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04-23-2012, 04:07 PM   #1
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My visit to a Best Buy store

I guess I am getting old and becoming more of a hermit living in the boonies for so long......

Where I live, the nearest decent sized grocery store is 30 miles away, and as far as a selection of different stores like Staples is 60 miles away. Because of this I buy everything on-line except for groceries and heavy large items that I will haul in my truck.

I had a specialist doctor appointment today that brought me to a fair sized city (to my standards), and because of the distance I had to travel decided to make a day trip out of it so my wife and I could look at some of the stores that we never see. One of my stops was to Best Buy - I thought it would be great to see all the different cameras and computer hardware in person. I of course did not expect to see anything Pentax.

First thing of note - they had many cameras on display, probably 40 or so, but mostly point & shoot. I was surprised at how small most of these were. Then I found the higher end stuff - a Canon 60D and a Nikon D90. While I didn't spend much time with them, when I picked both of them up, I immediately was proud to own a K-5. Just the feel and handling of both those cameras gave me a cheap plastic feeling including pushing the buttons and turning the control wheels. Having to buy my K-5 also on-line without every feeling one, I now feel even better about owning it.

Second thing of note - I was only in the store for 10 minutes between just glancing/pausing with the cameras, and the same with the keyboards/mice. Within that 10 minutes I had 6 different sales people come up to me and ask me if I needed help. Now maybe this is standard practice in stores like this and those who live in cities are used to it, but I couldn't wait to get out of that store. As I do all my research and buying on-line as I said, I pretty much know what I want and what it should be priced at. I was looking forward to seeing/feeling a lot of items that I see on-line and spending some time in the store. My wife was surprised to see me back so soon as she expected me to be in the store for at least a half hour.

Between all that above, plus the traffic (people and cars everywhere!) I am so glad to be home now in the mountains. I really am getting old!

04-23-2012, 04:21 PM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by stormtech Quote
I guess I am getting old and becoming more of a hermit living in the boonies for so long......

Where I live, the nearest decent sized grocery store is 30 miles away, and as far as a selection of different stores like Staples is 60 miles away. Because of this I buy everything on-line except for groceries and heavy large items that I will haul in my truck.

I had a specialist doctor appointment today that brought me to a fair sized city (to my standards), and because of the distance I had to travel decided to make a day trip out of it so my wife and I could look at some of the stores that we never see. One of my stops was to Best Buy - I thought it would be great to see all the different cameras and computer hardware in person. I of course did not expect to see anything Pentax.

First thing of note - they had many cameras on display, probably 40 or so, but mostly point & shoot. I was surprised at how small most of these were. Then I found the higher end stuff - a Canon 60D and a Nikon D90. While I didn't spend much time with them, when I picked both of them up, I immediately was proud to own a K-5. Just the feel and handling of both those cameras gave me a cheap plastic feeling including pushing the buttons and turning the control wheels. Having to buy my K-5 also on-line without every feeling one, I now feel even better about owning it.

Second thing of note - I was only in the store for 10 minutes between just glancing/pausing with the cameras, and the same with the keyboards/mice. Within that 10 minutes I had 6 different sales people come up to me and ask me if I needed help. Now maybe this is standard practice in stores like this and those who live in cities are used to it, but I couldn't wait to get out of that store. As I do all my research and buying on-line as I said, I pretty much know what I want and what it should be priced at. I was looking forward to seeing/feeling a lot of items that I see on-line and spending some time in the store. My wife was surprised to see me back so soon as she expected me to be in the store for at least a half hour.

Between all that above, plus the traffic (people and cars everywhere!) I am so glad to be home now in the mountains. I really am getting old!
I remember several years ago the Best Buys had good prices and selections. I used to be able to spend some time there. Now they have more limited selections and mostly higher prices (except for some advertised sale items). Now if I have to go in one it's not going to be much more than a 10-15 minute visit.
04-23-2012, 04:33 PM   #3
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The last time I went to a Best Buy one of those kids they have working for them said "what's up bro, can I help you out?". I was 28 at the time, but I wouldn't have been his bro even if I were younger than him. Customer service is too lax these days.
04-23-2012, 04:53 PM   #4
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We're also usually in somewhat remote locales, 20-40 mountain miles (one way) from the nearest McBurger (can't stand the crap) and 3 hours (round trip) from the nearest outlet mall. We VERY occasionally venture into a BestBuy but it's painful. Too often, we ask about something, and are told about (and heavily sold on) something else entirely, often by a trainee who knows nothing about the merchandise except a few items they've been told to push. It's the same story in Folsom CA and Carson City NV and Sierra Vista AZ and Santa Fe NM. Feh.

Still, BB can be useful, and discounts can be arranged. Like this: Buy something. Return it a week later. Wait till it hits the shelves again as a returned item, then buy it for 60% off. Do this as a team. No problem!


Last edited by RioRico; 04-23-2012 at 04:59 PM.
04-23-2012, 05:06 PM   #5
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Ahh - someone who seems to be able to relate to my feelings - thanks RioRico - from one boon-dock to another!
04-23-2012, 05:08 PM   #6
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It's funny -- the original policy at Best Buy used to be not to bother you unless you asked for help -- they used to say that in their commercials. But they found out that people got annoyed by that -- if someone has a question they generally just stand in the spot next the product they are interested in and wait for someone to offer to tell them about it. Personally I don't want to talk to anybody -- they never know anything anyway, and even when they sound like they do the information is generally wrong.
04-23-2012, 05:42 PM   #7
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I had much the same experience there on my last visit.
Fortunately we still have some great camera stores here.
And even though I am near many retail stores of all kinds,
except for groceries I too do most of my shopping online.

Chris

04-23-2012, 05:44 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by RioRico Quote
Still, BB can be useful, and discounts can be arranged. Like this: Buy something. Return it a week later. Wait till it hits the shelves again as a returned item, then buy it for 60% off. Do this as a team. No problem!

Quick off topic story. In 1989 the Oakland A's and the SF Giants were going to play in a "Bay Bridge World Series." I didn't have a TV at the time and figured that this was going to be a once in a lifetime series and I didn't want to miss a pitch. I decided to buy a TV and return it within 30 days for a full refund. Got the TV a couple days before the games were scheduled to begin. Put the cardboard box on a file cabinet. Put the TV on top of the cardboard box. It was probably 6 feet off the ground. Go to work and the Loma Prieta earthquake hits. I really didn't start thinking about the TV until I finally knew that I could get home that night. Arrive home at about 2 am. Sure enough the TV was still on top of the box on top of the file cabinet. Was glued to it for earthquake coverage for the next couple of weeks. The WS ended up a joke, but I was still able to return the TV for a full refund. Booya!
04-23-2012, 10:33 PM   #9
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I heard a few Best Buys were closing, but not sure. 6 people came up and asked if you needed help? The last one I went into I couldn't buy any help and had to hunt around even to be cashed out.
04-24-2012, 08:26 AM   #10
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I wander into Best Buy on occasion but not for anything photography related as , at least the store nearest me, they really don't have anything to offer. They sell some entry level DSLR's from Nikon and Canon and maybe a Sony but nothing high end and a few consumer grade lenses. Their filters are cheap, no name brands that may or may not be good. I'm not going to risk any money trying one. It's a pretty good store to get a new CD/radio player for your car or speakers. They have a pretty decent selection of computer hardware and accessories if you need something TODAY and can't wait a couple of days for Newegg. Be careful. They have good deals on some things and burn you bad on others. You can save on a new HDTV or Blue Ray deck but DO NOT buy their cables! They charge $30 for a cable I can get at Newegg for under $5.
04-24-2012, 08:58 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by reeftool Quote
I can get at Newegg for under $5.
Try monoprice for cables.
04-24-2012, 09:47 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by reeftool Quote
I wander into Best Buy on occasion but not for anything photography related as , at least the store nearest me, they really don't have anything to offer. They sell some entry level DSLR's from Nikon and Canon and maybe a Sony but nothing high end and a few consumer grade lenses. Their filters are cheap, no name brands that may or may not be good. I'm not going to risk any money trying one. It's a pretty good store to get a new CD/radio player for your car or speakers. They have a pretty decent selection of computer hardware and accessories if you need something TODAY and can't wait a couple of days for Newegg. Be careful. They have good deals on some things and burn you bad on others. You can save on a new HDTV or Blue Ray deck but DO NOT buy their cables! They charge $30 for a cable I can get at Newegg for under $5.
And don't buy anything from Monster, ever. Evil evil company. (And their stuff is no better than anyone else's.)
04-24-2012, 09:58 AM   #13
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I have a few major issues with Best Buy; but still am almost forced to shop there rarely; if I'm in timely need of a computer part perhaps.

Here are a few of many issues with Best Buy...

1. Employees forced into all sorts of sales; upsales, warranties, etc... The bottom two emloyees whom don't make quote have their hours reduced and are eventually written off the schedule

2. A majority of their computers have massive bloatware; almost bordering upon malware.

3. The so called geek-squad. A group of people with only one or two real employees that have only one or two real computer professionals.

4. Nothing quite like the restocking fees
04-24-2012, 10:03 AM   #14
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Yeah. Not to get off topic but one of the electronics sites did a test at a large show a couple of yrs back and had various speakers and video hooked up with different cables from low end to ultra expensive gold plated and on the other extreme, coat hangers when possible and an overwhelming majority couldn't tell the difference. The cable myth exists everywhere, not just at Best Buy. You can do fine at Best Buy, just do your research before you buy.
04-24-2012, 10:16 AM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by reeftool Quote
The cable myth exists everywhere, not just at Best Buy. You can do fine at Best Buy, just do your research before you buy.
The cable myth has been around for decades, almost a long as healing copper bracelets and pyramid hats. I trained in audio and radio electronics (long ago). We want intact wire strands and corrosion-free connectors, for minimal resistance. But the fractional loss from a cruddy cable does NOT impact audio quality noticeably. Cables that far exceed FCC broadcast standards are just absurd, as are their prices. They're rather like (but far worse than) UV filters for digicams; the only benefit is to the salesperson's commission.

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