Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
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Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#2Plea HN: When you go to Best Buy don't go out and buy from Amazon! "Is Best Buy becoming a showroom for online retailers like Amazon?", well, for most people yes, but what if BB bankrupts, which showroom will you go?
I think their plan sounds good, especially the employer compensation bit. BB's worst problem is their clueless employees. Whenever I go there, either I can't find anyone or else I get surprised looks to basic questions. They seemed bored, etc. I think BB execs should take a stroll to the Apple store and look at the customer-employee interaction there.
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#3I recently tried to buy a cable from their store the other day. They had the cable on their website for $14 dollars (Amazon had it for $6) and I thought to myself, "Well that's not terrible, I'd rather have it today, it is worth the premium." When I got to the store, the best price for the cable, was $30 and the staff said the $14 cable I wanted was online only (it was not easily apparent from their site). Even after driving to the store, I decided I can wait two days and get it for $6 bucks from Amazon.
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#4This is actually quite sad to me. As much as I complained about Circuit City and Best Buy with their pushy salesmen and incredibly high prices, there's always a benefit to being able to go to a store and see what you're about to buy. You can't tell the build quality of a laptop by reading an Amazon description. You can't tell the picture quality of a screen by the customer reviews. You can't do side-by-side comparisons with a product in each hand.
I really like the Sears model. My hometown wasn't big enough to have its own Sears store, but they had a catalog front-end, where they stocked one unit of their best selling products so people could see them in person. If you liked it, they would order one to be shipped to you or to their store, and you could pick it up. We need tech stores like this, an Amazon front-end.
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#5I recently tried to buy a cable from their store the other day. They had the cable on their website for $14 dollars (Amazon had it for $6) and I thought to myself, "Well that's not terrible, I'd rather have it today, it is worth the premium." When I got to the store, the best price for the cable, was $30 and the staff said the $14 cable I wanted was online only (it was not easily apparent from their site). Even after…
Big Lots is a better place to go to get a HDMI cable (and a few other cables as well) than Best Buy. I'm not sure which company this says more about, really.
I find the markup on cables at BB to be very frustrating. Why can I get a cable shipped all the way across the country for less than 1/8th the price of a BB cable?
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#6Best Buy is not going out of business because Amazon is good. Best Buy is going out of business because Best Buy sucks. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't live near a Fry's.
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#7Best Buy is not going out of business because Amazon is good. Best Buy is going out of business because Best Buy sucks. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't live near a Fry's.
So true. I recall when their stores opened. They were clean, the shelves were stocked with relevant products, and display units functioned.
Now it's just a dirty pile of what's left from last Christmas and display units that are un-powered or broken.
Don't get me started on their staff.
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#8Best Buy is not going out of business because Amazon is good. Best Buy is going out of business because Best Buy sucks. I feel sorry for anyone who doesn't live near a Fry's.
Not mentioning the fact that a lot of their employees in SF have very poor English for example, so they cannot really answer any product questions.
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#9Plea HN: When you go to Best Buy don't go out and buy from Amazon! "Is Best Buy becoming a showroom for online retailers like Amazon?", well, for most people yes, but what if BB bankrupts, which showroom will you go? I think their plan sounds good, especially the employer compensation bit. BB's worst problem is their clueless employees. Whenever I go there, either I can't find anyone or else I get surprised looks to…
I often find myself doing the showroom thing with BB and traditional bookstores - but I typically do not go to the brick and mortar store on purpose to look at stuff. I am usually out with friends or visiting other stores (say, at a mall) and happen to go in. So if BB bankrupts, I am not going to feel particularly affected, because I usually go direct to Amazon anyway. (Prime helps with that motivation)
Re: Best Buy feels Amazon squeeze, to close 50 big-box stores
#10Plea HN: When you go to Best Buy don't go out and buy from Amazon! "Is Best Buy becoming a showroom for online retailers like Amazon?", well, for most people yes, but what if BB bankrupts, which showroom will you go? I think their plan sounds good, especially the employer compensation bit. BB's worst problem is their clueless employees. Whenever I go there, either I can't find anyone or else I get surprised looks to…
If that happened, I'd just take greater advantage of online return policies if something was completely off from what was expected. A thorough reading of user reviews usually stops you from buying anything egregiously bad.