I worked at Best Buy #133 not as an employee but as an vendor in store sales rep (second job). I saw an open box microwave for $30 and decided to buy it. The store sales manager got extremely agitated because I did not want the $20 PSP on $30 microwave. The next time she and I worked at the same time she accused me of not pushing their PSP and told she wanted a new product rep for the store and demanded my managers phone number.
I of course did not give her my managers number but arranged to trade stores with another rep. What i find interesting is I always offered their PSP and quite honestly went above and beyond helping them. I signed up for MSN and then canceled so they could make their numbers. I bought computer accessories that I didn't necessarily need (Blank CDs Surge protector, etc.) to help them. Even funnier is you can tell by my email address I work for a major technology company and have a tremendous amount of experience in technology everything from fixing and building systems (A certified) to setting up networks. I would help them sell a vast amount stuff that was outside my product line.
The rep that replaced me is focused only on our products and if they are not in stock at Best Buy he will send them to competitor stores (something I never did). At least I offered their PSP as part of every sale (I didn't put the high pressure sell they do on it but it was offered) the rep they have now is only concerned with selling our product and that is it.
For me there is a happy ending, I went into a store that does 10x the product sales volume of that Best Buy and since I am partially paid on commission that has been great. The retailer I work with now operates on volume and PSP is considered gravy their focus is on selling the product period.
For Best Buy, they actually lost out. I may not have been tackling them in the isles to buy PSP but I consistently offered it, I would spend my own money when I could to help them make numbers, I never sent their customers to their competitors and I helped them sell things that their associates didn't know how to sell or even what it was used for.
Employees:
When you look at Best Buy you should consider they as a corporation have over 1900 (Best Buy, Magnolia HiFi, Sam Goodys record stores, etc.) retail stores. 1900 stores equals high overhead. They can only sell products at the market price which means no one is paying a premium on product just to do business with them. Difference between buying a Polo shirt from a Ralph Lauren store ($50) and buying it at Targets ($25 if they are ever allowed to sell it) the extra $25 is the premium to buy the same shirt from Ralph Lauren directly.
Your management has little choice but to drive you in the ground to maximize every sale. The overhead on all those stores has to be paid. Ironically, I have watched Best Buy sales associates work 3 times harder than salespeople working on straight commission and make far less then comparable sales associates at their competitors. I have also seen managers play favorites and openly discriminate against people of different ethnic backgrounds in the name of driving sales.
Best Buy has to hire you young because they need cheap non-commisioned labor because of those 1900 stores. They also know that someone just entering the workplace for the first time doesn't know their rights and is easily intimidated.
There is nothing wrong with working for them for sake of gaining experience or for a specific goal like paying for college or buying a car, but for a career I would think twice.
Customers:
Customers, you may come in for that low priced laptop but keep in mind they are going to hammer you to buy every accessory and PSP they can get out of you. Because 1900 stores in prime locations ie in and around malls and shopping centers is expensive.in effect this guarentees those noncommisioned sales people are going to have to work to maximize every sale meaning that PSP has to go out on the sale and so does everything else they can possible get you to buy. I read the pro Best Buy posts where they stated what a great deal the PSP is if you have to use it. What they leave out is that in most cases the PSP is backed by a 3rd party insurance company.
Now if 10-20% of all PSP covered purchases fail or required service that insurance company would drop Best Buy like a rock. Fact is on most electronic purchases you know the moment you plug it in whether it is gonna work or not. Most of those plans will never be used during the products lifetime. This is why Consumer Reports and most other major consumer oriented publications recommend declining it.
Most manufacturers offer a warranty that is more than enough and most have local service centers and authorized 3rd party service centers where you can take the product to get it fixed should it fail.
I personally only buy bargin dvds from Best Buy. I have yet to see them offer me something compelling that I could find for less either online or at one of the wharehouse consumer electronics stores like Frye's here on the west coast.
If you know what you want and don't want to be "hustled" go to these stores and leave Best Buy alone unless you are ready to do battle to buy something.
Mark
Elk Grove, California
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