I order most of my stuff online, unless i want to go impulse shopping.

 

they aren't on commission...which actually helped save my dad some cash. He asked about a tv, and the guy was like "f that..here's the TV you SHOULD get, and they sell it for 500 bucks cheaper at X store"

saved my dad some cash and hassle.

I like BB for their usually good dvd/music sales. New cd releases for 8 bucks? I'm there. How about DVD's for 3 dollars? yeah can't beat that.

 

This is an interesting thread. I think of complaining that BB sucks is like saying, "it stings to get slapped in the face". Both are true, and both are not surprising. There are inevitably talented people working there like Costas, but like is true about the population in general, 90% of the people are not too great. It makes the odds of a good experience low.

My mighty mouse died the other day, so I checked online and the BB down the street said it had one in stock. I went down and couldn't find one. A clerk came up to me while I was looking directly at the mice they did have.

BB Clerk - Can I help you?
Me - I can't find an Apple Mighty Mouse. Do you have one in stock?
BB Clerk - Blank stare. Pause for a while. What?
Me - Do you have an Apple Mighty Mouse in stock. It's a computer mouse made by Apple.
BB Clerk - I'm not sure.
Me - Could you check for me?
BB Clerk - I'm new here, I don't know how to do that.

I really wish I had Costas help me. He could have dealt with that in his sleep. Unfortunately, the lowest common denominator at BB couldn't. Instead of trying to escalate / ask for a manager, I just drove across town and got one from the Apple store. Nobody upset, nobody exceeding expectations.

There must be no compelling business case for big box retailers ensuring competence on the floor. They get a decent employee (like Costas), s/he figures out quickly that they outclass the place and get a job at a better place. The other idiots on the floor stick around because they couldn't do better elsewhere or land the jobs the better people do. Presto! Low average competence. Companies don't say that they endorse these situations out loud, but they set up policy that ensures it. Same thing.

 

It's less of a war zone than Fry's.

 

I used to work at Circuit City and around here at least our stores are far more knowledgeable than most best buy employees, Circuit city has better sales but runs out of sale items really fast. I don't shop at circuit city because they laid off several thousand employees (me being one) because we made too much money, so the little old ladies that had been there for 25 years were just cut because they got too many raises in that period. While that is good business sense, thats terrible ethics and they could have found positions for those long term employees, they will not have my business anymore.

Both stores don't pay commission but have strictly enforced sales goals (thats how they determine who gets more hours and pay raises ect.) so usually if you ask a question 90% of them employees will answer however they need to just to sell the product that they want to. The ONLY way to show for electronics is to research yourself or talk to someone you know that knows about the stuff (Don't believe everything you read on forums either look at specs and what specs mean) and then look online for the best price.

Basically sales people are for the most part just that, sales people an know only enough to make you buy things so be an informed consumer or just assume you're about to get screwed and be happy if you don't.

 

meh, cant win em all.

 

As far as electronics go, Radio Shack has given me the best customer experience ever. They know exactly what to do for any issue I've ever had. I've actually thought about working there in high school just so I could learn everything from them.

 

When I worked at Best Buy, we were ranked #2 nationwide in our Wireless Department. Over at my location, the wireless and Magnolia Home theater department actually studied materials and did research on our products before we even consulted with our customers. Our goal was to educate the customer and make them more aware of their products. As the end grew closer, I stopped caring for Best Buy and offered customers cheaper alternatives to purchase their electronics elsewhere.

 

I just go there sometimes to look at some of the hot girls that work there with those tight khakis.

 

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