[OP]
Contributor
In the past I have ranted about how much I hate Best Buy. In the last week ,after a long time away,I went there again and was overwhelmed with the incredibly good service. Plenty of knowledgeable ,helpful people. Good inventory. No problem with returns. Seems they have turned this business around. I think maybe the competition from Amazon may have contributed to this. All in all I've had several good experiences with them recently
Dennis
Member
I may have to try going in again. There is a BB on my way home from work. I can't count how many times I have walked out frustrated by the high prices of small items. Many large ticket items are reasonably priced, but they charge $20 for a cable that I can order online for $5 with free shipping.
Steve
Member
That's because online sellers don't have all of the rent, employees and power costs that a physical store has, they will always be cheaper. That's why most physical stores are failing, they simply cannot compete.Originally Posted by Steve Peterson
Contributor
FYI...BestBuy will price match almost any online price such as Amazon and Newegg.
Member
I don't think I have ever bought anything from Best Buy at least that I remember and I see no reason to start now. I do think to rate the quality of their service on two or three personal experiences with no structured testing leads to the forming of something that is simply one person's opinion.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] "You don't have to give birth to someone to have a family." (Sandra Bullock)
Member
About two years ago I was shopping for a new stereo receiver. I had a BB gift card, so I went to their website, did some research and picked the one that I wanted.
When I went to the store to buy it, I was shocked to find that the in-store price was $50 more than their online price. The employee had to go to their own website to verify the cheaper price.
Now I have to check the price online before I buy anything there. And if I have to do that, I might as well buy from Amazon, which is usually cheaper anyway.
Gerry
JointCAM
Member
Me too. Just bought a laptop there thought and it was a pleasant experience. The saleswoman that helped me actually seemed to know the basics of what she was talking about, didn't try to up-sell me, admitted she wasn't familiar with the optional stylus pen they have for the laptop I bought and didn't push any optional stuff other than a brief mention. I also paid the going price for what I bought. I'm very likely to go back again after a long, long absence.
Member
Wal-Mart is much worse, apparently, Wal-Mart Online and the Wal-Mart stores are owned by different entities. The online prices do not apply in stores and if you want to get those prices, you have to order online and pick up in stores, they will not honor online prices if you just walk in. In fact, they'll make you get on their computers in store, order it online, wait a good half hour for the order to go through, then you can get it at that price. It's absurd.
Contributor
I'm one of the lucky ones that has never had a problem at Best Buy. I order from Amazon frequently but when it comes to bigger ticket items, ie 52 inch LED TV, I doubt that I would order it from Amazon. Why? Because I'd likely go to Best Buy anyway to see the set, try it out, adjust the controls, make sure it had a good side by side comparison to other units, then decide to buy it and walk out of the store with it. What do you guys do? Go to Best Buy, check it out, then go home and order online? Why? If I have a problem I bring it back to the store and they make it good. No hassle getting it shipped back. I think Amazon is best for low ticket low risk commodity items.
Member
For major electronics purchases, I do all my research online and decide what I want before I set foot in a store. Then I'll go to the store and buy it, or order it from a website. Before the internet, I'd use magazine reviews to make buying decisions.
Imo, it's impossible to make an accurate comparison of TV's in a store, as there are far too many variables that you have no control over.
There are plenty of websites with very thorough reviews that cover a lot more than you ever could in an in-store comparison.
I recently went through this process and purchased a 60" TV at Wal-Mart. Walmart, btw, is the worst place to buy online and pick up in-store. I've yet to have a good experience with this process there, but they tend to have very good prices. The main issue I've run into is very long wait times.
Gerry
JointCAM
Contributor
I'm with Pat, I've had good luck with Best Buy. I used to dislike the warranty sales pitch they used a few years ago, but they backed off on that program. I feel that if a retailer has something on the shelf and I go there just to "check it out" so I can order it online, I'm really robbing from my community. Sorry just my .02
A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. My desk is a work station.
Contributor
Of course I do agree that you need to do your homework before making the in store decision but I ain't deciding just because some internet write-ups say something or other. In my mind they all have some bias. I want to see and hear what I'm getting when it comes to TV's
[OP]
Contributor
Yes,of course it is one mans opinion based on three recent experiences, since I saw a vast improvement in their service, I thought it was worth mentioning.
Dennis
Contributor
I thought Walmart is matching prices from Walmart.com now, but I could be wrong?
Member
Not as of a month or two ago, at least not locally. I needed a new bluetooth headset, the website said they had one in stock at a store I had to drive a distance to, I got there and the price was $40 more than the online price. They made me go through the whole process to get it at the online price.
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