Well, they'll have their work cut out for them. I had to run and buy a keyboard after spilling water on my Apple keyboard, and despite the fact that I specifically asked for a USB keyboard, the guy kept trying to steer me toward PS/2 keyboards (specifically, Microsoft PS/2 keyboards). And when I picked one out (some $30 Logitech with way too many gimmicky buttons - and a scroll wheel of all things - but I noticed the blue Aqua X on the box) he nervously reassured me that it also supported PS/2. I told him that my computer didn't have a PS/2 port, and he looked at me like I'd told him it didn't have a CPU. (I wasn't going to tell him it was a Mac. I've made that mistake in there before.)
This particular Best Buy has been singled out as one of the best in the region. There are corporate awards all along one wall. And the staff in the computing section is stuck in about 1997.
Maybe if they do the same thing they've done in CompUSA, and set up a SWAS staffed with an actual Apple employee...
The two are like a boyfriend and girlfriend that keep breaking up, then getting back together, then breaking up again, and getting back together again.
I kind of like Best Buy, but getting any help there can be a real pain. I was trying to buy a TV there for my girlfriend's mom for christmas, and every time I asked somebody for help they either told me it wasn't there department and walked away or told me they'd send somebody immediately. After 20 minutes I just started pushing the box across the store myself, I'm pretty sure I could have walked out the door without being stopped just because nobody there even seemed to noticed me bumping into/knocking over half a Xbox display. I remember their ads that boasted how there service was so great because you wouldn't get hounded to buy because they aren't paid on commission, well, they also don't care if you buy anything.
when best buy was selling imacs, I personally witnessed the staff trying to steer the customers to wintel, giving them reasons such as "there is not any software" or "you cant play games".
you'd think that microshit owns part of best buy.\
Apple needs to make sure only Apple employees work in those SWAS. They also need to make sure those employees know what they're selling. I've been to a CompUSA where an employee thought that 256mb was the largest amount of RAM you could put on one stick(this was last year)!
Heh, Amorph if you want a plain keyboard, you're best off going to a store like Fry's rather than Best Buy or CompUSA. I just bought a very plain OEM USB keyboard (HP branded) with no extra buttons to speak of. $7
Heh, Amorph if you want a plain keyboard, you're best off going to a store like Fry's rather than Best Buy or CompUSA. I just bought a very plain OEM USB keyboard (HP branded) with no extra buttons to speak of. $7
Best Buy is trash. I've known plenty of friends who have been employed there. Not only do they report that they hate their job, but they are not very knowledgeable about what is sold in the stores. And why should they be, why should they care, when their job sucks? I'm talking about perhaps five people working in various departments that know very little about anything being sold in the store, and god forbid if someone with plenty of questions happened to walk in looking for answers and all of them were working on the same day. I can't imagine that this is much different everywhere else. My point is that Best Buy doesn't hire people because of their knowledge of the products, so don't expect to actually hear any solid advice coming from an employee.
That said, you won't find any intelligent employees in the computer department (read 'Mac users'). Thus Macs don't belong in Best Buy unless in fact the plan is to put qualified, Apple/Mac-knowledgeable employees in the place of the bumbling fools who would normally fill the positions.
The only thing Best Buy is good for are the weekend specials, when you can get multiple rebates on certain things. Look at the Sunday paper inserts and you don't need to even waste your time walking into the place. Otherwise, you're better off researching yourself what you might be purchasing, then finding a place online to buy it for much cheaper.
I worked at Best Buy from Aug. '96 to Aug. '97, and when they hired me on, they sold Performas. Part of the reason they hired me was because of my extensive knowledge of Macs -- or the fact that they knew NOTHING about them.
Whenever I was working and a customer would ask one of my co-workers any sort of a Mac question, they'd say, "Oh, let me get Michael (my real name) over here. He knows a lot more about Macs than me."
I eventually got used to keeping a close eye on the Apple section, because I figured it'd be best if I was the first and only person the customer had to deal with.
But yes, I can attest to the fact that almost nobody there ever has cared about the Apple line of products. I can't imagine that iPods are doing all that well, simply because they're an Apple product, and the store employees probably steer customers away from them.
"System Folder? What's that? But let me tell you all about .dll files!"
I worked for Best Buy from September of 01 to August of 02. The guys in the computer department always thought Macs were a joke. I was the only one who knew anything about Macs and in some cases...PCs. However, I would frequently take people to the Apple site if they were looking for a simple and easy to use machine or something for video or photo editing. I sold a number of iBooks to college students and iMacs to families out of Best Buy (don't tell the managers though...he he) They wouldn't buy them there of course, but a number came back and told me how much they loved their Mac. I felt like a rebel, it was fun.
All Best Buy cares about is store revenue, and how much of that is service plans. Managers would frequently get on my case because my customer wouldn't buy a $30 service plan on a $50 printer. I got fed up with it and quit. I would consider getting a job over there again if they did indeed have a SWAS, and maybe then I can tell the guys in the computer department to take their PCs and shove em. For Apple's sake, I sure as hell hope they know what they are getting into.
I said like Fry's. There must be at least one geek haven in Iowa!
You'd be amazed.
The nearest CompUSA is in Des Moines, not quite 120 miles away. The nearest Apple Store that I'm aware of is in Schaumburg, IL, about 3 hours away.
If there's a geek shop, it's not close by. There's a little white box shop somewhere in town, and there's University Surplus, but that's about it.
There might be something in Cedar Rapids (~35 miles), but I didn't feel like driving half an hour to get a keyboard. The University's store was closed by the time I got off work. So Best Buy it was...
I've taken my Pro Keyboard apart, once. It was a pain. 80+ screws, so small that you'd wreck half of them...sigh. But he's right, you can put your keyboard in the diswasher, but only the layers with the contacts on them, not the electronic circuits...
Comments
Well, they'll have their work cut out for them. I had to run and buy a keyboard after spilling water on my Apple keyboard, and despite the fact that I specifically asked for a USB keyboard, the guy kept trying to steer me toward PS/2 keyboards (specifically, Microsoft PS/2 keyboards). And when I picked one out (some $30 Logitech with way too many gimmicky buttons - and a scroll wheel of all things - but I noticed the blue Aqua X on the box) he nervously reassured me that it also supported PS/2. I told him that my computer didn't have a PS/2 port, and he looked at me like I'd told him it didn't have a CPU. (I wasn't going to tell him it was a Mac. I've made that mistake in there before.)
This particular Best Buy has been singled out as one of the best in the region. There are corporate awards all along one wall. And the staff in the computing section is stuck in about 1997.
Maybe if they do the same thing they've done in CompUSA, and set up a SWAS staffed with an actual Apple employee...
Originally posted by Amorph
Maybe if they do the same thing they've done in CompUSA, and set up a SWAS staffed with an actual Apple employee...
That's exactly what the article says they're going to do. Great story though.
Originally posted by bunge
That's exactly what the article says they're going to do. Great story though.
Yeah. Note to self: Read the story first, then post. Heh.
Perhaps if I hadn't just gotten back from the offending Best Buy...
Originally posted by Amorph
Yeah. Note to self: Read the story first, then post. Heh.
...NAH....
you'd think that microshit owns part of best buy.
It shows up in Windows XP as a 'Chicony'
Originally posted by Eugene
Heh, Amorph if you want a plain keyboard, you're best off going to a store like Fry's rather than Best Buy or CompUSA. I just bought a very plain OEM USB keyboard (HP branded) with no extra buttons to speak of. $7
It shows up in Windows XP as a 'Chicony'
Dude, he lives in Iowa.....
That said, you won't find any intelligent employees in the computer department (read 'Mac users'). Thus Macs don't belong in Best Buy unless in fact the plan is to put qualified, Apple/Mac-knowledgeable employees in the place of the bumbling fools who would normally fill the positions.
The only thing Best Buy is good for are the weekend specials, when you can get multiple rebates on certain things. Look at the Sunday paper inserts and you don't need to even waste your time walking into the place. Otherwise, you're better off researching yourself what you might be purchasing, then finding a place online to buy it for much cheaper.
Originally posted by Flounder
Dude, he lives in Iowa.....
I said like Fry's. There must be at least one geek haven in Iowa!
Whenever I was working and a customer would ask one of my co-workers any sort of a Mac question, they'd say, "Oh, let me get Michael (my real name) over here. He knows a lot more about Macs than me."
I eventually got used to keeping a close eye on the Apple section, because I figured it'd be best if I was the first and only person the customer had to deal with.
But yes, I can attest to the fact that almost nobody there ever has cared about the Apple line of products. I can't imagine that iPods are doing all that well, simply because they're an Apple product, and the store employees probably steer customers away from them.
"System Folder? What's that? But let me tell you all about .dll files!"
All Best Buy cares about is store revenue, and how much of that is service plans. Managers would frequently get on my case because my customer wouldn't buy a $30 service plan on a $50 printer. I got fed up with it and quit. I would consider getting a job over there again if they did indeed have a SWAS, and maybe then I can tell the guys in the computer department to take their PCs and shove em. For Apple's sake, I sure as hell hope they know what they are getting into.
Originally posted by Eugene
I said like Fry's. There must be at least one geek haven in Iowa!
You'd be amazed.
The nearest CompUSA is in Des Moines, not quite 120 miles away. The nearest Apple Store that I'm aware of is in Schaumburg, IL, about 3 hours away.
If there's a geek shop, it's not close by.
There might be something in Cedar Rapids (~35 miles), but I didn't feel like driving half an hour to get a keyboard. The University's store was closed by the time I got off work. So Best Buy it was...
you know, as long as you let it dry, it should work fine...
apple's pro keyboards can go in the dishwasher (with no soap) and work fine after it dries...
Originally posted by Paul
...apple's pro keyboards can go in the dishwasher (with no soap) and work fine after it dries...
And just HOW do you know this?
Originally posted by Paul
you just spilled water on it?
you know, as long as you let it dry, it should work fine...
apple's pro keyboards can go in the dishwasher (with no soap) and work fine after it dries...
No such luck. Unless it takes days to dry, that is...
I've never tried putting a keyboard in a dishwasher.