I have seen reports about Best Buy scheduling the closing of 42 stores this year. I find this to be sad. Best buy has been the store where I can always find something for my computing or electronic needs. The staff is always friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Though, I do find the regular prices to be rather high, the sale prices they run along witht he service packages on computers, makes the trip to Best Buy worth it every time.
I was glad that our local Best Buy was not on the list of the stores they will be closing. I was afraid it might be because there is another Best Buy about 20 miles away from ours. I am afraid that even though our local one will remain open, they might not make it the next time. Here's the link to the list of the ones that are being closed this year:Log In
Yes, Best Buy is closing some stores. The one closest to me only moved in a couple of years ago. It's definitely not closing. I do admit that I never buy anything there. I usually buy my electronics online. That's a big part of the problem. A lot of people are buying stuff online. Still, it's sad to see another big store go the way of Circuit City, CompUSA, etc.
Yeah I heard about this, and I was thinking about how Circuit City closed down also. Bestbuy has too many locations within a couple mile radius from each other. It really makes no sense to keep that many stores. I like to shop at Bestbuy because they always have the latest gadgets, but it doesn't look good for them right now. Amazon has hit them pretty hard in the pocket book, and they are losing sales to online competitors. People figured out they can save some money by having it delivered to their door. It looks like Bestbuy will possibly shut down for good, but I really hope that won't happen.
Personally I am not surprised that they are closing so many of their stores. I have heard so many horror stories about people that have had terrible customer service there. They do offer great deals, but their service seems to be bad. My brother in law and his wife waited an hour to be served in a quiet Best Buy to make a $500 purchase. They were told repeatedly that someone would be with them, and were only helped after asking 4 times, and specifying that they were purchasing a large expensive television. I have never personally made a large purchase from them, so I am just expressing what I have heard, but word of mouth is important for businesses, and honestly those stories are apart of the reason that I have not purchased a lot from this chain.
Aww, that sucks... I really like Best Buy for electronics. The closest one to me is ~30 miles away, hopefully they don't close that one down... )':
I know for me this does not affect me. I have stopped shopping at Best Buy because of Geek Squad. I brought a new computer from them and it did not work. Took it back and they checked it in their back room and said it was fine. So they would only refund me like 80% of my money!
Damn I like Best Buy, and unlike Circuit City my shopping experience has always been pleasant there. Plus the prices are much better than my local hhgregg.
I have always had good experiences at Best Buy, too. I wonder if maybe they opened too many stores in a down economy? I remember too that they couldn't really handle all the traffic on the website on Black Friday - several of the advertised specials sold out and people who thought they had purchased something found out much later that their orders couldn't be completed. But that seems to be more of a corporate problem than the local stores. Then again, if that had happened to me, I wouldn't be shopping in the local store anymore!
Hmmm...I should probably go check to see if my store is on that list. I've actually never had a bad experience at Best Buy. The customer service as always been good and they are very helpful there. The prices can be a bit higher than some other places but at least I know I'm getting good quality stuff.
It seems like Best Buy's getting mixed reviews in this thread. I've usually had a good experience shopping there since they always have electronics I can't find anywhere but online. Sure things tend to be a bit pricey, but I've found good deals in their ads. Just recently, I found a desktop computer at Costco that seems just perfect for me and when I double check for it at Best Buy, they have an upgraded version with better specs and for 20 dollars cheaper! Overall, I like Best Buy and I'm glad the nearest one to me isn;t closing down.
Like many other retail chains, they over-expanded during the boom times. The rapid growth of the economy during the 1990s and early 2000s persuaded corporations to build too many stores. Once online shopping became more common and easier to navigate, the brick and mortar stores lost sales to the home computer shoppers. When the economy collapsed, the demand also dropped for nonessential goods.
That doesn't surpise me at all. I've personally never had much use for Best Buy. The prices are high compared to what you can get online, and the customer service is not stellar. All the same, it kind of makes me sad, because I like the idea of a brick-and-mortar, even if I haven't much use for it.
The last time I was in Best Buy trying to buy a new Desktop, one of the guys on staff wouldn't leave me alone. He kept trying to make friendly conversation after asking redundant questions about what I was using the computer for, which I told him was to edit photos, videos and audio tracks. I told him I needed certain specs and after seeing that the computer I was looking at wasn't stocked in the front of the store, he led me to a cheaper model that was stocked, but was under the minimum specs that I needed. He told me that this cheaper computer would work fine for the job, and that he runs all sorts of programs on his computer, which he explained was just like the one he was trying to sell. I told him it wouldn't work, and asked if there were any more computers with higher specs in stock. He then explained about some music editing programs that he had downloaded illegally with Limewire and told me that if used these programs, it would work. I promptly left the store. If their customer service has been like this at other stores, it is no surprise to me that they are closing down.
I have always enjoyed Best Buy. I'm not sure about the bad reviews I've been hearing, but the store we have here is over ten years old and has always been a great place to pick stuff up. I understand that people are buying more online, but for those of us who feel more secure picking things up in person I really love having an electronics store like Best Buy. The customer service has always been first class for me and I like having a Geek Squad now that I can't use the computer department at the college anymore. Oh, well it's a shame to be losing all the good electronic stores.
It's a shame to see big stores like Best Buy struggling. This is one of my favorite stores to visit since there are so many things in there to look at. However, I do think that they are suffering from two things that are really hurting them: competition from online retailers and poor customer service. However, there need to be stores like this on the high street so that we can go in and SEE some of these products - especially large items such as TVs. However, online retailers such as Amazon and Dell are great for ordering items such as computers. When you add to the convenience of online shopping, the fact that Amazon is really good at customer service in my experience, it is hard for Best Buy to compete with the overheads from their massive stores. I do think that Best Buy shoots themselves in the foot with their customer service though. Several times when I have been there, it's proven hard to find someone to help me, and then it's a lottery as to whether they can help with technical questions. It is a shame that these big stores are closing, but they really need to address the competition from online retailers, and the only way to do that is through outstanding customer service, which isn't happening right now
I agree about the customer service, they need to hire professionals that are educated about the merchandise. Don't hire some young punk off the street. There needs to be a better screening process, to filter out all the socially awkward people. I've seen it all before when an employee is looking like a deer in headlights because you're asking them for help. I like to go in Best Buy and see if the sales associates know what they're talking about. I will research an item and ask them how much they know about it. About 90% of them don't know what they're talking about, when it comes to electronics. This is the reason stores are suffering, employees should learn how to talk to customers, and they wouldn't have this problem.
yeah I heard about this as well. From what it seems it looks like its more smaller towns maybe? I live in a pretty small town in Hawaii and we dont even have a best buy on this island at all . The best I get is Walmart/Target.. lol
