This past year, I have really stopped buying my electronics from stores. Usually the sales people don't know anything useful, the prices are always higher in the stores, and if it's around the holidays the check out lines are always long. With so many people using the internet now for shopping, can stores like Best Buy, survive? Or are they going to go the way of Circuit City? What do you guys think?
I feel like even if a company is clearly destine for bankruptcy they seem to milk every day out of the deal. Look at Blockbuster! Still trying to run brick & mortar stores while also trying to compete with Netflix (clearly losing that battle). So, until I see Best Buy selling their fixtures and office supplies, I won't worry.
I think there is a large percentage of the population that like or even need to buy products in a brick and mortar store. These people feel the need to talk face to face with someone when asking questions. Some people don't like giving their credit cards online. Also, some people are not comfortable with using the internet. It is this group of people that help keep brick and mortar stores open. A business wants their money and will cater to as many people as possible to help build their bottom line.
To say Best Buy has become pretty much irrelevant is putting the issue lightly. The last time I was inside one of their stores, their Geek Squad was so desperate for jobs that they tried to sell me on the bogus service of "installing my newly purchased video game for me". Uh, no, thank you. I think I'm perfectly capable of placing a CD in a tray and pressing "accept" on the screen. I mean, there must be a market for them somewhere that keeps this stores open, as Mindy suggested, but I can't imagine franchises like Best Buy are long for this world.
I'm sure they'll eventually follow the way of Circuit City. Let's be honest, I can go online, get reviews, and more than likely get the product cheaper too. To me, it's a no brainer. I can go to a store, fight the lines, and get poor customer service...or I can order hassle free online. Doesn't seem like much of a decision to me.
I personally have never been impressed with Best Buy, due to higher prices, rude or could care less employees and one (that was enough for me) bad experience with the Geek Squad. So it is not about the online availability of products as much as this is a "brick and morter" I do not like to step foot in. I think that there will be always real stores, but only the strong should survive. I don't see Best Buy as the strongest candidate in any race.
Honestly, we could just go ahead and say good riddance to Best Buy now and not be any worse off. Their customer service is absolutely appalling....and that's not to even touch on how overpriced they tend to be and good luck getting any help or useful information from anyone there :/.
I can't see Best Buy leaving any time soon. As terrible as their customer service is (which most of the time I don't need. I can find items myself in the store) and as overpriced as they are, they are one of the few brick and mortar electronic stores left. Yeah you can get better deals on the internet but the issue with this is items have to be shipped which can take a while depending on the shipping rate. Also some people just generally like the in person shopping experience.
Considering the fact that BlockBuster shut down the last 300 retail stores over Veterans Day weekend, I think the time may finally be coming. BestBuy, as far as I am aware, does fairly well on BestBuy.com - it's highly likley that their online operations are profitable and subsadizing their physical retail outlets.
Yeah I'm really not a fan of Best Buy. There's absolutely no good customer service there unless you're looking at a TV or a phone. But I also remember them having more employees. They could be down cutting now a days.
I agree that sometimes the prices may be higher, but like a user has stated already, there’s no need to worry about shipping fees. And sometimes that can make the difference depending on how certain states have regulations with shipping and trading. I remember having to wait for hours when I wanted to get the Nintendo Wii while standing in the cold at Best Buy. They came in with stock in an armored truck, and it felt like every employee wanted to get the holiday rush over with. It’s not really too difficult to find whatever item you need in the store, especially when you have store locators and can check if they’ll have a certain item in stock through a simple phone call. Other than that, there are some rare gems (i.e. refurbished items) that are really cheap compared to some online businesses. However, that’s not always the case, and it’s just a few scenarios where Best Buy online would be more preferable. Depending on the level of people’s patience, online shopping will always be the default preference, unless of course the individual has a high instant gratification addiction to get what they need as soon as possible.
I think as people are getting more technologically competent and the internet starts to become more common, the need for "stock" electronics stores like Best Buy is slowly starting to disappear. Even the most inept person can go on Amazon, pick something they want, read the reviews of it, and decide for themselves. And if it's something that requires setup or a manual they can't be bothered to read, most (older) people have kids/relatives who can do it for them.
I agree, that Best Buy is very high priced. I still hear people talking about purchasing from them, but it is only around Black Friday lol. I mean I stopped using Bestbuy so long ago, there are just so many options out there that happens to be much better than BestBuy.
From what I heard Best Buy has been ding a lot of work to get people back in their stores and is succeeding at it. I love Best Buy, but I agree I hate going to any store around this time of year and I avoid shopping at all costs! I hate Black Friday and refuse to go in any store that day. There are just too many people and it's so crowded and such a waste of time!
Eh, Best Buy most likely won't be going anywhere anytime soon since you can't really trust buying any kind of electronics from places like Target or Wal-mart unless you know yourself exactly what the kind of Computer/Tablet/TV so on is and what it can do. While most of the employees who work there don't really know that much more themselves, they do still have just enough information to justify purchasing with them over another. However, personally I would never shop there since I'm quite fluent with all forms of Technology so when I need something I can simply go to Newegg or Amazon and buy it off there. I know what I need, so I don't have to spend an hour or more searching around asking each and every employee what it does. I'll always remember the worst experience I ever had with them. I went in asking if they had any USB keyboards since most of the one's on shelf were either PS2 connected or Wireless. I had one of the employees look me straight in the face and tell me, "We don't carry that brand." I promptly walked out and have never shopped there again unless I've needed a quick replacement of a Hard Drive.
Best Buy is basically the holy grail for any middle-aged/pre-teens who aren't very tech-savvy, simply because they can look and use the products in-store, and tend to not take the associates advice with a grain of salt, thinking that they must know better since they work there. I was in a Best Buy recently because my mum wanted to buy herself a new Kindle Fire (and by recently I mean a few months ago). It was exactly the same as it's always been, and the people there were less than helpful. I knew more about the product than the person my mum was talking to. I do agree that Best Buy probably won't go anywhere, but soon they'll be just like K-Mart. They're still there, but you just can't figure out why.
Best Buy would make a great online shop like Amazon.com currently is. It even has the name for it and can generalize itself to other products to sell. Though, I still prefer shopping in store as shipping cost can kill any savings you may be getting.
Honestly, I can see Best Buy becoming an internet star like Amazon.com. They have the potential and the things to become like Amazon.com and all they need to do is just try. Personally I love Best Buy due to its awesome sales but I know for a fact that not many people agree with me.
I've read in other forums from people that have worked at Best Buy about there sub-par training and inability to offer better values to customer in the store. While I think Best Buy has nice stores and I enjoy walking in and visiting, I rarely make a purchase. If Best Buy can't take care of its employees and its customers correctly, then I don't see them surviving forever, but I don't think they're going anywhere soon.
