Best Buy to carry Apple computers

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Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I work for a local Best Buy and I was looking up the iPod in the computer the other day and stumbled across a bunch of new apple SKUs. They are all existing machines but they are in the computer as of the 26th of June. I have pictures if someone can tell me how to post them I would be happy to. It says I am not allowed to post attachments.



MacAddict16
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  • Reply 1 of 82
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    Heh, I can't wait for AtAT to get ahold of this information. They always have a great commentary about the love-hate relationship between Apple and BestBuy.



    Oh, and as far as posting pictures goes, you have to find your own webspace or email them to one of the administrators here. If everyone were allowed to post pictures onto AI's site, it would be down faster than you can say "but it's only 5KB"
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  • Reply 2 of 82
    macgregormacgregor Posts: 1,434member
    Best Buy goes back and forth with Apple, but they should get on board.



    I was a local Frye's and I was amazed how packed the Apple section was. The salespeople were pretty informed, but what was awesome were the Think Different ceiling hangings that lorded over the entire computer section. Also the aisle was packed and I overheard (in just 30 sec.) the conversations of at least 3 switchers who were looking at the PBooks and were already asking about the G5's.



    It was great to see what kind of demand there will be once the intelligencia sees the backing of IBM behind Apple's future! One guy said he hadn't been on an Apple since the Mac Classic and was going to do whatever it took to get back on the platform. I'm sure he was a high tech. guy. Only problem is that he wanted the 17" "now!" and they had sold out the 3 they had recieved the day before...in the first 6 hours!
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  • Reply 3 of 82
    macsrgood4umacsrgood4u Posts: 3,007member
    Think Secret reported on this months ago. They say Apple will put an employee in residence to help, ala CompUSA. However, BB is full of mine fields when it comes to Apple. They will probably abandon the deal sooner then later. I have no faith in them... attitudes from the top down are poor. BB had a poor quarter so anything to boost short term sales until they recover, then by - by Apple I'm afraid.
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  • Reply 4 of 82
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Hey, best news I've heard all weekend! Cool. I now live in a town with no Apple store (2 hours away, give or take, depending on traffic and all), no CompUSA, no MicroCenter, etc.



    We DO, however, have a nice, big Best Buy.



    This would be wonderful.



    I realize they won't carry the pro stuff, but I'd be happy with the iStuff around because that would mean they'd carry AirPort, various cables, perhaps some Mac books or magazines, more iPods, iSight, OS X and other Apple software, etc.



    Not to mention, I'd run across fellow Mac-heads from time to time, and that would be nice.



    Plus, who knows: perhaps even a "part-time evenings/occasional weekend" job opportunity for me? Just to make a little pocket change, but mainly to make sure the stuff is properly represented.







    Hope this happens, happens soon and is staffed by people with a clue and has a nice, respectable display set-up and some of the staffers are of the "let's go get 'em, fellas!" type, into dispelling myths, doing cool demos, touting the platform in a professional - but exciting and hip - manner, etc.



    If they're just going to stick two iBooks and a low-end eMac in there and neglect them and let them - and the entire Mac section - fall into Sears-like disrepair and neglect, then I say "don't bother...you'll do more harm than good".







    Here's hoping it's done right...
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  • Reply 5 of 82
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    man i wish staples sold mac stuff, we have one near by and i could work there...i know enough to be of help more then any other person in the town (mac wise at least...haha and things i didnt know i'd post here)
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  • Reply 6 of 82
    macsrgood4umacsrgood4u Posts: 3,007member
    Quote:

    If they're just going to stick two iBooks and a low-end eMac in there and neglect them and let them - and the entire Mac section - fall into Sears-like disrepair and neglect, then I say "don't bother...you'll do more harm than good".



    We know that happened last time and there was really only one computer being sold, the original fruity iMacs. Can you change a leopard's spots? If they do have an Apple guy to take care of things then at least there's a chance... until he's run out of town by the other blue shirts.
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  • Reply 7 of 82
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ast3r3x

    man i wish staples sold mac stuff, we have one near by and i could work there...i know enough to be of help more then any other person in the town (mac wise at least...haha and things i didnt know i'd post here)



    Hey ast3r3x, I used to work at the Staples at the Golden Triangle (you know, where Lititz and Oregon Pike meet up? Chi-Chi's?), and there is absolutely no way Macs would survive in Staples. All the other employees there hated 'crapintoshes' with a passion (and several from my store moved into your store when it opened). Even the managers spoke openly of their distaste, and I had a discussion with the district manager where I mentioned that I used a mac, and he grimaced.



    In fact Staples did carry Macs before the Jobsian era... I can remember looking at them (as a customer - it was before I worked there)... but they were in horrible disrepair.



    Otherwise, Staples isn't that bad of a place to work... as long as you don't get stuck there for years on end
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  • Reply 8 of 82
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    when best buy sold apple's i worked as the Apple rep.



    i can tell you right now that the regular employees were HORRIBLE in regards to Apple's computers/quality etc.



    they were so concerned with selling their service plans they were willing to lie through their teeth in order to upsell whatever crap they were pushing that week.



    i got hauled into the manager's office twice for telling people that Apple's computers were #2 behind IBM for quality and number of machines that were bad out of the box. (entirely true)



    the blue shirts were telling people that the Macs came in broken more than any other machine, blah blah. they also wouldn't tell them about Apple's warrenty either. like if the computer were broken out of the box they wouldn't fix it. it was awful. hopefully they'll have figured something else out this time.



    i wrote a fairly lengthy, detailed account of what was happening each day, and within two months apple had pulled out of Best Buy. i'm guessing i wasn't alone in my experiences.
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  • Reply 9 of 82
    pscatespscates Posts: 5,847member
    Crap, this doesn't give me lots of "warm fuzzies"...







    Hope things have changed a bit.
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  • Reply 10 of 82
    ast3r3xast3r3x Posts: 5,012member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bauman

    Hey ast3r3x, I used to work at the Staples at the Golden Triangle (you know, where Lititz and Oregon Pike meet up? Chi-Chi's?), and there is absolutely no way Macs would survive in Staples. All the other employees there hated 'crapintoshes' with a passion (and several from my store moved into your store when it opened). Even the managers spoke openly of their distaste, and I had a discussion with the district manager where I mentioned that I used a mac, and he grimaced.



    In fact Staples did carry Macs before the Jobsian era... I can remember looking at them (as a customer - it was before I worked there)... but they were in horrible disrepair.



    Otherwise, Staples isn't that bad of a place to work... as long as you don't get stuck there for years on end




    haha first how do you know about my store? (the Ephrata one?) second where do you live...that is very close to me...30 min or so (but i guess u'd know that)



    what do you do now by the way?
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  • Reply 11 of 82
    The models that are going to be carried are 12" iBook 900, 12" PB, 15" PB, 15" iMac, 17" iMac, 1.42 Ghz PowerMac, 1 Ghz ($999) eMac, and 17" Apple display. The prices on the PowerBooks didn't reflect Apples recent drops though, but all of the rest were consistant with pricing.
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  • Reply 12 of 82
    baumanbauman Posts: 1,248member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ast3r3x

    haha first how do you know about my store? (the Ephrata one?) second where do you live...that is very close to me...30 min or so (but i guess u'd know that)



    what do you do now by the way?




    I live less than a mile from the Golden Triangle store, just outside the city (Hence the attraction of working there). I worked there for 2 years while I was in high school... now I'm in good ole Goshen College, IN. I'm doing biophysics research here for the summer.



    Enough about my life story, and back on topic, Macaddict16, I could host those pictures you have if you'd like. I'd post them inline on the forum then. Just email me at:



    (email removed to prevent harvesting. If you still want to post them, PM me, and I'll give you my email address)
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  • Reply 13 of 82
    ensign pulverensign pulver Posts: 1,193member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Macaddict16

    The models that are going to be carried are 12" iBook 900, 12" PB, 15" PB, 15" iMac, 17" iMac, 1.42 Ghz PowerMac, 1 Ghz ($999) eMac, and 17" Apple display. The prices on the PowerBooks didn't reflect Apples recent drops though, but all of the rest were consistant with pricing.



    Ouch, no G5s?
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  • Reply 14 of 82
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Macaddict16

    but all of the rest were consistant with pricing.



    wow. so there is actually a product best buy doesn't overcharge for?
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  • Reply 15 of 82
    amorphamorph Posts: 7,112member
    Best Buy gets another shot, eh?



    Oh, this'll be good. I'll have an endless source of entertainment only a few miles away!



    It'll be so much fun watching how those weenies react to having those computers in the store. Ewwwww!
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  • Reply 16 of 82
    progmacprogmac Posts: 1,850member
    i was looking for ipod accessories at the best buy here and the blue shirt was a very friendly mac guy who had an ibook. actually, i think i talk to more people who like macs than hate them, most think they're pretty slick. i think the mac community might just be a little oversensitive
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  • Reply 17 of 82
    soopadrivesoopadrive Posts: 182member
    As others have mentioned, I doubt Apples will stick around for awhile in BB stores. All they'll do is talk trash about them and interest them in a Bloatway or Dell from Hell.



    I remember reading an article in MacWorld quite a ways back, mentioning the writer visiting BB (may have been CompUSA? not sure?) and interested in some Apple products, and all the salesman would do is refer him to the competitive line.



    I say we ban all evil BB salesmen to Guatemala and revoke their citizenship.
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  • Reply 18 of 82
    frank777frank777 Posts: 5,839member
    It's good for Canada. No Apple Stores here!



    I still say Apple needs to push their low-end products into the general market more.



    They need to use those vaunted design skills to come up with a one-aisle solution crammed with Apple products and Mac software solutions.



    Push the Consumer products only (eMac, iMac, iBook, iPod) along with 50 software packages and the most popular third party products (keyboard, mice etc.) All in ONE AISLE.



    Make sure customers can't walk away with the "Mac has no software" idea. Leave printers and scanners out. The stores already have these. Deploy these "Apple Islands" in every Walmart, Costco, Staples and Best Buy in North America.



    Then good things will start to happen with marketshare.
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  • Reply 19 of 82
    timotimo Posts: 353member
    ugh, Best Buy. Yuck.
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  • Reply 20 of 82
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Amorph

    Best Buy gets another shot, eh?



    Oh, this'll be good. I'll have an endless source of entertainment only a few miles away!



    It'll be so much fun watching how those weenies react to having those computers in the store. Ewwwww!




    Given that many will be manned every day by people who actually work for Apple, I think it'll be great.
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