Best Buy closing 50 stores.

[dave_the_nerd]

As soon as gaming switches to be primarily delivered through digital distribution Gamestop is toast. Done. Over. I can't imagine they don't know that.

Agreed.

Their business model involves screwing over children and their prices on used games are absolutely absurd compared to Amazon.

Not trying to build brand loyalty. At all.

 

[rudder]

They became virtually useless to me when they gutted their CD selection. They used to have a huge, and varied collection, even including some special releases. Last time I looked, it was top40, rap, and Latino :^S

What is a CD?

 

[Raizinman]

Good Riddance!
Perhaps they would like to purchase an extended warranty with their closing.

 

[Baked]

Hooray for consumers, sucks for employees.

 

[alent1234]

and why should i switch to digital delivery when physical disks work just fine?

 

[slag]

As soon as gaming switches to be primarily delivered through digital distribution Gamestop is toast. Done. Over. I can't imagine they don't know that.

That wont be for a long long long time, especially with ISPs that have download limits. Our cable ISP in Lawrence, for their bronze package, has a 3GB data allotment per month @ $20.00/month, not counting modem rental. Silver has a 50 GB allotment for $34.99.

 

[Beev]

That wont be for a long long long time, especially with ISPs that have download limits. Our cable ISP in Lawrence, for their bronze package, has a 3GB data allotment per month @ $20.00/month, not counting modem rental. Silver has a 50 GB allotment for $34.99.

D: I didn't realize it was so bad over there. That's pretty terrible.

 

[unokitty]

From Forbes, Best Buy Grasping at Straws.

"Their retail locations, ... have become torture chambers, where customers are assaulted by employees and co-marketing third-party salespeople motivated not to provide expertise but to upsell overpriced products and services, including expensive service contracts and high-interest rate credit."

 

[jpiniero]

From Forbes, Best Buy Grasping at Straws.

"Their retail locations, ... have become torture chambers, where customers are assaulted by employees and co-marketing third-party salespeople motivated not to provide expertise but to upsell overpriced products and services, including expensive service contracts and high-interest rate credit."

That article mentions Apple, which isn't a fair example really since they control prices on the products they make. You can't go to Wally World or even Amazon and get a much cheaper price.

 

[Pardus]

Fifty less Amazon showrooms. oh well.

What's wrong with this picture?

 

[Gibson486]

So...you guys are happy this place is closing stores? The reason why BB is so high priced on certain things is because they are one of the last standing electronic B&M places left. Unfortunately, it's a an advantage that BB has that people ignored in lieu of price and BB's management was clueless about it. Everyone goes, "Oh, i will just buy from Amazon..." Well, once Amazon annihilates all the electronic B&M stores, they will be raising prices like no tomorrow. Oh, you will shop at another online store? Well, Amazon now has a huge competitive edge that is warehouse management. After all, they just bought Kiva systems, who are essentially the leaders of the robotic warehouse management world. Good Luck to other online retailers competing against that. Face it, Amazon will become the walmart of the cyberspace. It's bound to happen and don't be crying foul when it does.

 

[Exterous]

Fifty less Amazon showrooms. oh well.

What's wrong with this picture?

Are we playing post an expensive item a place sells?
http://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-K2-.../dp/B000J36XR2
(Only 1 left - hurry!)

Not long ago costco was selling a ring for $1M or something

 

[The Boston Dangler]

From Forbes, Best Buy Grasping at Straws.

"Their retail locations, ... have become torture chambers, where customers are assaulted by employees and co-marketing third-party salespeople motivated not to provide expertise but to upsell overpriced products and services, including expensive service contracts and high-interest rate credit."

strange, every time i've been in best buy the 1 employee i find ignores me and everyone else

 

[Genx87]

From Forbes, Best Buy Grasping at Straws.

"Their retail locations, ... have become torture chambers, where customers are assaulted by employees and co-marketing third-party salespeople motivated not to provide expertise but to upsell overpriced products and services, including expensive service contracts and high-interest rate credit."

The 3rd party sales people are annoying. I was visiting a BB a few years ago for something and this DirectTV guy was badgering me about which cable serivce provider I use and all the benefits of DirectTV. I told him I dont even have cable TV and used Charter for internet only. He just couldnt fathom I didnt have cable or watch TV.

 

[tboo]

The 3rd party sales people are annoying. I was visiting a BB a few years ago for something and this DirectTV guy was badgering me about which cable serivce provider I use and all the benefits of DirectTV. I told him I dont even have cable TV and used Charter for internet only. He just couldnt fathom I didnt have cable or watch TV.

This, I cant stand going to my local BB cause I know the DirectTV guy will harass me.

 

[alent1234]

So...you guys are happy this place is closing stores? The reason why BB is so high priced on certain things is because they are one of the last standing electronic B&M places left. Unfortunately, it's a an advantage that BB has that people ignored in lieu of price and BB's management was clueless about it. Everyone goes, "Oh, i will just buy from Amazon..." Well, once Amazon annihilates all the electronic B&M stores, they will be raising prices like no tomorrow. Oh, you will shop at another online store? Well, Amazon now has a huge competitive edge that is warehouse management. After all, they just bought Kiva systems, who are essentially the leaders of the robotic warehouse management world. Good Luck to other online retailers competing against that. Face it, Amazon will become the walmart of the cyberspace. It's bound to happen and don't be crying foul when it does.

best buy had too many stores. i've been to their fort collins stores in the summer time and it's like a ghost town. maybe 5 people in the store. the NYC stores are busier in july than their fort collins stores are in december

i shop there mostly because amazon isn't that cheap and charges sales tax in NY State. I don't build my own computers so the prices of what i buy are pretty much the same but i can get it the same day at best buy

 

[13Gigatons]

Sad...another one bites the dust. CompUSA now Best Buy, hopefully Microcenter and Fry's fill the void.

 

[manimal]

Gibson is pretty spot on. The less choices we have as a consumer the more power the mega chains have.

 

[ViRGE]

Fifty less Amazon showrooms. oh well.

What's wrong with this picture?

It was saved as a JPEG instead of a PNG?

 

[alent1234]

problem with best buy is too many products were loss leaders and too few made the money. TV's, games and others made money in the 1990's but now are loss leaders and take up floor space and cost money to maintain.

they should close the huge stores, open smaller show rooms and do home delivery or ship to store. not like everyone buys a 50" TV and throws it in the car. most people have it delivered. why pay for a huge warehouse store to stock inventory you don't need on hand.

same with pre-owned games. out of the 20 or so best buys in the NYC area most may not have the game you want. why stock it in the first place? have smaller showrooms and just ship the game to the store on demand from a central warehouse

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I used to go to Best Buy every weekend, sometimes even more than once. Around 10 years ago or so, the store was much better and you could still find good deals on stuff.

Now, they seem more interested in trying to rip people off than selling them products. I do hope they turn it around, but I don't think it is likely. Their management has no clue and the "unfair advantage of paying no sales tax" argument they use against Amazon and others doesn't hold water. When I compare prices, I always compare the before tax price to before shipping price. Ignoring taxes, shipping, etc, online is still usually significantly cheaper. If a hard drive is $120 at Best Buy but $90 at Amazon, sales tax doesn't even enter into the equation -- Best Buy is far more expensive.

 

[Sephire]

The average customer IS an idiot who hasn't done any research about the products they're buying.

That means that Best Buy sales people need to know their shit so that they can recommend what works best given the customer's needs, and not just push the highest priced or highest margin items to improve their profit numbers. Yeah, Best Buy's completely fucked because you KNOW that isn't happening ever.

That is all the management is asking the employees. It's all about the numbers at the end of the day. It doesn't matter how its done as long as they hit it.

 

[manimal]

As an aside do any of you think retail would bounce back if all online sales were subject to tax immediately vs the current laws?


Would something as simple as you know making the marketplace competitive and fair be a real solution?

 

[Exterous]

As an aside do any of you think retail would bounce back if all online sales were subject to tax immediately vs the current laws?


Would something as simple as you know making the marketplace competitive and fair be a real solution?

Bounce back? No. Decline more slowly? Yes. Physical retail stores are already at a disadvantage by paying for more employees, retail floor space (and assorted costs: electricity (not insubstantial in an electronics store), taxes, etc), a more decentralized warehouse system and additional distribution requirements

 

[DAPUNISHER]

This news is the inevitable follow up from a thread made earlier this year FORBES: Why Best Buy Is Going Out Of Business...Gradually

A few Nastradumbasses in that thread.

However, most of us, seem to see this as overdue. They may survive as a niche player, with a very small physical footprint, but the present incarnation is doomed.