive and power supply). I am not including the Geniuses but as far as I know, Geniuses don't walk the floor.
I have had unsatisfactory experiences with the Apple Store app assistance queue. As in no one showed up after 20 minutes in a nearly empty store.
The Apple Store at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara is horribly crowded all the time. Apple is now trying to fix such problems with the older stores. Many retailers ignore their stores until sales are in grave jeopardy, nice to see Apple being proactive.
Don't get me wrong, Apple Stores are still head and shoulders above virtually every other retailer.
Alright, so who *isn't* desperately trying to follow Apple's every move?
Every damn time. It takes Apple to light the way forward.
Well you can't argue with success. The entire tech industry is looking at Apple to see how it's supposed to be done. And with AAPL now worth more than twice MSFT who can disagree? Well, of course, the haters and trolls will always disagree but at this point they are looking like jealous fools, pathetic specters.
It actually starts from the moment you walk in the store. At BB they have someone standing at a desk checking receipts as you walk out of the store with their back to the entrance, the same guy says hi to you as you walk in. So immediately you know that security person is watching you.
Contrast this to the Apple store. They have some guy standing facing you, welcoming you to the store. Nobody checks your receipt when you walk out.
I'm not a criminal, I shouldn't be treated like one.
I highly doubt a different "look" will help BestBuy stores.
The reason I don't go into those stores anymore is because most of the staff barely knows anything about the products. The last time I went into BestBuy was to find a car stereo/bluetooth hands-free solution for my iPhone. I had done one evening's worth of research before walking into BestBuy, and realized that I already knew more about iPhone compatible car stereos than the two "experts" in their car stereo department.
Generally, I do research online and then order from Amazon. The product gets to my home in 1-2 days.
Best Buy should mimic Amazon's internet business. It is easy to order online. Repackaging and returning an item online is more time consuming. Knowing that an item can be returned to a physical store would be Best Buy's advantage.
Those are excellent points. Further, BB could allow you to order on the Internet and offer incentives for in-store pickup -- discount coupons, service plans, etc.
That way BB would:
-- gain the advantages of online sales
-- avoid/reduce shipping costs
-- potentially reduce in-store inventory
-- attract customers into the store for additional purchases
This way BB could nearly match Amazon prices and offer services that Amazon cannot match.
The biggest problem with Best Buy is that they have so many products on display but most of them don't work. Most phones are fake cases, many laptops are locked behind the cages. TV's with remotes hidden away. Microwaves with no power.
It's funny that many Apple haters complains about Apple products are only skin deep, yet rest of the industry don't let consumers tryout their products before they buy.
I noticed the same thing, except that Apple display products are on, always working, always available for trying out. Of all the smartphones in their store only the iPhone and Nokia Lumia were available for trying out. Every Android phone was a nonworking phone with a picture of the UI stuck on the plastic screen.
funny, well at that matter...
Pointing out the alleged sexuality AND girth of an individual when it clearly had nothing to do with this person's story is just kind of tactless.
This way BB could nearly match Amazon prices and offer services that Amazon cannot match.
Amazon still has one significant advantage, and I believe that's why many people still order from Amazon. They don't pay any tax in most states. In my state, Amazon charges me tax now, they didn't a few years ago, but I believe that most places still do not charge tax for Amazon. I'm not sure about the legality of it, and eventually I believe that everybody will get charged tax, but for now, Amazon has that advantage.
Not paying any tax is like getting a significant discount on everything you order, especially if the prices are reasonable to begin with.
Haha, that's pure baloney. I'm not homophobic at all. That person was a bigot and also sexist. Are you one of those people who claims that a gay person can not be a bigot? Or that a minority can not be a racist?
Wow, you just have it in your head that just because some salesperson had an attitude and was apparently dishonest with you, it HAD to be because she was a fat, ugly and a lesbian. I mean, what other explanation could there be since you obviously are such a good looking guy, right?
Wow, you just have it in your head that just because some salesperson had an attitude and was apparently dishonest with you, it HAD to be because she was a fat, ugly and a lesbian. I mean, what other explanation could there be since you obviously are such a good looking guy, right?
Yes, I do believe that that is the most likely explanation. I am pretty good at psychologically profiling people, and unless you were there, it is impossible for you to know exactly what the deal was.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by antkm1
funny, well at that matter...
Pointing out the alleged sexuality AND girth of an individual when it clearly had nothing to do with this person's story is just kind of tactless.
No, I believe that I was being discriminated against. Just because I'm a white, good looking male, I am entitled to the same rights as any other group.
If I was an ugly chick, I don't believe that the sales person would have had the same attitude. And that's discrimination.
I usually block your posts but someone else quoted you. I give credit where it is due. Nice post. In fact, I read this after I posted my comments and it looks like a copied you on several points.
The sale of retail cd's and dvd's is going to continue to decline and as that happens it will only highlight the cavernous space that Best Buys contain. Best Buy would be better off shrinking their store size and focusing on having everything on display work than adding a huge customer service bar. I mean really, who doesn't buy at Best Buy because they can't get their questions answered?
Why people buy at Best Buy?
Price
Convenience
Availability
If I were Best Buy, I would leverage their online ability as much as possible to be able to compete with Amazon. Just like Circuit City, Best Buy's days are numbered unless they do something drastic to turn things around and a customer service bar is not the answer. Just more clutter and confusion for the customer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
As I explained in post #36, I believe that it was very relevant to the story and that's why I mentioned it.
Right. And your "explanation" was just as offensive and homophobic and irrelevant as the original post.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MacBook Pro
I usually block your posts but someone else quoted you. I give credit where it is due. Nice post. In fact, I read this after I posted my comments and it looks like a copied you on several points.
uh, thanks? I'll take that as a compliment.
Putting everything behind locked glass and having those lame paper photocopies of the product that you have to bring to a store employee is obviously a loss prevention measure. It's also why everything is encased in ultrasonically welded plastic that's nearly impossible to cut through without a bolt cutter. How many times have you gone to Best Buy and the alarm was going off because somebody tugged on the security cord of the display model too hard?
And of course, everytme you talk to those store employees they try to up sell you on extended warranties. Are you sure you want to decline? It's just $129 for two years, starting today, not two years after your factory warranty expires, which means you're double paying for the first year. You wouldn't want <insert horror story about dust in your optical drive> to happen!
I used to visit Best Buy weekly, just to shop around, and now I don't even bother. Yes, iTunes music store has replaced any reason to shop there for music, and Amazon, despite the lack of "right now" satisfaction does a pretty good job at getting things at a competitive price to your doorstep, and you know whether it's in stock when you click Purchase. I haven't set foot in Best Buy in years.
Of course, Apple Stores are still terrific places to go, but I only go when I have a question or want to buy something.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JupiterOne
Right. And your "explanation" was just as offensive and homophobic and irrelevant as the original post.
Haha, that's pure baloney. I'm not homophobic at all. That person was a bigot and also sexist. Are you one of those people who claims that a gay person can not be a bigot? Or that a minority can not be a racist?
i'll shop at best buy, but it'll be an especially cold day in pinckney, mi, before best buy ever sees a penny of mine.
Seriously? Who do you ask in Apple Stores for help? I have found that most of the Apple Store employees aren't that knowledgeable. They know about Apple products and services but they don't even know much more than the better people at Best Buy. Go to the local Apple Store and ask a random associate the MTTF of the Time Capsule (or at least the hard drive and power supply). I am not including the Geniuses but as far as I know, Geniuses don't walk the floor.
I have had unsatisfactory experiences with the Apple Store app assistance queue. As in no one showed up after 20 minutes in a nearly empty store.
The Apple Store at the Westfield Valley Fair Mall in Santa Clara is horribly crowded all the time. Apple is now trying to fix such problems with the older stores. Many retailers ignore their stores until sales are in grave jeopardy, nice to see Apple being proactive.
Don't get me wrong, Apple Stores are still head and shoulders above virtually every other retailer.
Well you can't argue with success. The entire tech industry is looking at Apple to see how it's supposed to be done. And with AAPL now worth more than twice MSFT who can disagree? Well, of course, the haters and trolls will always disagree but at this point they are looking like jealous fools, pathetic specters.
It actually starts from the moment you walk in the store. At BB they have someone standing at a desk checking receipts as you walk out of the store with their back to the entrance, the same guy says hi to you as you walk in. So immediately you know that security person is watching you.
Contrast this to the Apple store. They have some guy standing facing you, welcoming you to the store. Nobody checks your receipt when you walk out.
I'm not a criminal, I shouldn't be treated like one.
That picture makes Best Buy look more like a Greyhound terminal than an Apple Store.
I've been to this Best Buy store and it's much better than their other stores. Only think I didn't care about was the dedicated Samsung display areas.
I highly doubt a different "look" will help BestBuy stores.
The reason I don't go into those stores anymore is because most of the staff barely knows anything about the products. The last time I went into BestBuy was to find a car stereo/bluetooth hands-free solution for my iPhone. I had done one evening's worth of research before walking into BestBuy, and realized that I already knew more about iPhone compatible car stereos than the two "experts" in their car stereo department.
Generally, I do research online and then order from Amazon. The product gets to my home in 1-2 days.
Quote:
Originally Posted by city
Best Buy should mimic Amazon's internet business. It is easy to order online. Repackaging and returning an item online is more time consuming. Knowing that an item can be returned to a physical store would be Best Buy's advantage.
Those are excellent points. Further, BB could allow you to order on the Internet and offer incentives for in-store pickup -- discount coupons, service plans, etc.
That way BB would:
-- gain the advantages of online sales
-- avoid/reduce shipping costs
-- potentially reduce in-store inventory
-- attract customers into the store for additional purchases
This way BB could nearly match Amazon prices and offer services that Amazon cannot match.
Quote:
Originally Posted by winstein2010
The biggest problem with Best Buy is that they have so many products on display but most of them don't work. Most phones are fake cases, many laptops are locked behind the cages. TV's with remotes hidden away. Microwaves with no power.
It's funny that many Apple haters complains about Apple products are only skin deep, yet rest of the industry don't let consumers tryout their products before they buy.
I noticed the same thing, except that Apple display products are on, always working, always available for trying out. Of all the smartphones in their store only the iPhone and Nokia Lumia were available for trying out. Every Android phone was a nonworking phone with a picture of the UI stuck on the plastic screen.
Who cares about your petty argument.
Take it elsewhere.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum
This way BB could nearly match Amazon prices and offer services that Amazon cannot match.
Amazon still has one significant advantage, and I believe that's why many people still order from Amazon. They don't pay any tax in most states. In my state, Amazon charges me tax now, they didn't a few years ago, but I believe that most places still do not charge tax for Amazon. I'm not sure about the legality of it, and eventually I believe that everybody will get charged tax, but for now, Amazon has that advantage.
Not paying any tax is like getting a significant discount on everything you order, especially if the prices are reasonable to begin with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Apple ][
Haha, that's pure baloney. I'm not homophobic at all. That person was a bigot and also sexist. Are you one of those people who claims that a gay person can not be a bigot? Or that a minority can not be a racist?
Wow, you just have it in your head that just because some salesperson had an attitude and was apparently dishonest with you, it HAD to be because she was a fat, ugly and a lesbian. I mean, what other explanation could there be since you obviously are such a good looking guy, right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by JupiterOne
Wow, you just have it in your head that just because some salesperson had an attitude and was apparently dishonest with you, it HAD to be because she was a fat, ugly and a lesbian. I mean, what other explanation could there be since you obviously are such a good looking guy, right?
Yes, I do believe that that is the most likely explanation. I am pretty good at psychologically profiling people, and unless you were there, it is impossible for you to know exactly what the deal was.