iPad to Blame for Best Buy Store Closures?

[Twiztidly]

Makes perfect sense to me. Big Box stores (as with most stores) don't make much money off of "big ticket items". They make there money off of attachments. If people buy an Ipad but don't buy a screen protect or case Bestbuy isn't making any money to offset the cost of the item plus overhead, etc....

[RoloDiva13]

Well, for one I can actually spell the word "you", not to mention form complete sentences and use at least decent grammar.

I am their target demographic - someone who spends a lot of money on gadgets and media. Yet they are so annoying it makes my skin crawl to listen to them talk. Ask one question and they have to call in the entire store and have a pow-wow to try and figure out the answer - they are completely clueless.

Isn't this article about how they are losing money? Maybe having terrible salespeople is part of the problem?

I have never known anyone who had an enjoyable shopping experience at Best Buy in at least the last decade.

Just go and sit in the computer department and listen to them lie to customers. Or go and watch them hawk their monster cable crap on a kid who just shelled out his life savings to get an XBox. I'll tell you what, take your car in and have them ruin your interior while trying to install a car stereo that doesn't do half what the salesmen think it does.

Customer Service was their only advantage over internet shopping and they blew that...

Well said. I used to work for Best Buy back in 2002 and for the few yrs they gave me a paycheck I saw EXACTLY what you're describing over and over again. A company that has sales updates two or three times A DAY has one thing only on its mind - sucking as much $$ out of customers as possible. I was in the customer service dept but was routinely 'loaned out' to media, computers, A/V and even appliances to pretend like I was an expert in those products when they were short staffed. I'm tech savvy but c'mon! I was still watching a tube TV of about 21" at the time BBy was selling plasmas for $10k. I couldn't have told you the difference between LCD & DLP at that time let alone anything useful about Bose HT packages or which Maytag W/D set would work best in your home. Did the management there care? Nope, not as long as I could bluff my way through the "sale" and do what I'd originally been hired to do: run a register to see Mr. Unaware Customer out the door.

I even used to buy into those service and replacement plans (literally) and convinced everyone I knew to do the same...until BBy thought it would be a good biz practice to stop honoring in-store exchanges but not alert current warranty holders of the change. I haven't been in a BBy to buy anything more expensive than a laptop HDD since 2004. THAT is why people like valkraider detest the company so and honestly I completely agree.

In case it isn't clear, not feeling sorry for BBy one iota right now. This has been a long time coming.

[tlc1217]

I'm gonna assume its the warranty program. Just makes sense to me...

[iLoveWindows&iPhone]

"To big (not) to fail."

[dmbsituation]

It's tough to pay someone $8 to $12 an hour without commission and expect them to be an expert on every individual item in a department, let alone a store.

Is anyone really surprised that they can go into ANY big box electronic store and know more than most of the employees simply by reading the manufacturer's website? Especially the more tech savvy people on modmyi?

That's about the equivalent as stating that I should expect the ringer at McDonald's to know the gluten content of each item on the menu...

Someone concerned about gluten isn't their target customer.

C'mon... let's not all be that naive... nor arrogant...

Best Buy NEVER made it's money dealing with people that were tech savvy. It's the customer that wants their hand held and is willing to spend more for that service and perceived value that is what made all electronic stores succeed in their high times.

Next you're going to say that Geek Squad is pointless because anyone can fix a computer and you love being the IT guy for every member of your family...

[finalfantasy]

Lol alot of comments on here are just from ppl that have no lives and are bored loll.
Yes you can find cheaper prices one alot of products online or other stores, But then when you get it at that store then youll find it even cheaper somewhere else later, then cheaper somewhere else later.... that's what the Price guarantee is for. Yes you can get it cheaper online alot of the times. But include shipping... and if the shipping is cheap or free.. then do you mind waiting weeks for your product to arrive? What happens if its damaged or doesn't work? you have to pay to ship it back then wait EVEN LONGER for a replacement ect.... So in the end... is it just not better to get it at the store and just pricematch when you find it? and was it really that big a deal spending that extra 0.23 cents to have it now instead of 2 weeks from now? And i work in a store like this. All major products like apple and tvs and beats earphones.... theirs only a 5-10 dollar markup for the company to make a LITTLE. they only way they can make money is on the overpriced accessories which every other store has for the SAME PRICE or VERY CLOSE to best buy unless you go to places like cheapcables.com but then your waiting weeks for it as well. I don't know about you, but i like to feel for my product, see it, know its not BROKEN when i get it and have the ability to return it without hassle or exchange it or price match it. So those complaining... how about you move out of your parents garage and get a life lol.

[fatalcrixer]

Anyone who repeatedly calls the iPad the i pad, isn't allowed to comment on Apple stuff. Please log off.

omfg almost pissed my pants

And when is the ipad2 5.0.1 windows jailbreak coming out? Did I miss something?

[petrusk]

so what do u know about best buy staff that gives you the right to insult them with such a name?
u better than them? its interesting that you can take an actually concerning topic thread and use it as an avenue to get that one little verbal jab in that didn't even need to be there, much less contribute anything worth while.
makes your feel better about yourself i guess.

I have to agree with him. Sure that comment wasn't completely necessary but the overall experience of shopping in best buy is awful. The sales staff are generally inarticulate and unmotivated. I love having a sales associate roll their eyes at me and then misinform me where something is. The issue is much deeper; from a broader standpoint these products sell themselves in which case management knows they can pay minimum wage for staffing. If you're going to shop ( not online ) its nice to be treated like a person : ).

[Agent929]

Employees of Best Buy do not make commission.

They do get points for selling GS protection plans

[Cer0]

Can't recall the last time I bought something from Best Buy. There is a better price about any where else you go.

I only go to the best buy near me for the Apple section because they don't control those prices. I hate going to Mall of America to actually go to Apple store.

[Agent929]

If you think ANY store not just Best Buy but also Office Depot and all the others make a decent profit off not just the iPad but also computers you are horribly mistaken. The Desktops and laptops they put on sale are just a way to get you into the store. Those things used to be profitable but online and Dell pretty much killed it. The price competition on most hardware is so insane that there is only a few bucks profit made on that few hundred dollar machine. The profit on the accessories for $50 is way way more than the machines. The reason the sales people at some places are commissioned on accessories and warranties is because that is the only thing the store really profits on. (why do people hate commission anyway? do you expect someone that sells you stuff to be a volunteer so you know they arent trying to upsell you. dumbest argument ever...)

I like stores, and I like window shopping and checking stuff out. I know about all the deals online but I still prefer to buy stuff from the store because I understand the physical item in front of me on display and the instant gratification has value. Am I going to spend double the price, no. But I do have a percentage that I consider fair to pay for the experience and availability. If everyone looked at stores and just bought online, no stores would exist. I also think the stores help people that dont know what accessories go with something. Do you think a doctor gives a crap about saving 50 bucks by purchasing his cable online if he knows nothing about TVs or electronics, probably not. He walks into a store and says I need that sweet TV, what will make it work. end of story. he pays his bill and if everything works hes happy to pay what it took.

If you dont like a store, its sales people, or the "greedy corporations" then dont buy from the store. We arent forced to buy from any store. If you dont like it, dont go. Guess what, as long as youre not some ridiculous jerk and have a lot of people that agree with you the store and "greedy corporations" that run it will close down. end of story. There is no trickery in the price, its an advertised price. You open a business to make money. You dont sneak the price on there or force people to do it. If you cant handle a pushy salesman thats your problem, if you were offered a crack pipe from some pushy crackhead would you light up with him? cmon.. People open businesses to make money, spend more time learning about businesses and how you can make millions then crying about it and collecting your food stamps.

You have completely missed the point of what people are saying here. Sometimes people don't have a choice but to go to some places. I can't say I hate gas prices and then not ever go back to a gas station. It sounds like you don't want to discuss it, so use your own advice and just leave it, and don't come back.

Frankly you obviously know nothing. At least at my store they tell us what the profit margin is on certain products if we ask. So you can kiss my *** and quit being so judgmental.

Another Edit: I'm just gonna let it go. Know one thing though, I'm a business owner myself and my very best friend is the SM of the local best buy here. He's been with best buy for many years.

[yukycg]

I thought amazon or newegg are the reason to blame..