I really like Best Buy. The reason...I buy from the Website and if something goes wrong with it, I can return it to the store. I hardly ever go to store unless it's to return something I ordered and it was defective. I think it will eventually close but I do think the website will continue.
You mean they don't/can't ALSO advertise/do-business over the Internet? Maybe I'm just old-fashioned; but if I'm spending REAL money on a REAL product, it just seems like I should be REALly there, REALly making the exchange I don't know that they have an 'international standard of customer-service suckiness' (like some training-program in which your suckitude is drilled to maximum-suck), but I'm thinking customer-service is of a different quality in different places (especially here inLog In!)
Those stores are fine, but the fact of the matter is that they're outdated. People will still use them to test out their electronics before buying them elsewhere, though, if you know what I mean. It's a great store to look at things, but I never really make a purchase there. You can usually find most items at a lower price through stores like Amazon and even Walmart. Some but not all Best Buy employees know what they're talking about.
I can't believe they're still open right now! People are realizing more and more that simple electronics are cheap and you can get most of those little wires and things for under a dollar when Best Buy sells them for $10. It's highway robbery. I think they'll go the way of radioshack soon.
I think that Best Buy will be able to keep a few stores open for old people and people who aren't tech savvy and need to ask a lot of questions, or people who need to get an item immediately and can't wait for delivery. I don't think that they will be able to keep all their stores open forever because there are a lot of advantages to shopping online.
Amazon and even Walmart have just shattered their customer base. Honestly I don't know how stores like Radioshack still survive even. And Radioshack prices are outrageous.
BestBuy is overpriced and I think that they won't have much longer. I took my computer to geek squad one time and the people called their selves fixing my computer took it home and it still was having the same problem. Guy told me he didn't know what was wrong with it.
I don't buy anything at Best Buy. I do go there to price shop and to get a feel for certain products. The Best Buy near me isn't really that busy. Most of the customers are in the cell phone areas. I would hate to see anything big box retailer shut down because of the lost of jobs. But its closure seems almost inevitable.
It's true. I bought my most recent computer at Walmart because it was only $260 refurbished and all the questions I had about it were answered on the website. Why would I spend more at Best Buy when I don't have to? Walmart isn't known as a tech store, but their electronics department is decent and they have even more stuff available online.
Well I live in Vancouver, BC and I still go to a local best buy store. I really like going in and looking at the products. I think the store here will stay in business for quite a while. It may be different in the USA. I do not find electronics online any cheaper than in the store at Best Buy.
You're right that the cost of the Radioshack is outrageous. However, RadioShack survives most likely because of their customer service. Most brick and mortar stores aren't good at customer service (obviously Walmart is one of them).
Its so weird here in Canada, because Best Buy is owned by Future Shop, they have the same products in most cases, are locate fairly close together and have the same layout. Really the biggest difference I can tell is that Future Shop staff are commisioned. I think you are going to see people moving to shopping/purchasing on line, but picking up/returning products to a store still. I personally want to be able to look at it (dimensions, wieght, inputs, screen resolution, etc) before i put money down on something I havent seen before.
I think if Best Buy wants to stick around they need to change up their offerings and revamp their stores. In the 90's they were the place to go for souped up car audio, and more importantly, cheap CD's and movies. Now people get all the music and movies online, so that whole wing of the store is pretty irrelevant these days. The whole car extreme audio craze of the 90's has died off, and I don't see rolling around with 12" subwoofers and thousand dollar amplifiers in their trunks anymore. Audio in general is becoming more sleek and compact, and people are expecting their cars to come with higher end systems these days, instead of having to pay for aftermarket products and installation. They need to expand their selection in other areas such as cameras and computers, and home entertainment equipment. I think they are also losing out in the appliance and large appliance market to places like Lowes or Bed Bath & Beyond. Personally, I would be more likely to buy something like a stove or washer from Lowes, because they have all the supplementary supplies and equipment I would need to install it and maintain it. If I need help with the pipes or wiring, or how I'm going to fit it into my existing cabinetry, the employees at a Lowes or Home Depot would be better suited to assist me. Along that same train of thought, I would much rather buy small kitchen appliances at places like Bed Bath & Beyond because they have a far greater selection than Best Buy, as well as a whole selection of related and complimentary products that Best Buy doesn't.
There are a lot of great points being brought up here. Let's face it until another couple of generations pass, brick and mortar stores will still be around, but they will have to adapt. I'm from Gen-x and I remember getting off the couch and going up to the tv to turn a dial to find a channel. As the generations move on, and the internet becomes more secure, you will see more brick and mortar stores become online operators. Blockbuster is still around, they're just on demand now. Older people, those that are not tech savvy, and people that don't want to give information over the internet will shop brick and mortar for piece of mind. They don't care if they pay more, it's what they know. Radio Shack is still around because some of the stuff they stock you can't get at Walmart. Let's say you need an adapter for your gaming system so you can use it immediately. Are you going to order it online and wait a few days, or run up to the Shack and pay three dollars more for instant gratification. Best Buy will adapt or die. I already see stand alone Best Buy cell phone stores. What about car audio installation? I see them becoming more of a service business, and expanding their online presence. They will be more like Newegg in the future, but also be able to offer in home service if needed. Of course they will have to train people properly for it to work.
I can see Best Buy becoming an online store also. I don't know when I went to a Best Buy last. I usually go online to see what I am looking for and try to get a good price on the item. I have always felt Best Buy was over prices. I get my electronics mustly replacement cables on ebay.
yep, we Gen-x'ers (which I am just barely asLog In the year after I was born) are more-&-more 'the old people'---kinda like 'baby-boomers' were/are to us. MY 'old fogey'-ness is 'I remember back when the Internet was "VIRTUAL" reality; now you've got people claiming that 'posts that suggest that people should die' are somehow dangerous and threatening to those people Reminds me of Giles--Buffy the Vampire-Slayer's Watcher--who commented that he prefers the writing-in-books over that on the `Net because 'the books have a smell.'
I think that even if Best Buy were to go out of business, it wouldn't be any time soon. There are so many people that are used to buying things in stores, and even though I am very technologically savvy, I prefer to go in the store and talk to those who are trying to sell the products. It also helps to test out the things I want to purchase beforehand, which you can't do online. But that's just my personal preference.
And besides, how are you going to buy stuff from 'the Cloud' if you don't own the machines to access it?
I think Best Buy will be around for a while. A lot of the other electronic stores like Circuit City and RadioShack have declined, or went out of business. There are always going to be people who prefer to shop at brick and morter stores. While a lot of shopping has moved online, there's still a market for those who don't. And Best Buy is by far the most successful electronics retailer still standing.
I'd like to think they still have awhile left on them, although probably shutting down some of their less profitable locations. Realistically, quite a few people prefer to buy from a physical store especially when it comes to larger ticket items -- TV, computers, and so fourth. There have been rumblings about Amazon opening up retail locations though and Walmart has been upping their electronics department, but generally I think Best Buy is fine.
