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Dead Wrestlers Society

January 9, 2009 2:46 PM

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I ended up buying a King of the Hill boxed set, which was pretty cheap, but no big ticket items. I personally thought most of the after Christmas sales at the mall were pretty weak. After their \"50-60% off\" prices, stuff was still about what it normally cost after their typical weekly sales.

1 replies

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pecan 3.14159265

January 9, 2009 6:17 PM

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@Dead Wrestlers Society: I got the entire box set of The Wire, which was half price at BB. It was the same price on Amazon too, but there's nothing like instant gratification.

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January 9, 2009 2:47 PM

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Kind of OT but I seemed to have missed the memo- Is Circuit City closing all of its stores or just some? My family and I were arguing about this over the holidays.

Also, since I am a Consumerist reader, I had no part in Best Buy this holiday season as I also don't every other time of the year.

4 replies

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mrm514

January 9, 2009 3:00 PM

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@TinkishDelight:
I didn't realize being a Consumerist reader had to be synonymous with not shopping at Best Buy.

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cynical_bastard

January 9, 2009 3:19 PM

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@mrm514: Zealotry! GO!

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mrm514

January 9, 2009 4:47 PM

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@cynical_bastard:
overreaction to an innocuous comment... go!

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redskull

January 9, 2009 2:52 PM

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@TinkishDelight: For now, just some. Most people think that'll change later this year.

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January 9, 2009 2:57 PM

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@redskull: Thanks! I thought so but when 20 people are telling you the complete opposite you start to question yourself.

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January 9, 2009 2:48 PM

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In a market as down as we are now, shouldn't sales being down only 6.5% be trumpeted as some sort of muted victory? Isn't the value of the number as a performance indicator only good in comparison to their competitors' numbers?

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January 9, 2009 2:56 PM

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Same Store Sales
Walmart +1.9%
Sams Club -3.2%
Macys -4.7%
Sears -7.3%

Total BBY revenue only fell by 1% in December so I wouldn't say this news is horrid. [www.marketwatch.com]

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Kenmist

January 9, 2009 2:57 PM

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I bought a Sony KDL-40xbr6 New Years eve that was on sale for $1700 for $1190, basically 30% off sales price because it was a open box.

1 replies

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January 9, 2009 4:46 PM

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@Kenmist: That seems like a pretty standard open box sale, not like they priced it down for new years.

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Ash78 ain't got time to bleed

January 9, 2009 3:01 PM

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Speaking just for our area, the competition increased for the 3 area BBY stores. In the past year I think we've gotten a couple new Walmart Supercenters and at least 3 new HHGregg electronics stores, which is sort of like Best Buy with more knowledgeable service people.

And among the fatwallet/slickdeals/etc people, BBY has a pretty tarnished rep. It's going to take a lot for them to recover from stuff like the \"fake website scam\" and the whole \"angel/devil customers\" attitude.

1 replies

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cynical_bastard

January 9, 2009 3:26 PM

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@Ash78: I used to work for HHGregg...

Good store, if you know how to haggle right, you can do well there.

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pb5000

January 9, 2009 3:01 PM

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I bought a few bigger ticket tech items before Christmas, an iPod and Digital Camera for example. Best Buys price on the camera was a solid $50 more than amazon, plus no sales tax and free shipping won me over easily.

1 replies

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thrid001

January 10, 2009 11:02 PM

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@pb5000: You are required to pay the sales tax on items you buy online, brick and mortar stores collect it as a convenience. Basically, you are breaking the law if you do not. I know people don't pay it, but you can not include that in the equation. The worst part is as brick and mortars die, most states will need to increase other taxes to keep services.

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January 9, 2009 3:04 PM

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I bought a 22\" LCD TV, but I wouldn't consider it a big ticket item.

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January 9, 2009 3:08 PM

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I didn't really see huge sales anywhere, and certainly not after Christmas. I think retailers are just hoping things will get better.

2 replies

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VeeKaChu

January 9, 2009 4:49 PM

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@Islandkiwi:I'm in the suburban Chicago area, which is sick with concentrated retail centers (i.e. a BB/Wal-Mart/TRU/Kohls/Target intersection every 4-5 miles), and I was frankly surprised at the lack of any really attractive sales at the national chains, both pre- and post Christmas.

You'd think they'd be trying harder, but the obvious Catch-22 in all of this is if they cut too deep they're as un-profitable as they are if they don't discount at all. Kind of a lose-lose.

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January 9, 2009 4:42 PM

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@Islandkiwi: Me neither...can anyone else clue me (and the rest of us) in on where all these \"unbelieveably humungous never before seen\" discounts are because I haven't seen any of it.

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ncboxer

January 9, 2009 3:08 PM

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Bought a hard drive at Best Buy. Of course the in store price was $15 more than the web price. Had to go to customer service to get the correct price. Same thing happened when I bought a laptop from them earlier this year- online price was $100 less than their in store price. More shenanigans from Best Buy. If I want something now, I usually got to Best Buy and haggle over the price. If I can wait, its Amazon or Newegg.

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January 9, 2009 3:08 PM

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Ha, in this day, a 6.5% drop is considered a positive thing, it might even encourage investors ;-)

Anyway, I'd have thought that the number of people preferring BB due to CC's uncertainties would be completely offset by the number of people going to CC to seek out store-closing \"bargains\" (unless these shoppers are savvy or the stores in question were already closed).

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January 9, 2009 3:09 PM

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I ended up in Thunder Bay for xmas, which meant being limited to Future Shop (a wholly-owned subsidiary of BB). I guess they must count FS sales in the -6.5% too?

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January 9, 2009 3:15 PM

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They had a pocket HD camcorder on sale for $90, combined with my reward zone discount coupon and some gift cards I had to burn, my total OOP was ~$27. So I bought something, but I don't know if they made any money on me.

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mmcnary

January 9, 2009 3:24 PM

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I bought a 60\" mitsubishi DLP, it was about $300 less at BB than other places, and no delivery charge. I didn't even consider CC, because they are closing all of their stores in KC.

1 replies

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StrategicSourceror

January 9, 2009 3:57 PM

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@mmcnary: I got the Mitsubishi 60\" dlp also. Was on sale for $999, plus I was able to use a 10% reward coupon and $40 in reward redemptions. Can't beat that price.

Overall though, the prices sucked in general this season.

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Patricia McDermott Comeau

January 9, 2009 3:25 PM

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Having been to both cc and bb recently bb had better help and was eager to make sure we got the best price. Example pulled out the phone found the same item at Wal-Mart and Best Buy met the price and we never had to leave our line at the checkout.

2 replies

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pecan 3.14159265

January 9, 2009 8:35 PM

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@Patricia McDermott Comeau: I went to BB and got them to price match a DVD I wanted, but the other store didn't have it in stock.

The only drawback to price matching is that they don't price match online retailers like Amazon, which would help them a lot if they did, I think.

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ryan89

January 9, 2009 3:31 PM

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@Patricia McDermott Comeau: That's impressive. I couldn't even get Walmart to PM Walmart.com on some movies. So I just bought them anyway, then bought them off Walmart.com for site-to store. On my next visit to Walmart picked them up at the back of the store and returned them up front with my more expensive receipt.

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January 9, 2009 3:36 PM

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I was really disappointed in the after-Christmas sales across the board. I was hunting for Wii games, and I know that's a hot market right now, but nothing I wanted was discounted more than a couple bucks. I probably could have been tempted by a great deal on a digital camera or something in that range, but nothing I saw was anything special.

I guess they figured that they might as well not take a bath on the few things that were actually going to sell, since traffic was down anyway.

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asten77

January 9, 2009 3:38 PM

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Discounts? I didn't really see anything interesting discounted by a non-token amount..

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Jenkinsbball

January 9, 2009 3:39 PM

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Best Buy has discounts... what?

BB was charging $400 more for the tv that I eventually bought for $2200 elsewhere.

They were also charging $900 more than the other highest price on my mother-in-law's laptop.

BB should just die. Horrible store.

1 replies

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January 9, 2009 4:58 PM

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@Jenkinsbball: Exactly, I'm currently looking to buy a new receiver. BB has it \"on sale\" for $300 more than Amazon.

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Justafan

January 9, 2009 3:46 PM

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Went to the Huntington WV Best Buy before Christmas and saw no real \"deals\". Crossed the mall parking lot to Circuit City and scored an open-box Denon AVR-588 for under $150 including tax.

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Norcross

January 9, 2009 3:47 PM

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I saw some great deals. I was able to get my mother in law a nice Canon digi camera (SD1100) with a case, 2 gig SD card, and an extra battery for $200 dollars.

2 replies

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TheSpatulaOfLove

January 9, 2009 5:54 PM

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I got the same camera for my mother inlaw. $160 shipped from Amazon, plus a free 16G Class 6 SD card.

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pecan 3.14159265

January 9, 2009 8:36 PM

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@TheSpatulaOfLove: But you didn't get a case and an extra battery, did you? The extra $40 Norcross paid probably covered the case and the battery, unless both came with the camera already.

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megs29

January 9, 2009 3:50 PM

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Is it just me, or in Canada, does Best Buy seem to have a better rep than Future Shop? I shop at Best Buy all the time and have never ever had an issue with bad service, or sketchy stuff going on. Judging by the line for boxing day (where I was 500th in line!!), people seem to think they had good enough deals.

Hell, the shelf where the $99 dollar Rogers HD boxes were-that was literally bent and mangled.. the deals must have been awesome!!!

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Ray Cornwall

January 9, 2009 3:50 PM

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Why would I want to buy anything from Best Buy when there are stores with better service, like Costco or Amazon?

I'll give you a great example of a recent transaction I did. I recently bought off Amazon a box set of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers DVD. The set was actually a combination of two other sets that the company had put out earlier (this was the \"Ultimate\" collection or some sort).

Fast forward four weeks after the holidays, and I decided I wanted to watch Top Hat. I opened the case- but no DVD. I opened a few other cases- turns out that all of the discs that belonged to one of the two collections were missing (probably a packaging problem when they put the set together).

I call Amazon- or rather, have Amazon call me. I'm given two options- I can send the whole thing back for a refund, or they will send me the set of the discs I'm missing for free. I take the latter option, and I'm all set. Perfect service.

If I had went into Best Buy, I would have been accused of stealing the discs I was missing. Or, because I didn't notice it for 28 days, I would have been sent packing. With Amazon, I was trusted and treated like a valued customer. So why would I shop anywhere else?

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January 9, 2009 4:08 PM

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I wouldn't want to shop at best buy (at least with a credit card) since they tend to automatically charge you for magazine subscriptions you do not want even if you refuse, to boost the margins of the store. Then these subscriptions are very difficult to cancel and causes you a bigger hassle and to waste more time when you could be spending that time playing with the gadget you just bought at their store! That is reason alone not to shop with them, at least with a credit card, which means I will not be buying any high ticket or large purchase items there.

I would rather shop with Amazon or Newegg and wait for my stuff and know that I will not find any weird credit card charges on the bill, and to get lower prices as well. They are making their store a place that I don't even consider shopping at.

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kathyl

January 9, 2009 4:16 PM

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I comparison shopped one larger ticket item recently (just after the holidays) and Best Buy was one of the places we went and got prices from (website and in-store, as we know from the Consumerist that those two prices can be different). I don't really want to buy the item from Best Buy (I hate that inevitable passive-aggressive tussle from the salesperson trying to sell me the extended warranty and overpriced accessories) and it turns out it won't be hard to avoid it. I'm having trouble finding a price from another retailer on the two or three models we're considering that's *higher*. There was only one of the other four retailers we would consider purchasing from that was more expensive than Best Buy's price.

So yeah, I guess their discounts are a little disappointing on that basis, as I would only brave the add-on hyping Best Buy salespeople if they had the best pricing.

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January 9, 2009 4:19 PM

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While the deals on what I wanted weren't there (I was specifically looking for a certain model Samsung TV as I had a Best Buy gift card for most of the purchase price). They had it on and off on sale for a crappy sale. This week, however, the store had it on sale for $1199 (regularly $1499 or $1599) and it was on sale online for $1249 (Samsung ln46a550 46\" LCD 1080p). As soon as I found out, I headed to the store to buy my TV.

Other items, however, have been decently priced, I just haven't been in the market for them.

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1stMarDiv

January 9, 2009 4:20 PM

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I bought the complete series of The Wire for $89.99, which I thought was a great bargain. But it's not like BB was the only place selling it for that price, they were just far and away the closest.

By the way, if you've never watched The Wire, give it a try. It's amazing!

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January 9, 2009 4:30 PM

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It amazes me that a store like Best Buy reports a 6.5% drop and it has nothing to do with customer service.

It appears not matter how bad the service is, sheep still flock to the place...

3 replies

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January 9, 2009 6:04 PM

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@htrodblder: @htrodblder: I'm with flora on this one. Maybe it's because I live in geek central (aka right across from Microsoft) but the worst thing I can say about the service at our Best Buy is that sometimes it's hard to find an employee who works in whatever specific section you are shopping unless that section is computers. If you grab any employee though they're quick to help you find whoever it is that you need.

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pecan 3.14159265

January 9, 2009 8:39 PM

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@LuminousMuse: Here too. I've never had a problem with Best Buy, and I've never had to deal with an upsell, especially not with their magazine subscriptions at the checkout line. If they do ask, I say no, and that's the end of it. I've never experienced the crappiness that other users say they've encountered at a Best Buy. Usually, I go in, I find what I want, I can browse in peace, and if I need to ask someone to find something in the back, it might take a little bit of time to find someone but they've always been helpful.

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January 9, 2009 4:41 PM

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@htrodblder: There's never been any particular problem with the service at my local one, and a few other people have said the same. It'd be more sheeplike for me to stop going than to continue in such a case.

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Squeezer99

January 9, 2009 4:31 PM

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on most of best buy's holiday sales either the price wasn't that great, or the item was junk/useless to me. however, i did buy one of the $400 Acer notebooks for my girlfriend and she really likes it.

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January 9, 2009 4:35 PM

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I'm not buying it, so to speak. Their parking lots here have been packed non-stop since early November and continuing. For the couple years before that I've never seen them so crowded. I guess these troubled shoppers are just wandering into the stores to look at all the fancy stuff they won't buy before going home, right?

Are they accounting for lower prices on TVs, computers, and some other electronics? Because that'll get ya. Sorry we won't pay as much, but we're still buying, guys.

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jpdanzig

January 9, 2009 5:38 PM

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It wasn't just lack of genuine bargains that kept me away from Best Buy.

It was also the continuing sleazy sales tactics we keep hearing about, like extended warranties and the TV \"calibration\".

Just checking out of the place requires me to say \"no\" more times than I have at any point in my life since I was a two-year-old.

Then our local BB re-organized their merch for the umpteenth time -- and forgot to put up genre signs in the DVD/BR department. So you can't find anything! Brilliant!

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ceez

January 9, 2009 6:24 PM

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with such horrible economic situation is 6% really THAT bad for bestbuy?

you know if the CEO's and all other CxO's of these companies were getting less bonuses and more real life paychecks then their companies wouldnt be in such distraught.

i bet that -6 came after they paid the CxO's xmas bonuses....right before that they were probably split even!

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junip

January 9, 2009 7:23 PM

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Let's see... ridiculously long lines, crowded store, no employees to help with anything, crappy prices... and they thought they were going to do well?
I bought one video game from them for xmas, and cringed at the fact that I didn't just order it off amazon sooner, since best buy sold it for $10 more than amazon. :/

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January 9, 2009 7:32 PM

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A Best Buy sale you means you get the item for the same price you can get it anywhere else. They just remove their markup from \"msrp\".

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January 9, 2009 8:14 PM

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I got the Endwar bundle with 360 first-party wireless headset for $45 right before Christmas (just for the headset, selling the game on EBay.) I got The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray the week it came out, and a bunch of Blu-Rays the week of Christmas that were on sale.

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January 9, 2009 9:12 PM

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My brother wanted to buy Simpsons Season 11 for Xmas at Best Buy, until I pointed out he could get it for $10 cheaper and free shipping at Amazon.com

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Max Murillo

January 10, 2009 1:01 AM

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I work for BB and i can tell you that i read consumerist and i let the managers know about the site and if any BBY releated stories pop up they know about it so we dont get to that level.

All of the employees aren't like the people in the stories you read. if you dont want the extended guarantee then that's fine. I'm not gonna get fired for not getting it. But i will try and give you a complete solution because i dont want you to come back and buy something that you need for you're tv. I am a consumer myself and i treat like i wanna be treated.

If you're good with me i'll be good with you.

1 replies

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January 10, 2009 5:37 AM

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As a consumer, I don't think I should have to be \"good\" with you. There aren't a lot of options around here for electronics, so I find myself in BB more than I would like.

Time and time again I hear BB employees offering the \"complete solution\" to uneducated buyers. MONSTER cables, protection plans and Geek Squad installations pitched to people who don't need the extra junk.

If you read consumerist, you know what happens to your cutting edge computer with the extended BB warranty in two years when something fails. By then the technology is out of date, and you get handed a junky low end replacement. Or there is so much hassle that it is not even worth pursuing.

Last week I saw an elderly couple trying to figure out the $40 coupon digital tv box options. The lowest price on those available at best buy was $54. A sales guy tried to give them the \"complete solution.\" First he tried to talk them into a new tv. They said they were on a tight fixed income, so he basically told them they had to pay the extra $15, or their tv would be worthless next month.

I interrupted the discussion and asked the couple about their tv. The gentleman told me they loved to watch Iron chef and the cooking shows. AHA- did the sales guy realize that they had cable or satellite? No, he glared at me and went back to trying to sell the dtv box. So I jumped in again, asking if you needed one of the boxes with cable. Again a glare, but finally he admitted that they did not need to spend any money because of their cable box.

IS this the typical BB employee? It seems so. I know a lot about what I am there to purchase, and recognize the bs. But it should not be necessary to know every detail because the employees are lazy, don't care, or are trying to upsell unneeded product.

An interesting side note-
When I ask a question and get a \"no\" answer, I now know to ask, \"do you know that, or are you guessing?\" More times than not it turns out the person is guessing. thanks BB employees!

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kyle4

January 10, 2009 6:49 AM

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I was not impressed at all. Some Blu-ray's cost the exact same as they normally do and they claimed them to be on sale. Some games were $15 less but to top it all off, the line-up was ridiculous and there were only four registers open. The line was at least a thirty minute wait so I skipped without buying anything. Hopped on over to Wal-Mart and nabbed some really good deals. A Scanner Darkly for $2.97 and a season of JAG for my mom was $12.

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January 10, 2009 7:26 AM

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What Holiday Discounts?

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Jason Rowe

January 10, 2009 7:59 AM

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It still blows my mind everytime I go near that store.. \"HOW IS THIS PLACE STILL IN BUSINESS?????\" It's clearly a rip off... it's like what no one shops at Fry's anymore? I mean c'mon or is everyone just totally oblivious to what's really a good deal???? BEST BUY IS A TOTAL SCAM. Everything it always overpriced and then they mark it down like $200 to think your getting a deal. \"NO IDIOT YOUR STILL PAYING $20 over retail!\"

DVD movies are always $20? Really? Ever thought about buying DVD-R's there??? They are twice as expensive as anywhere else! I just don't get it. Tv's are always over priced, laptops.... People just need to learn how to price check ever heard of ebay? JESUS!

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thrid001

January 10, 2009 11:03 PM

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Lets remember what -6.5% means. It means less than the last year. If 2007 was a fantastic year (it was with BB) wouldn't a piss poor year like 2008 logically be bad. Growing indefinitely is impossible.

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Anonymous

January 12, 2009 5:01 AM

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Best Buy, Walgreen, Sears - all had a great past. But none are prepared to compete in the new market requirements. Lacking internal Disruption and White Space, they are not going to grow, or succeed. Sears is likely to fail. And new competitors will most likely reap the benefit of shifting markets. Read more at http://www.ThePhoenixPrinciple.com

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