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Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

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Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#191

Post by kchoudhu »

misterbwong wrote: post #189
kop316 wrote: post #10

I can't speak for the Geek Squad (as I have never needed to use them), but they price match to Amazon (and several other online stores), and will generally have what I am looking for (at least for consumer electronics). I know that I will get it that day (vs. Amazon's "two day shipping" that regularly turned into three or four days) at an Amazon price, it will certainly NOT be a counterfeit, and I don't have to give…

Generally agree w/ your sentiment but don't assume you aren't being tracked. You most assuredly are. If you get a chance, try looking up how retailers are now sharing/selling "Level 3" data with some 3rd parties.

Cash is still a thing.

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#193

Post by j79 »

jmuguy wrote: post #61
josefresco wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you pay extra to have it unboxed and turned on? How much was the TV? I'm wondering at what level, or price they offer this service? The TV I purchased was not expensive, and the Amazon alternative was one of their "house brands" with Alexa integrated so I wonder if they'd provide the same level of service. Did they schedule the delivery with you or did they just show up?

It was a 65 inch Samsung KS8000, I think about 1500 at the time. The delivery, unboxing, etc, was all free (prime). I scheduled the delivery on checkout, you picked the day and from several 2 hour windows.

> The delivery, unboxing, etc, was all free (prime)

"Free" in that it came with your Prime membership which you paid for ;)

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#194

Post by mikec3010 »

danso wrote: post #92

I remember years ago on HN, there’d be debates over whether it was ethical or decent to go into a Best Buy store, then do a price check and order on Amazon, effectively using BB and other brick-and-mortar stores as showrooms. I remember the debate seeming split on generational lines, with younger folks pointing out that BB should adapt or die, and older folks arguing that brick-and-mortar was at a huge disadvantage n…

The moral arguments extend beyond "brick and mortar" vs online. I think the bigger issue is how they treat their employees. One company uses "third party contractors " to skirt labor laws and has their employees pissing in bottles to stay in good standing.

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#195

Post by gameswithgo »

segmondy wrote: post #103
gameswithgo wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A while back we had a refrigerator die, and I was like "no problem, I'll run to home depot and get one". they could NOT handle it. Everyone seemed annoyed that I wanted to do this. They have refrigerators on the floor but only a few are for sale, and they can do delivery in theory but they didn't seem to know if their delivery guys were available or not. I went over to Lowes next door and it was the same deal. I was…

That's your experience. When my fridge was dying, I went to Home depot. They had one, I ordered it, they delivered it, even took off the door off the hinges to bring it in, installed it and placed the doors back on the hinges.

same day? I've had the same experience as you if you are willing to wait a few days. they are great at the delivery/install.

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#196

Post by rsync »

Bedon292 wrote: post #129
gameswithgo wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A while back we had a refrigerator die, and I was like "no problem, I'll run to home depot and get one". they could NOT handle it. Everyone seemed annoyed that I wanted to do this. They have refrigerators on the floor but only a few are for sale, and they can do delivery in theory but they didn't seem to know if their delivery guys were available or not. I went over to Lowes next door and it was the same deal. I was…

Yeah I was somewhat surprised when I bought a new washer and dryer. Took my truck to the store so I would have space, get there, and they are like yeah its going to be two weeks for delivery. They keep none of those items on hand, as they are too large. Its all out in a warehouse somewhere else, and they just aren't prepared for someone who wants something now. It makes sense, but is not something I thought about bef…

Interestingly, the one place you could do this (walk in and buy a new washer/dryer/fridge and drive away with it) was Sears which has closed their stores in many major metro areas and are basically going out of business...

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#197

Post by gameswithgo »

crazygringo wrote: post #111
gameswithgo wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A while back we had a refrigerator die, and I was like "no problem, I'll run to home depot and get one". they could NOT handle it. Everyone seemed annoyed that I wanted to do this. They have refrigerators on the floor but only a few are for sale, and they can do delivery in theory but they didn't seem to know if their delivery guys were available or not. I went over to Lowes next door and it was the same deal. I was…

I'm not sure if anything has changed there. Huge bulky items have always been delivered from a warehouse ~days later. Online hasn't changed anything with that, I don't think. Sure, sometimes you'll get lucky with a popular model they keep a few of in-store, but that feels like the exception. You can't go to a mattress store and walk out with a mattress either, generally.

But they do have these items in the store out on the floor, they could have done it but it just seemed like they didn't want to make an effort. I realize your choice of model is going to be limited if you are in a hurry, but if you want to compete with amazon, being eager to sell people appliances day of would be a good way.

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#198

Post by metiscus »

scarface74 wrote: post #145
dpark wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The bundled crapware has nothing to do with where you buy your PC. Best Buy doesn’t install anything on the PCs they sell. Dell does, HP does, Lenovo does. You get the same crap if you buy direct or from a retailer. If you buy a “Microsoft Signature” device, you pay a small premium essentially for the manufacturer to agree not to install crap. You might (or might not) get the same from the manufacturer if you buy a “…

I bought a desktop Gateway from BestBuy awhile back. It had Best Buy specific crapware and the "special edition" Dell was the same price from the MS store as it was from Dell's website. Buying the business line from Dell gets you better local support and no crapware.

Sometimes Best Buy has exclusive models that have specific software put on there by the manufacturer. You can usually verify if you are getting one of those models by googling the full model number to see if there are other sellers than Best Buy out there.

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#199

Post by j79 »

steveeq1 wrote: post #167
gmiller123456 wrote: post #69

I actually think it's Amazon that has the poor business model, and I'm puzzled how it's working for them. They are usually not competitive on price compared to other sites, and sometimes it's the same price off the shelf at Best Buy. Big ticket items from Amazon usually have free shipping, but it's a 3-4 day wait unless you pay for "free" shipping by joining Prime. But I quit Prime a few years ago after 10 out of my…

> But I quit Prime a few years ago after 10 out of my last 10 orders arrived late I have a hard time believing this. I've never had late shipments with amazon nor have any of my friends. Are you exaggerating or is there any omitted context?

Prime member for the last 8 years but I'm seriously considering canceling next year (mostly due to the price hike in Prime).

I've had plenty of items arrive late or not even at all, with stretches where I've had back-to-back-to-back issues with Amazon, so frustrating that I considered canceling Prime right then and there (~3 years ago).

A couple times they were delivered to our neighbors house next door (who dropped them off to us, thankfully) and a few times we had to contact Amazon Customer Service who just sent us a new one. In general, I trust Amazon to get me my item, but they're definitely not perfect and I wouldn't be surprised if OP isn't exaggerating...

BTW, I live in the Bay Area (and not out in the boonies).

Re: Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

#200

Post by CharlesW »

MichaelApproved wrote: post #96
josefresco wrote: post #15

Like most Americans I order a shitload from Amazon. However the last item I bought from Best Buy was a TV (my old LG just ... died). Ordered online, chose to pick up in store. Drive 35 min to store Pickup process takes 10-15 min Drive 35 min home. Left after dinner, was watching it that evening. The only condition that would have prevented me from using this model would be traffic, as it could extend the trip by 60-9…

> Like most Americans I order a shitload from Amazon. I do too but can we say "most" Americans? Are there any stats available on their customers? I wonder, how many Americans have purchased at least one thing on Amazon? How many have in the past year? What's the average spend per customer per year?

> I do too but can we say "most" Americans? Are there any stats available on their customers?

"Most" is almost true if you only look at ecommerce.

"This year, the online shopping juggernaut will capture 49.1% of the market, according to eMarketer's latest forecast on the top 10 US ecommerce retailers, up from a 43.5% share last year. Amazon now controls nearly 5% of the total US retail market (online and offline)."[1]

[1] https://retail.emarketer.com/article/amazon-now-has-nearly-5...

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