The real biggest conmen of this decade will be recognised as many of those in the financial industry. The floor salesperson may be looking to make a few thousand a month in salary+commission. They may lie to you about a frickin' cable.
What about those so called "analysts" and "risk managers" that make 100x a simple retail salesperson ... these financial service "professionals" that are responsible for the current socioeconomic mess we are in? (besides the Bush administration). These "professionals" that lie about an entire company, what is that in comparison to a retail salesperson just doing their training reading off the marketing material *which is provided by the manufacturer* ???
I agree that some experiences like Circuit City, Best Buy, and for me, Carphone Warehouse and Currys in the UK, are just really terrible. You could say it is the staff, but if you have been in the retail industry... A lot of how Retail is run is by greedy, inconsiderate, incompetent management... that creates the run-of-the-mill shitty experience we all have with retail.
Back in the day before big malls and massive corporate Retail holding companies, the "mom and pop" shop or the experienced merchant/shopkeeper, perhaps Retail was different then.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tauron
Sorry but I have no respect for any floor salesmen. I don't care if your job seems hard to you. I also have a hard job and so does everyone else. But what I don't do is to give misinformation to clients and less than completely objective factual advice. That is why Best Buy will end up bankrupt as well. Sites line Newegg and Zipzoomfly, you know, net based, have all the advantage. There you can compare and contrast products and have direct information to peer reviews of the product which by their nature have no particular bias. Shipping is very cheap these days and return policies are favorable and smooth. In the end if you do the math it is always better to buy something from newegg and say no thanks to Best Buy.
The ONLY time I buy something from Best Buy is when I KNOW I will be returning the item. It is that simple. Like that time I bought a hardware enclosure to recover some backedup data. A one time need.
Besides being overpriced, Best Buy employees are ignorant as well. They never know the answer to anything.
Unfortunately what they will do is announce 25-50% off some mystical retail price that doesn't reflect the market value of the product. I've seen this at bankruptcies around here. They close the stores and run around jackng the sticker price up on everything and then open the door with a smile telling you everything is 25% off. The reality is you might save 2% over the cost of whatever two weeks ago. Frankly it is a bit of a joke if you are looking for a real bargain.
Dave
I dunno.. i got some decent deals at circuit city just yesterday... Product i wanted that best price I could find online before shipping was $80 (at newegg.com), I got it at circuit city for a total price of $46 then + 10% sales tax... still pretty cheap. The liquidation companies and the employees left there have no idea what's going on, and don't care. The computer has prices different than what is labeled on the shelf (all the ones i bought and other people I talked to bought were lower in the computer than marked), then they took an additional 10% - 25% off the price manually using calculators. Most everything ended up being much cheaper than advertised. Also grabbed these little travel sized power strips, marked at $15 with a claim of 10% off at register, they rang up at $6 at the register and then got 10% extra off. So maybe your theory seems right they went around marking things higher (and forgot to change the database), but I doubt it since MSRPs they had labeled on the items were right comparing to other stores, and everything I bought were same price as they were a few weeks ago before liquidation in the same store.
Since Best Buy has never paid their employees commission, I don't think anyone "tried" to sell you a $100 HDMI cable. It was probably offered to you when you inquired about an HDMI cable. They get paid regardless of what they sell, so no one forced you to buy that particular cable.
Commission? No, perhaps not. Those are carrots. However, the engineer at the desk next to mine was a BB salesman for a year, and according to him salesmen who didn't meet numbers on service contracts and extra cables didn't get hours assigned. That's a stick. They don't get paid if they don't work, and they don't work unless they push what the managers tell them to push. He also told me that employee pricing on cables was usually something like 10% - 20% of the shelf price. Not 10% off, but 10% OF. That's only "standard retail prices" if you believe in paying extra for things with no benefit in return.
Do you work for BB? Or do you really just not understand how they work?
I've always done extensive research for any product I've been in the market for. By the time I set foot in any of the box stores, I usually know more about the product than the sales people. I never looked down on them because they were less knowledgable than a customer who'd done his homework. Any smart shopper SHOULD do their due diligence researching an investment. The fact that many shoppers don't, and that retailers (and their sales staff) exploit consumers' ignorance, is an unfortunate reality. As a consumer, I recognize I'm not in a position to lecture the manufacturers, retailers or their sales staff on the moralities and ethics of honest sales. Knowledge is power, so I make it my practice to arm myself with knowledge of the product I'm interested in and find that sales people are far less able to push me around.
As far as extended warranties are concerned, others here have stated the truth: they're security blankets that most people will never need. It's better to be safe than sorry is my philosophy with high-priced electronics, but I understand that some view extended warranties as a waste of money. To each their own.
I was recently in the market for an HDTV and blu-ray player. I did extensive research online and by reading AV mags. Ultimately it came time to visit the box stores to see the options with my own eyes. I'm glad CC and BB were there for that phase of my shopping experience. And as a credit to the teenaged sales staff, I found them to be knowledgable enough to answer my questions and relay the feedback of other customers.
I'd resolved to decide on a set based on visits to the box stores, but then purchase online. I attempted this, but the online retailers I chose because of their great pricing turned out to be completely disreputable and I wound up cancelling the orders. I did more price shopping and ultimately ended up... you guessed it, at Circuit City. Not only did they have the best price (factoring in not having to pay for shipping or delivery) but they actually had the items in stock. And yes, I also purchased the extended warranties. I'll most likely never need them, but I like the peace of mind. I didn't fall for their over-priced cables though. Those I bought online for a fantastic price.
I'm sorry to see CC fold. I've gotten great deals there over the years. And in this economy, it is most unfortunate that CC's 34,000 employees are going to lose their jobs.
Whoa! You mean you have no recollection of the role Democrats like Barney Frank and Chris Dodd - and especially the Congressional Black Caucus - played in making Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a giant millstone around the neck of the credit market?!?
Bush pushed the "ownership society", yes - but the dems in the house pushed the "it's not fair that we're not a big house owner" society. And guess what led to defaults?
And the Republicans have spent two decades deregulating any and every market that they can get their hands on. I'm not claiming Democrats hold no responsibility, but this house of cards was very much sitting on a republican made foundation. The idea that the invisible hand of the market will guide often corrupt businessmen is a bankrupt idea and has been pushed by Republicans at least since Reagan took office. And what exactly did Republicans do when they took control of congress: nothing.
I feel sorry for anybody who loses their job no matter where they work at.
I personally love shopping at Best Buy. Excellent return policies and extended warranties. And the Reward Zone points score me loads of free stuff.
New Egg isn't bad but I have found better prices at Amazon and they also have better return policies. The 8 pixel requirement that New Egg has before they consider a new LCD monitor defective is ridiculous.
Please go to the Apple help forums and tell me that everyone has the same experience.
Apple has had countless Monitors, Graphic Cards, Software and general hardware problems that Apple ignores until it comes to Class Action Status (and many still are).
Apple ignores every problem until it becomes a problem with the press. The App Store is a perfect example of this.
I don't want to have to pay $99 per year for every Apple product I own to know I am safe for 1 year. It adds up quick if you have a lot of Apple products.
If this is the case then Apple should add $99 dollars to every product.
I've had many great experiences with CC and they never blinked an eye when I had a problem, even with my Sony TV out of warranty.
I'll be sad to see them and their employees go because it leaves people with less choices and Apple with more power to ignore not only the press and their stock obligations but they can ignore the end users now even longer.
Example. How many people who own an iPhone 3G were even remotely happy until firmware/software until 2.2 came out and yet we still don't even has the most basic features a phone from 5 years ago offers.
As to the Genius support, you pay for that option (commonly known as Apple TAX) and you've obviously experienced numerous problems with your purchases if you know it so well.
Apple is putting out bug ridden Hardware and Software these days and using the end user as BETA testers.
Your diatribe is getting seriously old. You're clearly the kind of person who buys a PC simply because it's cheaper without any regard to quality. The fact that you own a Dell says as much about your character. You own a computer from a company that ships poor quality products and backs them up with crappy, outsourced service. Go tap an Inspiron notebook and tell me it doesn't sound like it will shatter into a thousand pieces were you too drop it. Dell sells computers on a model that forces it to decrease quality in order to retain profit. And it takes this platform to an utter extreme (it pretty much gave away computers in the nineties for market share to the education sector). It's sitting on eleven expensive and useless factories that it cannot sell and its stock is literally almost non-existent. Dell cannot survive this economy because it has dug it into a hole so deep, it can't crawl out of it. I might add, it's also led by George W. Bush's single largest donor.
Microsoft has been putting out bug ridden software for years and its hardware isn't any better. have you ever heard of the xbox360? Up until about Augusta of last year, independent studies found it had a 25% failure rate. And why is it Windows needs these huge Service packs? Might it be because Microsoft ships the operating system unfinished from the get-go? Vista was not a failure because of just word of mouth, it shipped way too early and was completely unfinished as a result. I mean, come on, Leopard had a couple of issues, but Vista had issues with some utterly basic functionality. And it's kinda pathetic when your biggest claim to fame is your software library and you kill a good forty percent of it in one day.
And stop acting like there's no other company on the face of the earth that gets sued. Ever had a problem with a Sony product? Good luck with that, my friend bought a PS3 to use as a Blu-Ray player and the laser failed within two months of buying it and Sony basically just told him to go jump off a cliff. Every single company on the face of the earth does similar things. And get over the iPhone 3G. I have owned one since August and the problems had more to do with AT&T's network than anything else. I have a friend who lives in Atlanta and he has pristine service. I assure, the issue is spotty coverage in areas that AT&T needs to develop better. And please don't respond that Verizon was a choice. The company was unwilling to do a good subsidy and runs on an older technology that Apple wanted to stay away from. So, the choice was AT&T or T-Mobile (the latter having next to no 3G coverage in the US).
And on that same note, everything has problems. None of us here have ever claimed that Apple products are immune to aging or wear and tear. The difference is that Apple provides accessible and knowledgeable tech support, whereas most computer manufacturers provide you with poor outsourced help lines and hoops and bounds to get hardware fixed. And yes, we pay for that help, it's called AppleCare and it bitch slaps every other service in the face. Simple, easy, and quick help from knowledgeable and caring staff.
I don't even understand your way of thinking. You act like PC makers and Microsoft are little angels and Apple is some kind of demo overseer. Apple is by no means a perfect company, but it doesn't try to make a monopoly out of every single service it offers like Microsoft does and it actually quality checks its products, unlike Dell. Apple Tax my ass, Microsoft ships out a product that requires so many external fees, that you wind up with a $500 lap-top which then requires several hundred dollars worth of software and as much for upkeep as the unit itself.
If you honestly believe some of the things you say, you're completely delusional.
Comments
What about those so called "analysts" and "risk managers" that make 100x a simple retail salesperson ... these financial service "professionals" that are responsible for the current socioeconomic mess we are in? (besides the Bush administration). These "professionals" that lie about an entire company, what is that in comparison to a retail salesperson just doing their training reading off the marketing material *which is provided by the manufacturer* ???
I agree that some experiences like Circuit City, Best Buy, and for me, Carphone Warehouse and Currys in the UK, are just really terrible. You could say it is the staff, but if you have been in the retail industry... A lot of how Retail is run is by greedy, inconsiderate, incompetent management... that creates the run-of-the-mill shitty experience we all have with retail.
Back in the day before big malls and massive corporate Retail holding companies, the "mom and pop" shop or the experienced merchant/shopkeeper, perhaps Retail was different then.
Sorry but I have no respect for any floor salesmen. I don't care if your job seems hard to you. I also have a hard job and so does everyone else. But what I don't do is to give misinformation to clients and less than completely objective factual advice. That is why Best Buy will end up bankrupt as well. Sites line Newegg and Zipzoomfly, you know, net based, have all the advantage. There you can compare and contrast products and have direct information to peer reviews of the product which by their nature have no particular bias. Shipping is very cheap these days and return policies are favorable and smooth. In the end if you do the math it is always better to buy something from newegg and say no thanks to Best Buy.
The ONLY time I buy something from Best Buy is when I KNOW I will be returning the item. It is that simple. Like that time I bought a hardware enclosure to recover some backedup data. A one time need.
Besides being overpriced, Best Buy employees are ignorant as well. They never know the answer to anything.
Good riddance to Best Buy.
Unfortunately what they will do is announce 25-50% off some mystical retail price that doesn't reflect the market value of the product. I've seen this at bankruptcies around here. They close the stores and run around jackng the sticker price up on everything and then open the door with a smile telling you everything is 25% off. The reality is you might save 2% over the cost of whatever two weeks ago. Frankly it is a bit of a joke if you are looking for a real bargain.
Dave
I dunno.. i got some decent deals at circuit city just yesterday... Product i wanted that best price I could find online before shipping was $80 (at newegg.com), I got it at circuit city for a total price of $46 then + 10% sales tax... still pretty cheap. The liquidation companies and the employees left there have no idea what's going on, and don't care. The computer has prices different than what is labeled on the shelf (all the ones i bought and other people I talked to bought were lower in the computer than marked), then they took an additional 10% - 25% off the price manually using calculators. Most everything ended up being much cheaper than advertised. Also grabbed these little travel sized power strips, marked at $15 with a claim of 10% off at register, they rang up at $6 at the register and then got 10% extra off. So maybe your theory seems right they went around marking things higher (and forgot to change the database), but I doubt it since MSRPs they had labeled on the items were right comparing to other stores, and everything I bought were same price as they were a few weeks ago before liquidation in the same store.
Since Best Buy has never paid their employees commission, I don't think anyone "tried" to sell you a $100 HDMI cable. It was probably offered to you when you inquired about an HDMI cable. They get paid regardless of what they sell, so no one forced you to buy that particular cable.
Commission? No, perhaps not. Those are carrots. However, the engineer at the desk next to mine was a BB salesman for a year, and according to him salesmen who didn't meet numbers on service contracts and extra cables didn't get hours assigned. That's a stick. They don't get paid if they don't work, and they don't work unless they push what the managers tell them to push. He also told me that employee pricing on cables was usually something like 10% - 20% of the shelf price. Not 10% off, but 10% OF. That's only "standard retail prices" if you believe in paying extra for things with no benefit in return.
Do you work for BB? Or do you really just not understand how they work?
As far as extended warranties are concerned, others here have stated the truth: they're security blankets that most people will never need. It's better to be safe than sorry is my philosophy with high-priced electronics, but I understand that some view extended warranties as a waste of money. To each their own.
I was recently in the market for an HDTV and blu-ray player. I did extensive research online and by reading AV mags. Ultimately it came time to visit the box stores to see the options with my own eyes. I'm glad CC and BB were there for that phase of my shopping experience. And as a credit to the teenaged sales staff, I found them to be knowledgable enough to answer my questions and relay the feedback of other customers.
I'd resolved to decide on a set based on visits to the box stores, but then purchase online. I attempted this, but the online retailers I chose because of their great pricing turned out to be completely disreputable and I wound up cancelling the orders. I did more price shopping and ultimately ended up... you guessed it, at Circuit City. Not only did they have the best price (factoring in not having to pay for shipping or delivery) but they actually had the items in stock. And yes, I also purchased the extended warranties. I'll most likely never need them, but I like the peace of mind. I didn't fall for their over-priced cables though. Those I bought online for a fantastic price.
I'm sorry to see CC fold. I've gotten great deals there over the years. And in this economy, it is most unfortunate that CC's 34,000 employees are going to lose their jobs.
Whoa! You mean you have no recollection of the role Democrats like Barney Frank and Chris Dodd - and especially the Congressional Black Caucus - played in making Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac a giant millstone around the neck of the credit market?!?
Bush pushed the "ownership society", yes - but the dems in the house pushed the "it's not fair that we're not a big house owner" society. And guess what led to defaults?
And the Republicans have spent two decades deregulating any and every market that they can get their hands on. I'm not claiming Democrats hold no responsibility, but this house of cards was very much sitting on a republican made foundation. The idea that the invisible hand of the market will guide often corrupt businessmen is a bankrupt idea and has been pushed by Republicans at least since Reagan took office. And what exactly did Republicans do when they took control of congress: nothing.
I personally love shopping at Best Buy. Excellent return policies and extended warranties. And the Reward Zone points score me loads of free stuff.
New Egg isn't bad but I have found better prices at Amazon and they also have better return policies. The 8 pixel requirement that New Egg has before they consider a new LCD monitor defective is ridiculous.
Please go to the Apple help forums and tell me that everyone has the same experience.
Apple has had countless Monitors, Graphic Cards, Software and general hardware problems that Apple ignores until it comes to Class Action Status (and many still are).
Apple ignores every problem until it becomes a problem with the press. The App Store is a perfect example of this.
I don't want to have to pay $99 per year for every Apple product I own to know I am safe for 1 year. It adds up quick if you have a lot of Apple products.
If this is the case then Apple should add $99 dollars to every product.
I've had many great experiences with CC and they never blinked an eye when I had a problem, even with my Sony TV out of warranty.
I'll be sad to see them and their employees go because it leaves people with less choices and Apple with more power to ignore not only the press and their stock obligations but they can ignore the end users now even longer.
Example. How many people who own an iPhone 3G were even remotely happy until firmware/software until 2.2 came out and yet we still don't even has the most basic features a phone from 5 years ago offers.
As to the Genius support, you pay for that option (commonly known as Apple TAX) and you've obviously experienced numerous problems with your purchases if you know it so well.
Apple is putting out bug ridden Hardware and Software these days and using the end user as BETA testers.
Your diatribe is getting seriously old. You're clearly the kind of person who buys a PC simply because it's cheaper without any regard to quality. The fact that you own a Dell says as much about your character. You own a computer from a company that ships poor quality products and backs them up with crappy, outsourced service. Go tap an Inspiron notebook and tell me it doesn't sound like it will shatter into a thousand pieces were you too drop it. Dell sells computers on a model that forces it to decrease quality in order to retain profit. And it takes this platform to an utter extreme (it pretty much gave away computers in the nineties for market share to the education sector). It's sitting on eleven expensive and useless factories that it cannot sell and its stock is literally almost non-existent. Dell cannot survive this economy because it has dug it into a hole so deep, it can't crawl out of it. I might add, it's also led by George W. Bush's single largest donor.
Microsoft has been putting out bug ridden software for years and its hardware isn't any better. have you ever heard of the xbox360? Up until about Augusta of last year, independent studies found it had a 25% failure rate. And why is it Windows needs these huge Service packs? Might it be because Microsoft ships the operating system unfinished from the get-go? Vista was not a failure because of just word of mouth, it shipped way too early and was completely unfinished as a result. I mean, come on, Leopard had a couple of issues, but Vista had issues with some utterly basic functionality. And it's kinda pathetic when your biggest claim to fame is your software library and you kill a good forty percent of it in one day.
And stop acting like there's no other company on the face of the earth that gets sued. Ever had a problem with a Sony product? Good luck with that, my friend bought a PS3 to use as a Blu-Ray player and the laser failed within two months of buying it and Sony basically just told him to go jump off a cliff. Every single company on the face of the earth does similar things. And get over the iPhone 3G. I have owned one since August and the problems had more to do with AT&T's network than anything else. I have a friend who lives in Atlanta and he has pristine service. I assure, the issue is spotty coverage in areas that AT&T needs to develop better. And please don't respond that Verizon was a choice. The company was unwilling to do a good subsidy and runs on an older technology that Apple wanted to stay away from. So, the choice was AT&T or T-Mobile (the latter having next to no 3G coverage in the US).
And on that same note, everything has problems. None of us here have ever claimed that Apple products are immune to aging or wear and tear. The difference is that Apple provides accessible and knowledgeable tech support, whereas most computer manufacturers provide you with poor outsourced help lines and hoops and bounds to get hardware fixed. And yes, we pay for that help, it's called AppleCare and it bitch slaps every other service in the face. Simple, easy, and quick help from knowledgeable and caring staff.
I don't even understand your way of thinking. You act like PC makers and Microsoft are little angels and Apple is some kind of demo overseer. Apple is by no means a perfect company, but it doesn't try to make a monopoly out of every single service it offers like Microsoft does and it actually quality checks its products, unlike Dell. Apple Tax my ass, Microsoft ships out a product that requires so many external fees, that you wind up with a $500 lap-top which then requires several hundred dollars worth of software and as much for upkeep as the unit itself.
If you honestly believe some of the things you say, you're completely delusional.