Best Buy responds to reports it's dying a slow death

[NG]

With a dwindling market share and increasingly public PR fiascoes, electronics mega-chain Best Buy has seen better days. And after the publication of a lengthy Forbes article detailing the ways in which the retailer is its own worst enemy, some have begun the countdown clock until the boys in blue go bankrupt. We would normally expect Best Buy to treat the Forbes piece the same way they would a complaining customer — by looking the other way and going on a smoke break in the back parking lot. But the CEO of Best Buy must have realized that shareholders know how to use the internet, because he's gone online to respond to the haters.

"As CEO, I know that criticism goes with the job," writes CEO Brian Dunn, "and I'm well aware we have some challenges. I also know that errors we make often translate into a poor experience for our customers, and that is simply unacceptable."

Dunn first goes through the criticisms he feels are deserved:

http://consumerist.com/2012/01/best-buy-responds-to-reports-that-it-is-dying-a-slow-death.html


It'd be a shame if Dynex/Insignia products disappeared but aside from that the store is pretty much a waste of space to me that I'd barely notice if they went under.

Funny thing is now that I know they're having financial trouble I'll be more leery about even buying Dynex or Insignia from them now since BB provides the warranty.

[crimsona]

There's a difference between going bankrupt and losing share. Until they start posting quarterly and annual losses, I wouldn't say they're in any risk of bankruptcy

In a similar fashion, rim is still making money for now, although they've had falling profit margins. Until they start losing money like nortel, their demise is overstated

[NG]

All going points and they certainly do have time to turn it around. Still lately it seems when a business starts to flounder (Borders, Circuit City) sooner or later they go under. Sears/K-Mart seem to be in that boat now and collapsing rather fast.

Part of me wonders if the 'electronics store' days are over since everybody has most of what they need now for what they sell (computer, flatscreen, BR player, game system) and the occasional thing that comes along for the next big thing (like a tablet) will be for sale at Wal-Mart, Costco, Target anyways.

They could expand as a discount retailer by filling their stores with Dynex/Insignia products (we all seem to love them here on RFD) but aside from that I'm not sure where they could go.

[KorruptioN]

They could expand as a discount retailer by filling their stores with Dynex/Insignia products (we all seem to love them here on RFD) but aside from that I'm not sure where they could go.

This could dilute and/or negatively impact the brand image they've built up so far. Sell only bottom-rung items and be treated like a bottom-rung retailer. Kinda like how people somehow end up at Canadian Tire to buy electronics - at regular price!

[NG]

This could dilute and/or negatively impact the brand image they've built up so far. Sell only bottom-rung items and be treated like a bottom-rung retailer. Kinda like how people somehow end up at Canadian Tire to buy electronics - at regular price!

I see what you're saying but I only mentioned Insignia/Dynex since that's the only exclusive thing they've got going for them that can't undersold from online retailers or mass marketed better by Wal-Mart that I can think of ATM.

[isajoo]

BB will do just fine...after they close down their B&M stores and just concentrate on Online sales.

In Canada it'll actually be easy, just convert ALL FS to BB, while closing any w/in a <20km range of each other.

I don't see why they need to have so many phyical locations, when so many other companies sell exclusively Online.

In fact most items they shouldn't even stock In-store, u can place the order In-store, but it will be shipped to u, just like an online purchase.

Less stores, less expenses.

In fact they should make it like costco and charge an annual fee if u want to come into the store, regardless if u want to buy something.

[BinaryJay]

Part of me wonders if the 'electronics store' days are over since everybody has most of what they need now for what they sell (computer, flatscreen, BR player, game system) and the occasional thing that comes along for the next big thing (like a tablet) will be for sale at Wal-Mart, Costco, Target anyways.


I had everything I need electronics wise 20 years ago. A gameboy for a portable game device, a set of sweet radio headphones, etc. This comment makes absolutely no sense... people go through electronics faster than any other kind of product out there, they are treated like disposable trash after such a short time.

People buy things like new doors and kitchen cabinets far less frequently than they do new stereos and TVs yet Home Depot isn't going anywhere.

[IceBlueShoes]

There's a difference between going bankrupt and losing share. Until they start posting quarterly and annual losses, I wouldn't say they're in any risk of bankruptcy

In a similar fashion, rim is still making money for now, although they've had falling profit margins. Until they start losing money like nortel, their demise is overstated

You forget investors and shareholders are only capable of thinking 1 quarter into the future at a time. If this keeps up, people will start to sell their investments.
Unless of course they're not traded publicly, in which case this doesn't matter!

[NG]

I had everything I need electronics wise 20 years ago. A gameboy for a portable game device, a set of sweet radio headphones, etc. This comment makes absolutely no sense... people go through electronics faster than any other kind of product out there, they are treated like disposable trash after such a short time.

People buy things like new doors and kitchen cabinets far less frequently than they do new stereos and TVs yet Home Depot isn't going anywhere.

Really? Your examples are disingenuous. Of course portable electronics (radio headphones, Gameboys) are disposable but for household stuff like TVs people tend to keep them for years (often until they break).

I agree that things like iPods and cellphones are disposable to many but is that the business model that'll save Best Buy?

In addition to increased competition from services like HD iTunes files, HD torrents and cable TV HD on Demand I'd contend that's partly why Blu-Ray has had such a low adoption rate - many (including myself) have DVD players are are fine with it.

There's been an explosion of electronics coming to market over the last decade compared to the Gameboy and AM/FM radio headphone days - Best Buy has been riding that wave but how long will it continue?

What will expand next to be the next big thing like tablets recently? Will there be enough of things like tablets to carry forward?

HD Radio - even where it's on the market in the US it's barely made a wave.

Blu-Ray - mediocre adoption rates - many simply aren't interested.

Cellphones - It was a smart move opening up mobile stores but they're competiting with many there. Little more than a small fish in a big pond.

iPods - more competition from Mp3 players in cellphones as well as big box stores like Wal-Mart/Costco as well as Apple themselves.

3DTV - barely anybody cares. It's a niche product which will take years to expand into the mass market.

I stand by my contention that Best Buy built their big box model on the mass market getting computers, TVs and DVD players at a massive rate than in the 90s let alone the 80s because the technology merited it.

For the mass market now it's just a question of the occasion upgrade or occasional hot new product (tablets, PS4 when it's released etc).

I also stand by my contention that for the few things that come up as the next big thing (like tablets did and how the next gen of gaming systems will) they'll be competiting with the likes of Wal-Mat and Costco for that small market.

[NG]

BB will do just fine...after they close down their B&M stores and just concentrate on Online sales.

That could be part of saving them but if they wait too long they'll wind up like Circuit City where they're bankrupt and a court appointed attorney just sells the Best Buy brand to a company like Tiger Direct.

[hagbard]

I've been expecting them to go under since 2008. They haven't so far. Home depot too. Lots more to come.

[Mark77]

I've been expecting them to go under since 2008. They haven't so far. Home depot too. Lots more to come.

Yeah the overcapacity in the "home" stores is enormous. I think we'll see Staples bite the dust before Best Buy goes though....

[NG]

Yeah the overcapacity in the "home" stores is enormous. I think we'll see Staples bite the dust before Best Buy goes though....

With his reference to 2008 I believe he was speaking more broadly to the '08 economic collapse and that we've yet to see the further collapse of the economy.

[Kasakato]

As it stands, Best Buy is simply not positioned competitively in the market place. Lower cost retailers such as Canada Computer are eroding Best Buys market share simply due to their lower cost structure. While Best Buy may have been able to charge a premium before, their current stores add little value to the shopping experience. Ten years ago it was much more difficult to obtain detailed product information, making the role of the sales person important. While Best Buy's near incompetent staff and the vast power of the internet, consumers have no reason to seek "advice" from salespeople, and as such, do not want to pay for it.

Financially, Best Buy is not in overly poor shape. On the fundamentals side, they were trading at ~3.7 times FCF. There is the possibility of a buy out sometime. With some restructuring and repositioning in the market, there is the potential for success. However with current management, I wouldn't hold your breath.

[mrcantrell]

I've been expecting them to go under since 2008. They haven't so far. Home depot too. Lots more to come.

Home depot is doing the best out of the big box home building stores, I really don't think they are going anywhere. They also have a huge US corporation that I figure would help them out, but don't that being needed. If anyone is going anywhere it's Rona, they are so poorly organized its truly amazing.

[ricefran]

I'd be sad if they went under. Where am I gonna test out the products I want before buying on Amazon or Newegg?

[NG]

I'd be sad if they went under. Where am I gonna test out the products I want before buying on Amazon or Newegg?

Ha!

A number of ppl in the Consumerist comments said the same thing.

If so many ppl are doing this perhaps they should put in a membership fee like Costco with free admission if you're picking up a web order item.

Mind you if they did that they should get rid of needing a credit card/gift card (aka cash payment) since aside from Dynex/Insignia one of the big advantages I'm sure for BB are people who don't have credit cards thus can't use Amazon.

[fuelmizercowboy]

Best Buy CEO:


Wanna fix your problems?

This is from someone who's been through the extremes of retail.


1) STOP packaging every "sale" laptop with that bundled software junk! I am NOT paying you an extra $200 to install Microsoft Office for Students (single disk) and Mcafee AV!

2) No, I will NOT buy your Monster Cables! My dollar-store USB cable is just as good! Quit misleading your consumers, they're going to be pissed off when they find out the truth!

3) Extended warranty. Seriously? $50 for one year on a $400 TV? I pay American Express fifty bucks as an annual fee - and EVERY item I buy on it from that point on has a one-year, no-deductible warranty!

4) Greeter: You are not Wal-Mart, I don't shop at your store with a buggy. I don't need some pimply-faced kid to point me to the TV's. So unless he's about to make me a coffee as I walk through the door, put him on cash. Seriously. My Sudbury store is typically dead weekdays... Yet I still wait for two or three people in front of me at the register!

5) Ink. Paper. Cables. To my #2 posted above, you have serious pull at the wholesale level. Pass some of that on to consumers. We don't need another Future Shop or Staples.

6) You are not Staples, or Bad Boys, or Leons. Unless you're seriously discounting furniture, stay out of it. On that note, ever played video games in a bean-bag chair? One word: awesome. Of course, that would require thinking outside the box.

7) Your pop at the check-outs. We see the $1.89 price tag. We're about to drop two or three brown bills, on average, in your store. I don't care about your slim margins, I don't care about your high overhead. Your $1.89 is offensive. In fact, the first time I ever saw that price tag, I dropped a $300 monitor with the cashier and walked out. Consumers think that damn pop should be free with all the cash they're laying out in front of you. If the dollar store a few stores down can sell it for a buck, so can you.

8) Fifty bucks off a thousand dollar TV is not a "Blow-Out" price.

[hmm]

best buy ceo:


Wanna fix your problems?

This is from someone who's been through the extremes of retail.


1) stop packaging every "sale" laptop with that bundled software junk! I am not paying you an extra $200 to install microsoft office for students (single disk) and mcafee av!

2) no, i will not buy your monster cables! My dollar-store usb cable is just as good! Quit misleading your consumers, they're going to be pissed off when they find out the truth!

3) extended warranty. Seriously? $50 for one year on a $400 tv? I pay american express fifty bucks as an annual fee - and every item i buy on it from that point on has a one-year, no-deductible warranty!

4) greeter: You are not wal-mart, i don't shop at your store with a buggy. I don't need some pimply-faced kid to point me to the tv's. So unless he's about to make me a coffee as i walk through the door, put him on cash. Seriously. My sudbury store is typically dead weekdays... Yet i still wait for two or three people in front of me at the register!

5) ink. Paper. Cables. To my #2 posted above, you have serious pull at the wholesale level. Pass some of that on to consumers. We don't need another future shop or staples.

6) you are not staples, or bad boys, or leons. Unless you're seriously discounting furniture, stay out of it. On that note, ever played video games in a bean-bag chair? One word: Awesome. Of course, that would require thinking outside the box.

7) your pop at the check-outs. We see the $1.89 price tag. We're about to drop two or three brown bills, on average, in your store. I don't care about your slim margins, i don't care about your high overhead. Your $1.89 is offensive. In fact, the first time i ever saw that price tag, i dropped a $300 monitor with the cashier and walked out. Consumers think that damn pop should be free with all the cash they're laying out in front of you. If the dollar store a few stores down can sell it for a buck, so can you.

8) fifty bucks off a thousand dollar tv is not a "blow-out" price.

u mad bro?

[smartcdn]

Best Buy CEO:


Wanna fix your problems?

This is from someone who's been through the extremes of retail.


1) STOP packaging every "sale" laptop with that bundled software junk! I am NOT paying you an extra $200 to install Microsoft Office for Students (single disk) and Mcafee AV!

2) No, I will NOT buy your Monster Cables! My dollar-store USB cable is just as good! Quit misleading your consumers, they're going to be pissed off when they find out the truth!

3) Extended warranty. Seriously? $50 for one year on a $400 TV? I pay American Express fifty bucks as an annual fee - and EVERY item I buy on it from that point on has a one-year, no-deductible warranty!

4) Greeter: You are not Wal-Mart, I don't shop at your store with a buggy. I don't need some pimply-faced kid to point me to the TV's. So unless he's about to make me a coffee as I walk through the door, put him on cash. Seriously. My Sudbury store is typically dead weekdays... Yet I still wait for two or three people in front of me at the register!

5) Ink. Paper. Cables. To my #2 posted above, you have serious pull at the wholesale level. Pass some of that on to consumers. We don't need another Future Shop or Staples.

6) You are not Staples, or Bad Boys, or Leons. Unless you're seriously discounting furniture, stay out of it. On that note, ever played video games in a bean-bag chair? One word: awesome. Of course, that would require thinking outside the box.

7) Your pop at the check-outs. We see the $1.89 price tag. We're about to drop two or three brown bills, on average, in your store. I don't care about your slim margins, I don't care about your high overhead. Your $1.89 is offensive. In fact, the first time I ever saw that price tag, I dropped a $300 monitor with the cashier and walked out. Consumers think that damn pop should be free with all the cash they're laying out in front of you. If the dollar store a few stores down can sell it for a buck, so can you.

8) Fifty bucks off a thousand dollar TV is not a "Blow-Out" price.

You're missing 9) either let the army of RFDers get their price match guarantees processed (with the 10% of the difference) or let us tear down those posters and signs in your store since you spend more time coming up with silly excuses than you spend training those no-commissioned khaki-wearing salespeople about actual product specs.

[blainehamilton]

Best Buy CEO:


Wanna fix your problems?

This is from someone who's been through the extremes of retail.


1) STOP packaging every "sale" laptop with that bundled software junk! I am NOT paying you an extra $200 to install Microsoft Office for Students (single disk) and Mcafee AV!

2) No, I will NOT buy your Monster Cables! My dollar-store USB cable is just as good! Quit misleading your consumers, they're going to be pissed off when they find out the truth!

3) Extended warranty. Seriously? $50 for one year on a $400 TV? I pay American Express fifty bucks as an annual fee - and EVERY item I buy on it from that point on has a one-year, no-deductible warranty!

4) Greeter: You are not Wal-Mart, I don't shop at your store with a buggy. I don't need some pimply-faced kid to point me to the TV's. So unless he's about to make me a coffee as I walk through the door, put him on cash. Seriously. My Sudbury store is typically dead weekdays... Yet I still wait for two or three people in front of me at the register!

5) Ink. Paper. Cables. To my #2 posted above, you have serious pull at the wholesale level. Pass some of that on to consumers. We don't need another Future Shop or Staples.

6) You are not Staples, or Bad Boys, or Leons. Unless you're seriously discounting furniture, stay out of it. On that note, ever played video games in a bean-bag chair? One word: awesome. Of course, that would require thinking outside the box.

7) Your pop at the check-outs. We see the $1.89 price tag. We're about to drop two or three brown bills, on average, in your store. I don't care about your slim margins, I don't care about your high overhead. Your $1.89 is offensive. In fact, the first time I ever saw that price tag, I dropped a $300 monitor with the cashier and walked out. Consumers think that damn pop should be free with all the cash they're laying out in front of you. If the dollar store a few stores down can sell it for a buck, so can you.

8) Fifty bucks off a thousand dollar TV is not a "Blow-Out" price.


Coming from someone who (regrettrably) worked for Best Buy in the past, I agree with everything you list.


Some other pet peeves they need to fix:

1. Why are special promos not AUTOMATIC on the registers? If there is a package or special discount advertised, I have to wait 20 minutes while the 4 staff members fumble thru a transaction, flip thru a paper book (REALLY, a paper book list of promos in the 21st century in the worlds largest advanced electronics retailer), page 2 managers who never show up, and then the staff just screw up the promo but somehow get it to sort of end up at the proper price. You have head office staff and store staff that spend hours wasting time EVERY week doing those stupid flipcharts; can't you fire them all, and hire one competent programmer to update the tills chainwide before the store opens every friday?

2. Why does it take a half hour to trade in games? SERIOUSLY. It's bad enough I have to wait in line with other people doing returns, web order store pickups, account payments, credit card applications (which can sometimes take 15 friggin minutes wait for each customer), but after getting to the counter, I have to wait while the staff uses no less than 2 computers, and have to enter and print out papers/receipts twice before they can give me my credit for the trade. I walk in and out of Gamestop/EB Games in less time than it takes to brew a single cup of coffee. (about 3 minutes) It isn't rocket science, so it shouldn't take the amount of paperwork, preparation and time a shuttle launch involves.

3. Why can't the staff update open box tags and prices for outdated product, instead of a clueless head office being responsible for the margins? Let's see, HP Laptop; New - $499.99, Bought, factory seal sliced open, taken out of, looked at, put back into box, returned open box - $489.99, Bought, used for 78 days, scuffed, scratched, missing manuals, returned open box under holiday return policy - 489.99, Bought, used for 2 years and 10 months, scuffed, scratched, power adapter twisted, dead pixels, mainboard failed, returned for service under PSP plan, sat at depot or in store untouched for 2 months, customer complains and gets new laptop, old one is fixed 6 months later, returned to store as inventory and put up for sale as an AS IS 4 year old laptop missing the power adapter - $1089.99 (Hey, it has to be based as $10 open box discount off the original value of this particular laptop, be damned if technology has gotten better and the price has gotten lower on newer models)

3a. Why aren't open box tags updated to reflect sale prices? For example, HP Laptop; New $499.99, On Sale for $349.99 None New In Stock, 26 Open Box units available for $489.99. And staff usually says they can't do anything about open box tag prices.

4. Why does the staff have to swear up and down they are not on commision, yet hammer customers hard to buy Monster Cables, Extended Service Plans, Multiyear Media Service Contracts, Credit Card Extended Coverage, etc, etc, etc? (I can actually answer this one) It's because the staff doesn't earn a red nickle either way, but the management gets big bonuses for this stuff, so they hound, harrass, badger, and threaten staff into doing this as much as possible, no matter how pissed off it makes the customers. Great, so you get to shop at a non-commission store with unhappy non-commission staff, but with big commission like environment and pressure. If it walks like a duck, and if it talks like a duck...

[smartcdn]

Coming from someone who (regrettrably) worked for Best Buy in the past, I agree with everything you list.


Some other pet peeves they need to fix:

1. Why are special promos not AUTOMATIC on the registers? If there is a package or special discount advertised, I have to wait 20 minutes while the 4 staff members fumble thru a transaction, flip thru a paper book (REALLY, a paper book list of promos in the 21st century in the worlds largest advanced electronics retailer), page 2 managers who never show up, and then the staff just screw up the promo but somehow get it to sort of end up at the proper price. You have head office staff and store staff that spend hours wasting time EVERY week doing those stupid flipcharts; can't you fire them all, and hire one competent programmer to update the tills chainwide before the store opens every friday?

2. Why does it take a half hour to trade in games? SERIOUSLY. It's bad enough I have to wait in line with other people doing returns, web order store pickups, account payments, credit card applications (which can sometimes take 15 friggin minutes wait for each customer), but after getting to the counter, I have to wait while the staff uses no less than 2 computers, and have to enter and print out papers/receipts twice before they can give me my credit for the trade. I walk in and out of Gamestop/EB Games in less time than it takes to brew a single cup of coffee. (about 3 minutes) It isn't rocket science, so it shouldn't take the amount of paperwork, preparation and time a shuttle launch involves.

3. Why can't the staff update open box tags and prices for outdated product, instead of a clueless head office being responsible for the margins? Let's see, HP Laptop; New - $499.99, Bought, factory seal sliced open, taken out of, looked at, put back into box, returned open box - $489.99, Bought, used for 78 days, scuffed, scratched, missing manuals, returned open box under holiday return policy - 489.99, Bought, used for 2 years and 10 months, scuffed, scratched, power adapter twisted, dead pixels, mainboard failed, returned for service under PSP plan, sat at depot or in store untouched for 2 months, customer complains and gets new laptop, old one is fixed 6 months later, returned to store as inventory and put up for sale as an AS IS 4 year old laptop missing the power adapter - $1089.99 (Hey, it has to be based as $10 open box discount off the original value of this particular laptop, be damned if technology has gotten better and the price has gotten lower on newer models)

3a. Why aren't open box tags updated to reflect sale prices? For example, HP Laptop; New $499.99, On Sale for $349.99 None New In Stock, 26 Open Box units available for $489.99. And staff usually says they can't do anything about open box tag prices.

4. Why does the staff have to swear up and down they are not on commision, yet hammer customers hard to buy Monster Cables, Extended Service Plans, Multiyear Media Service Contracts, Credit Card Extended Coverage, etc, etc, etc? (I can actually answer this one) It's because the staff doesn't earn a red nickle either way, but the management gets big bonuses for this stuff, so they hound, harrass, badger, and threaten staff into doing this as much as possible, no matter how pissed off it makes the customers. Great, so you get to shop at a non-commission store with unhappy non-commission staff, but with big commission like environment and pressure. If it walks like a duck, and if it talks like a duck...

Is there a #5 about how you are supposed to refuse legitimate price match claims at all costs including lying to customers or just plain making it difficult? there are so many of these stories on RFD that maybe a thread should be started on just that...

[TheRed]

But but where else can I buy high end TVs like Sony HX929, Samsung 8/9, and others? Walmart, zellers (lol!), Canadacomputers, ncix, newegg, tigerdirect, etc unfortunately do not carry high end products. Plus the large electronic showroom that is bestbuy is always nice to visit when comparing new products etc like ultrabooks. Where else can you find a store, with plenty of location, with a large showroom?

I also find BB prices, when on sale, are actually much cheaper than other retailers.

[NG]

But but where else can I buy high end TVs like Sony HX929, Samsung 8/9, and others?

You're in a very small minority of customers looking for high end products like that - that's why the Kuro died. I'm sure there'll be some places that will carry product like that but they'll be few and far between.

I could see, over time, that high end market dwindling even more as the brands (Pioneer Kuro) and retailers lessen.


Walmart, zellers (lol!), Canadacomputers, ncix, newegg, tigerdirect, etc unfortunately do not carry high end products.

They're riding the wave of a market content with the mediocre and all likely doing better than the high end.


Plus the large electronic showroom that is bestbuy is always nice to visit when comparing new products etc like ultrabooks.

I don't even know what an ultrabook is. I do have a cheap netbook from Wal-Mart hooked into a Dynex TV as my computer. The mediocre is inexpensive.


Where else can you find a store, with plenty of location, with a large showroom?

There aren't many but I don't need that. I'm not sure many do if it means a lower price can be gotten. Again the mediocre.


I also find BB prices, when on sale, are actually much cheaper than other retailers.

I suspect that the market is skewed somewhat in Canada since we have much less competition here - especially online.

In the US I wonder if it's like Gulliver's Travels for Best Buy with the residents of Lilliput, or the internet, surrounding them everywhere.

[dztraw]

The problem these days is that every store what's a piece of the pie. Do you remember years ago you'd walk into Zehrs to buy food, not a TV or even a DVD, but now they have huge electronics departments.

I believe Bestbuy offers the same level of customer service as Walmart, a store full of employees but none with any knowledge of the products they sell. I really wish they would look into creating a customer service model much like the Apple Store. I'd love to have the ability to make an appointment, show up and be given one on one service with anything.

Bestbuy and Futureshop stores are opening up like Tim Horton's. You can find one within almost 10 minutes of each other. Space them out a little better. The good thing about them being so close to each other is if one store is out of stock on something I don't have to go far to check the other.

[locodawg]

The problem these days is that every store what's a piece of the pie. Do you remember years ago you'd walk into Zehrs to buy food, not a TV or even a DVD, but now they have huge electronics departments.

I believe Bestbuy offers the same level of customer service as Walmart, a store full of employees but none with any knowledge of the products they sell. I really wish they would look into creating a customer service model much like the Apple Store. I'd love to have the ability to make an appointment, show up and be given one on one service with anything.

Bestbuy and Futureshop stores are opening up like Tim Horton's. You can find one within almost 10 minutes of each other. Space them out a little better. The good thing about them being so close to each other is if one store is out of stock on something I don't have to go far to check the other.

Yea in Whitby they are across from each other ... now that's a little ridiculous. I think even in Scarborough there is a Futureshop and then just on the other side of the street less then 2km there is a Bestbuy. If they stop doing this then maybe their numbers would be a little better.

[blainehamilton]

Is there a #5 about how you are supposed to refuse legitimate price match claims at all costs including lying to customers or just plain making it difficult? there are so many of these stories on RFD that maybe a thread should be started on just that...


Yup, that is for sure a legit complaint about Best Buy and Future Shop. I actually find it harder to apply the PM at Best Buy; lies and excuses mostly. (claiming the other retailer is not the same product, not an authorized distributor, refurbished product, no warranty, below their cost, etc when it is a valid pm) Future Shop is usually just very stringent about calling and verifying stock before they PM.

[Donimo]

Best Buy certainly struggled in the European market. It had a much shorter lifespan there too.

I never got to see the store open where I used to live in the UK, having left only six years ago. Now it is closed already. It did not even exist as a bricks and mortar store brand before then to my knowledge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15616445

The ease of online retailing coupled with the 2008 economic downturn were some of the major factors in their UK demise.

Also, you guys must feel spoiled with FS/BB stores playing off each other across streets. There is not even a BB in my province! Then they have two in Nova Scotia within a few miles of each other. If they did close B&M stores I would continue to buy online as I do now: No sales pressure, no $20+ extra warranty bullying on a $15 dollar mouse nonsense (seriously?), with all the reviews and detailed manufacturer detail anyone could need or want.

[crimsona]

On the other hand, best buy does own car phone warehouse and you should know of them? Small box target than big box store

[tebore]

But but where else can I buy high end TVs like Sony HX929, Samsung 8/9, and others? Walmart, zellers (lol!), Canadacomputers, ncix, newegg, tigerdirect, etc unfortunately do not carry high end products. Plus the large electronic showroom that is bestbuy is always nice to visit when comparing new products etc like ultrabooks. Where else can you find a store, with plenty of location, with a large showroom?

I also find BB prices, when on sale, are actually much cheaper than other retailers.

People who are actually in the market for High end equipment don't haggle and they don't bother with main stream stores like BB or FS. They straight to places like Bay Bloor Radio with a blank cheque. They tell them they want to out do their neighbour and Bay Bloor sends in guys to install an overpriced, over sold over the top system.

BB needs to just fix up their crappy policies and make their system actually work for boxing day online shopping.

Having BB and FS right next to each other actually is a smart idea. How many have walked in to either and said to a CSR hey it's cheaper there and the CSR tells you where to go instead of price matching? I'd say 75+% and you do go. Either way they made your money. Also each one of these stores are HUGE they serve as localized warehouses. Think about it. The BB at Yonge Dundas is larger than the FS and I'm sure the rent is cheaper. You get a nice location to put up a FS sign and you leverage the BB backroom for storage.

[hitman_24]

Home depot is doing the best out of the big box home building stores, I really don't think they are going anywhere. They also have a huge US corporation that I figure would help them out, but don't that being needed. If anyone is going anywhere it's Rona, they are so poorly organized its truly amazing.

+1


Not to mention every Lowes store I pass by appears Closed because there are so few cars in the parking lot
Also I would never shop at Rona, canadian or not this company, and its stores staff are utterly useless