The death of Best Buy

[Mercutio]

Starting around the beginning of this year, I've seen a lot of press suggesting that US retail electronics giant Best Buy is in serious trouble. It's fairly obvious to anyone who buys any sort of electronics that online is a better option for almost everything anyway, but once I start to see press about such nosedives, the companies in question pretty much never recover. Those of us in the US can remember Circuit City, Borders and Blockbuster Video as companies that have had similar death throes.

Part of me thinks that it couldn't happen to a better company - Best Buy has some monumentally awful customer service (I'm actually banned from one store because I stood around helping people for a while) on top of deliberately ignorant salespeople and very little marginal value other than "The place where you can go and buy something without having to wait on shipping."

On the other hand, there legitimately are times when being able to see a selection or hold products is useful, and there are assloads of people who simply won't buy anything over the internet. So it's hard to see that the forthcoming demise of electronics warehouse stores is a legitimately good thing. Most of the United States (and I suspect most of the rest of the planet) don't have options like Fry's or Microcenter to take their place, and consumers can't count on department stores like Sears to have a truly meaningful selection of specialized tools or cables, electronics or appliances.

So let me ask this: What are we going to do without the retail option of last resort?

 

[Will Rickards]

What products specifically are you concerned about?
TVs and appliances can be had elsewhere.
Computers can be bought at Staples.
Cameras can be bought at Target/Walmart.

I don't believe the news. I think retail stores fail when they overreach and then fail to cutback.

 

[ddrueding]

So let me ask this: What are we going to do without the retail option of last resort?

People like us? I (and I'm sure Merc) have a decent inventory of bits, and have owned/held/fondled all the relevant tech from a big box store. My clients and friends no longer go to places like that for stuff; they call me and ask for a recommendation, and I either send them a link to Newegg/Amazon or order the part for them with a healthy markup (still within reason of a big box price).

 

[Stereodude]

It couldn't happen to a more deserving company. They have simply outlived their usefulness.

 

[Handruin]

BestBuy could close and my ways of obtaining the gadgets I desire won't be affected. To answer your question...nothing different. I have one friend who works at BestBuy, but not out on the floor as a sales drone. I'd only hope he can find some other kind of work, but besides that I'm mostly curious what other people will do who were normally afraid to order online.

With things like Amazon and Prime...I can take chances on items I may have typically gone to look at in the store, but even those times have been an extreme rarity. If I don't like something, I'll just return it. The instant gratification factor has time-shifted by a couple days, but if it means supporting a company I actually like and I wait a day or so more...I'm fine with it. I use to spend a lot at Newegg, but I haven't ordered something from them in probably a year or more now. I know it's petty, but buying a hard drive at Newegg, having it be DOA, and then having to pay return shipping just pissed me off. This has happened more than once. Amazon and MicroCenter have been getting all of my business in the past year or more.

 

[Mercutio]

I am actually thinking more about TVs and appliances than I am computer gear. Other stores may have a selection of those products, but what other US retailer has 25,000 square feet devoted to either?

 

[Handruin]

TVs would be the only thing, but even then, I question their display methods as a valid means of actually viewing how good the TV actually is. Last I remember, they only air-broadcasted a 720P display image and not even a full 1080P. When I bought my TV 5 years ago, I made the guy get a bluray player and connect it up to the TV before I'd even consider buying it.

Even so, I think when the day comes when I need another new TV (and typically for me, TV purchases are long are far between), I would just research the heck out of it and then order it online.

As for other appliances...I never even considered BestBuy as a place to get things like washers, driers, refrigerators, stoves, etc. Maybe it's just my area, but there are plenty of other dedicated appliance retailers for these items that I don't even bother looking at BB. Not to mention the larger chains like Sears, HomeDepot, Lowes...

 

[Handruin]

Also, there is Wa*mart...but I typically don't recommend anyone to buy there....ever....for anything.

 

[Bozo]

In our area we have H.H.Gregg for everything non-computer.

 

[ddrueding]

Many things (including TVs, BluRay players, etc) have gotten so cheap and so good that most users couldn't go wrong scanning the feature list and buying on brand/price. I don't think it matters for the average customer any more.

 

[Mercutio]

Sometimes, it's good to be able to compare in person. The menu system on a TV, the arrangement of drawers in a fridge. time once discussed at-length his experience comparing keyboards on notebooks. I don't know what the right answer is, since I'm almost always going to buy from the place that gives me the lowest price and best service for the product I decide to purchase, but we can't exactly expect electronics and appliance manufacturers operate brick and mortar showrooms for their products free-of-charge.

Apparently Best Buy is ditching appliances regardless. So if I felt the need to go look at one I guess I'd go to Sears, maybe?

 

[RWIndiana]

I concur with the consensus: Best Buy is certainly not the best.

Wal-Mart is awesome for a variety of essential items (and occasionally even budget TVs). There are many things I wouldn't purchase there (including most anything computer related), but it's stupid to avoid Wal-Mart altogether because a few things they sell are junk (BTW, the Wal-Mart here has great subs!). It does depend on what you're looking for. For food, there's this great little store called Aldi where absolutely everything is significantly cheaper, and sometimes healthier, than the name brands. Sometimes Menards has good prices on milk and other food stuff.

 

[Handruin]

I concur with the consensus: Best Buy is certainly not the best.

Wal-Mart is awesome for a variety of essential items (and occasionally even budget TVs). There are many things I wouldn't purchase there (including most anything computer related), but it's stupid to avoid Wal-Mart altogether because a few things they sell are junk (BTW, the Wal-Mart here has great subs!). It does depend on what you're looking for. For food, there's this great little store called Aldi where absolutely everything is significantly cheaper, and sometimes healthier, than the name brands. Sometimes Menards has good prices on milk and other food stuff.

I group Wal*art up there with BestBuy in that if they closed their doors tomorrow, I'd not be sad in the least. I don't like the company at all regardless of how good their prices are. We have a local place called Trader Joe's that does a similar business of having food items that are probably better for you, but I can't say they're always cheaper. I don't know if Trader Joe's is world wide or even nationwide.

 

[ddrueding]

We have them here as well.

 

[sdbardwick]

Trader Joe's started in SoCal, but went nationwide-ish (not all states, AFAIK). I think that they got bought by some larger organization around 1980; I remember the store's vibe changed in the early '80s.

Checked Wikipedia: Yup, sold in 1979.

 

[Mercutio]

I'd have to make a 150 mile round trip to visit a Trader Joe's. Which is not impossible. I know where all of the Chicago-area locations are and I make it a point to stop if I'm near one. They really do have awesome stuff. I love their foil packaged spiced soybeans and I've never found anything like them anyplace else. Their prepared food is sometimes better than take-out, too. nom nom nom.

Walmart is where I get groceries. I don't really have a choice about that; my community really only has one other supermarket that has exceedingly poor quality meat and produce and anyplace else I go would require a minimum 20 mile round trip and probably a 25% higher grocery bill.

Gary, Indiana is a "food desert" with no major supermarkets. Residents have to drive or take a bus out of town to get food or live on what they can get at a gas station, Walgreens or 7-11. My community, as one of the towns bordering Gary, has a large supermarket close to Gary that seems to serve Gary residents with rotting vegetables and discolored meat. There's a Walmart on the other side of town (conveniently not served by Gary's public transit) that has fresher food. I don't really want to get in to the socioeconomic factors at play in this observation, but it's a pattern I recognize as a resident of the area.

Actually, this is relevant to the greater retail experience because not everyone trusts or can handle shopping online. Some people (not necessarily poor, urban residents) really do need sales assistance. Unfortunately, a lot of those very same people are going to be located in the places where they're least likely to get it.

 

[Stereodude]

We primarily grocery shop at Meijer.

 

[BingBangBop]

I basically believe there is a place in our society for Best Buy. From the popularity of the local store, it would seem that an awful lot of people would seem to agree. I would just wish that it be a more ethical place.

 

[Mercutio]

Today I was at Microcenter with plans to buy a few Ivy Bridge CPUs.
Microcenter will only sell a person one CPU at a time. They claim they even track it across locations. There is a one per month limit on CPU purchases. I've never run into that before.
Fortunately, I had someone with me at the time so I just had them buy a CPU as well, but I'm really quite annoyed. I've never had a problem with that before.

 

[sechs]

I imagine that this has something to do with them regularly offering CPUs as loss leaders. Frankly, I'm surprised that the Microcenter in Santa Clara is still in business, with all of the savvy tech shoppers here.