Reading mode: Light Dark

Best Buy

Go to last post
electronics are not like winter hats that need to be cleared out for spring. they will sell. ever hear of holiday sales?? they don't always have to extend PAST xmas.

And the real lure of gift cards is the UNUSED gift cards. last year Best Buy reported 22 mil $ in unused cards = pure profit.

there is no law that gift cards have to be used asap, e.g. day after xmas.
 
I believe it was Pennsylvania's Attorney General brought a law suit against BB who says got me I will stop but the practice did not stop so new class action suit! This is how it goes: Customer sees item on the web for good price, thinks it is the same in the store, it is not, challenges clerk who sends him to an internal web kiosk. The item is brought up with the stores higher price. Turns out the web site is phony in-store-only to get higher price from customer before he leaves.
--
Bob,

'A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words.' - Ansel Adams
Sony R1
Canon Pro1

 
Here is my story:

On Dec. 26th my wife and I when out looking to get a small TV for the bedroom, after looking online, we picked a 20" CRT. The price was in the $150 to $160 range, come on, this is just for the bedroom, we did not want HD, just SDTV. In one best buy, they let us look at the CRT sets (after having to look at the LCD in the $400 to $450 range), then the sales guy told me that the CRT TV will not work after Feb. 2009.

OK, I know about the ana to dig on air change over, but all the TV's have both an Ana. and a dig tuner, and the TV will have a cable going into it, well he told me that the TV will still only work for a year then I will have to replace it.

So did he thank I was a fool, or was he a fool, or just a giving BS to up sale from $150 to $450?

OK, for $150 I got the 20" RCA, it works fine for the need.

Mike
--
If you have low standards, you can take a look:
http://michaeljberman.zenfolio.com
 
My brother used to work there. He would often say that a week before Black Friday, Best Buy would raise the prices on certain items and then on Black Friday mark them down a bit and announce that they're on sale.
 
ledittmar said:
They know a lot of people are going to shop with those gift cards,.
To raise the prices after Christmas just devalues the cards!
In my case a $50 card just lost $40 dollars!
They see a lot of us coming!
Click to expand...
Ya and they knew a lot of people were going to be shopping before christmas too..guess you didn't think of that did you... they changed a sales price big deal it happens all the time.. as a mater of fact they can get in trouble of leaving something on "sale" for too long they have to at times go back to a base price or the sale is considered false advertising.

Geeze.. you rolled the sale dice and lost grow up and stop looking for someone else to blame for you decisions.. unless you are 13 in which case I apologize and say you will understand when you grow up

Sales end.. other stuff is on sale after Xmas etc.

------------
Ken - Happy A700 Owner
http://www.cascadephotoworks.com
 
Bob Blount said:
I believe it was Pennsylvania's Attorney General brought a law suit
against BB who says got me I will stop but the practice did not stop
so new class action suit! This is how it goes: Customer sees item
on the web for good price, thinks it is the same in the store, it is
not, challenges clerk who sends him to an internal web kiosk. The
item is brought up with the stores higher price. Turns out the web
site is phony in-store-only to get higher price from customer before
he leaves.
--
Bob,
Click to expand...
I love these kinds of lawsuits... Best Buy has a web price and a store price.. pretty common and pretty understandable since the cost of a store and staff vs a warehouse are different.

Maybe they should have had labled it better as a web only price. Otherwise that can be seen as a fales ad. And this is pretty standard law.. of course when you find the price is higher..unless they pull a gun.. you have choice to walk out... But a false ad does get people to waste thier time going to the store so this law makes sense.

but in the end this is what it comes down to...
BestBuy offers an item for a price.
The customer makes a decision.. that the item is worth the price or not

As long as the item sold is what was promised for the price there was an honest deal.

IF the person wasted time because of the deceptive ad, then they have a claim. the minute they buy they made a decision and entered into an agreement.

Not sure why some many want to run home ot mommy goverment because they get buyers remorse etc.

These days though we have lawsuiits because people are not accountable...

"Sue Microsoft for selling software online for list price because other retailers sold it for a discount" HUH? at what point is the user supposed to be responsible for doing some price shopping and then being a grown up and honoring thier own deals.

Lots of these tin pot attorney's general just are looking for cash from deep pockets and headlines.

------------
Ken - Happy A700 Owner
http://www.cascadephotoworks.com
 
I love hearing from my elders how, during (and for quite some time, after) the Great Depression, it was common to get an orange in your Christmas stocking, along with other hard to find, "exotic" items like nuts.

Cash or gift cards being considered "tacky" is simply a reflection of how luxurious the lifestyle of even the lower middle class is in this country (US).

If we were slammed hard and had to endure hard times again, cash would be the most welcome gift ever.

But gift cards wouldn't be given at all because purchasers would be paying far greater attention to their limitations and the fact that gift cards are designed to profit the store in many ways. They appeal to shoppers because with the lap of luxury comes laziness.
nickleback said:
LM2 said:
A gift just as tacky as cash but with limitations and expirations.
Click to expand...
You can send all your tacky cash gifts to me. I'll dispose of them
properly.

Cash is a great gift. If you need something, you can use the cash to
(help) buy it. You get exactly what you want. If you don't need
something right now, you can save it. Nothing wrong with saving.

It's the attitude that cash is tacky that has brought about gift cards.

Ask anybody who is Chinese about cash gifts.

--
Seen in a fortune cookie:
Fear is the darkroom where negatives are developed
Click to expand...
 
Right on, Kenny! You keep workin' hard and who knows, maybe in as little as four or five years you'll be moved up from the video game department to the Ipod accessory section!
Maybe someday you'll even get in with the big boys, and sell TVs!
Ken_5D said:
Bob Blount said:
I believe it was Pennsylvania's Attorney General brought a law suit
against BB who says got me I will stop but the practice did not stop
so new class action suit! This is how it goes: Customer sees item
on the web for good price, thinks it is the same in the store, it is
not, challenges clerk who sends him to an internal web kiosk. The
item is brought up with the stores higher price. Turns out the web
site is phony in-store-only to get higher price from customer before
he leaves.
--
Bob,
Click to expand...
I love these kinds of lawsuits... Best Buy has a web price and a
store price.. pretty common and pretty understandable since the cost
of a store and staff vs a warehouse are different.

Maybe they should have had labled it better as a web only price.
Otherwise that can be seen as a fales ad. And this is pretty
standard law.. of course when you find the price is higher..unless
they pull a gun.. you have choice to walk out... But a false ad does
get people to waste thier time going to the store so this law makes
sense.

but in the end this is what it comes down to...
BestBuy offers an item for a price.
The customer makes a decision.. that the item is worth the price or not
As long as the item sold is what was promised for the price there
was an honest deal.
IF the person wasted time because of the deceptive ad, then they have
a claim. the minute they buy they made a decision and entered into
an agreement.

Not sure why some many want to run home ot mommy goverment because
they get buyers remorse etc.

These days though we have lawsuiits because people are not
accountable...
"Sue Microsoft for selling software online for list price because
other retailers sold it for a discount" HUH? at what point is the
user supposed to be responsible for doing some price shopping and
then being a grown up and honoring thier own deals.

Lots of these tin pot attorney's general just are looking for cash
from deep pockets and headlines.

------------
Ken - Happy A700 Owner
http://www.cascadephotoworks.com
Click to expand...
 
Best Buy is terrible as far as prices. They do offer a decent warranty on televisions, but their whole "Geek Squad" service center is BS.

I get frustrated at the tactics of retailers like Best Buy too, but I shop around.
My Canon's SMRP is $499.00 (last year). It's available at Best buy for $599.00!

Nearly everything I price is more expensive there. That's reason enough for me not to go there. Maybe if they had people that knew W+F they were doing working there instead of a bunch of kids (-one or two of which you're immediately convinced will find his future in car sales), I might consider purchasing there.

If you're not shopping around, it's your fault. Consumers in a fat economy are as dumb and lazy as cows. Best buy has the Canon SD1000 for 199 bucks. Across the street is Walmart, Staples, and Sears, all of which have the SD1000 at 179.99.
Are they all 10% cheaper, or is Best Buy 11% more expensive?

Like I say, I share your frustration as a consumer. But the fact is it's the ignorance of consumers that makes places like Best buy thrive, and they do thrive! They have two angles of ignorance to work; general consumer ignorance (people who don't bother to shop around), and electronics tech ignorance (a huge market).

The best thing you can do is make your purchases elsewhere, but invest in Best Buy (BBY). Their 3rd quarter earnings jumped over 50% this year.
 
Ken_5D said:
Bob Blount said:
I believe it was Pennsylvania's Attorney General brought a law suit
against BB who says got me I will stop but the practice did not stop
so new class action suit! This is how it goes: Customer sees item
on the web for good price, thinks it is the same in the store, it is
not, challenges clerk who sends him to an internal web kiosk. The
item is brought up with the stores higher price. Turns out the web
site is phony in-store-only to get higher price from customer before
he leaves.
--
Bob,
Click to expand...
I love these kinds of lawsuits... Best Buy has a web price and a
store price.. pretty common and pretty understandable since the cost
of a store and staff vs a warehouse are different.

Maybe they should have had labled it better as a web only price.
Otherwise that can be seen as a fales ad. And this is pretty
standard law.. of course when you find the price is higher..unless
they pull a gun.. you have choice to walk out... But a false ad does
get people to waste thier time going to the store so this law makes
sense.

but in the end this is what it comes down to...
BestBuy offers an item for a price.
The customer makes a decision.. that the item is worth the price or not
As long as the item sold is what was promised for the price there
was an honest deal.
IF the person wasted time because of the deceptive ad, then they have
a claim. the minute they buy they made a decision and entered into
an agreement.
Click to expand...
While I think the OP's post is pretty silly (like others have said, sales come and go), I do think this is shady. It's not that they have different web and store prices. It is that, at least if this story is true, they had an elaborate lie in the store about what their web prices were.

OTOH, if folks are so hellbent on the lowest price, why not just buy it from the best buy site?
 
All your points are well expressed and well taken. Problem is, while BB is enjoying sky high earnings and sales, Circuit City is barely hanging on, and Comp USA is calling it quits. I personally don't get it, because CC always seems to have what I want in stock, and BB hardly ever has the exact same item in stock. I always go to CC or Comp USA before BB.

Problem is, if these trends continue, BB will get much worse to deal with. There is always the internet, but that gets a little tricky with 50" plasmas. I couldn't imagine having to deal with BB on a high ticket item, especially if they are the only game in town! YIKES!
Psychokitty said:
Best Buy is terrible as far as prices. They do offer a decent
warranty on televisions, but their whole "Geek Squad" service center
is BS.
I get frustrated at the tactics of retailers like Best Buy too, but I
shop around.
My Canon's SMRP is $499.00 (last year). It's available at Best buy
for $599.00!

Nearly everything I price is more expensive there. That's reason
enough for me not to go there. Maybe if they had people that knew W+F
they were doing working there instead of a bunch of kids (-one or two
of which you're immediately convinced will find his future in car
sales), I might consider purchasing there.

If you're not shopping around, it's your fault. Consumers in a fat
economy are as dumb and lazy as cows. Best buy has the Canon SD1000
for 199 bucks. Across the street is Walmart, Staples, and Sears, all
of which have the SD1000 at 179.99.
Are they all 10% cheaper, or is Best Buy 11% more expensive?

Like I say, I share your frustration as a consumer. But the fact is
it's the ignorance of consumers that makes places like Best buy
thrive, and they do thrive! They have two angles of ignorance to
work; general consumer ignorance (people who don't bother to shop
around), and electronics tech ignorance (a huge market).

The best thing you can do is make your purchases elsewhere, but
invest in Best Buy (BBY). Their 3rd quarter earnings jumped over 50%
this year.
Click to expand...
 
Yep, I agree. Problem is, like I said, people are dumb as cows. Comp USA always has what you need because you're one of the small percentage of electro-gadget consumers who knows just exactly what they want before they walk in there.

I always know what I want, and I always know far more about the gadget I'm in a store to buy than anyone there trying to sell it because I've already done my research.

I'm not any richer as a result; I spend just as much as anyone else on electronics. I just have more toys & gadgets, that's all. :)
techdeep said:
All your points are well expressed and well taken. Problem is, while
BB is enjoying sky high earnings and sales, Circuit City is barely
hanging on, and Comp USA is calling it quits. I personally don't get
it, because CC always seems to have what I want in stock, and BB
hardly ever has the exact same item in stock. I always go to CC or
Comp USA before BB.

Problem is, if these trends continue, BB will get much worse to deal
with. There is always the internet, but that gets a little tricky
with 50" plasmas. I couldn't imagine having to deal with BB on a high
ticket item, especially if they are the only game in town! YIKES!
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top