Applying for a job at best buy

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: dmw16
You guys are harsh. I worked at Best Buy for 2 years while in high school. Granted it was 7 years ago (god, I'm getting old), but it was actually a decent job. I liked the people I worked with and the discount was nice. Retail is good experience and you can learn a lot about dealing with people. In the future, when you go to job interviews, promotion talks, work related presentations, etc you will be selling yourself and your ideas, so learning how to sell is a useful skill. I have used things I learned working there (best buy) and it has helped me.

I know people here hate on Best Buy. Whores to the dollar, etc. Well the reality is, there are in business to make money. You can hate how they do it, but clearly they have been doing it well.

First, even with the discount I almost always got a better price online.

Second, I'll agree...aside from management, my coworkers were very cool people. I enjoyed them.

I was already very competent at interviewing well long before this job, so that's pretty much a non-issue.

Yes, you will get practice at dealing with idiots. However, rather than be durable, I'd rather just avoid that activity altogether.

 

[shoRunner]

Originally posted by: dmw16
You guys are harsh. I worked at Best Buy for 2 years while in high school. Granted it was 7 years ago (god, I'm getting old), but it was actually a decent job. I liked the people I worked with and the discount was nice. Retail is good experience and you can learn a lot about dealing with people. In the future, when you go to job interviews, promotion talks, work related presentations, etc you will be selling yourself and your ideas, so learning how to sell is a useful skill. I have used things I learned working there (best buy) and it has helped me.

I know people here hate on Best Buy. Whores to the dollar, etc. Well the reality is, there are in business to make money. You can hate how they do it, but clearly they have been doing it well.

I would agree, your experience in any retail environment will completely depend on the management at the store where your located at, so if they're cool then it'll probably be a pretty cool job. If they're asswipes then you'll probably end up pissed off and with a stick up your ass against BB like ja1484

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: shoRunner

Originally posted by: dmw16
You guys are harsh. I worked at Best Buy for 2 years while in high school. Granted it was 7 years ago (god, I'm getting old), but it was actually a decent job. I liked the people I worked with and the discount was nice. Retail is good experience and you can learn a lot about dealing with people. In the future, when you go to job interviews, promotion talks, work related presentations, etc you will be selling yourself and your ideas, so learning how to sell is a useful skill. I have used things I learned working there (best buy) and it has helped me.

I know people here hate on Best Buy. Whores to the dollar, etc. Well the reality is, there are in business to make money. You can hate how they do it, but clearly they have been doing it well.

I would agree, your experience in any retail environment will completely depend on the management at the store where your located at, so if they're cool then it'll probably be a pretty cool job. If they're asswipes then you'll probably end up pissed off and with a stick up your ass against BB like ja1484

Well, it wasn't just management. It was more along the lines that it's company policy to lie to customers, to tell employees to lie to customers, to offer bait and switch ads, and to refuse valid returns and coupons. That's the stuff that really rankled me. I still shop there when they have the best deal on what I want at the time (i.e. I picked up my 8800GT back when they had the BFG for ~230 with coupon deal), but I recognize it for what it is: warfare. You'd better go in there intent on screwing them, because that's what they're intent on doing to you.


I got no problem with selling or being in business to make money, but I do have a bit of a problem with straight up liars.

 

[dmw16]

I guess everyone's experience was different. I was never told to lie to a customer.

 

[ja1484]

Originally posted by: dmw16
I guess everyone's experience was different. I was never told to lie to a customer.

Oh we were straight up told to tell people that PSP/PRPs covered things they did not. We were told to tell people that additional geek squad config services were needed when they weren't. There are other examples. These are two I remember right off the top of my head. All of management was complicit in this in their respective departments from what I recall in talking to Blue Shirts from other areas.

Strangely enough, the one beacon in it all was the assistant store manager who was a very cool, honest guy and the two of us were very friendly.

But yeah, I guess experience varies.

 

[ultimatebob]

Aren't the only two requirements to work at Best Buy:

1) A pulse
2) A complete lack of ethics or a conscious

I guess that #2 is optional, but I'm sure that it would make recommending $80 Monster Cables to 70 year old retirees living on Social Security much easier.

 

[Born2bwire]

Originally posted by: trOver

Originally posted by: ironwing

Originally posted by: trOver
How much do references matter ?

You only have to be |.| better than the other applicant. Bottom line is BB needs coverage. Just fill out the application to the best of your ability and send it in. No one drives out to your house and beats you up if you don't get the job.

How soon after turning in the application will I know if I got the job?

Hold on, I'll get a crayon and an application and find out.

 

[ebaycj]

Originally posted by: trOver
Was planning to work in the in-store computer repair/technician field. While filling out the application, they want to know if I have had any formal "computer training" and the like. They also want to know if I have any certifications, such as the A+ certification.

I don't have any of the certifications, or "formal training" but I'm sure I'm more competent than any of the repair guys in there.

What should I do? Get certified? Just put "no formal training" etc, on the application?

Thanks

Advice: Don't work at best buy.

 

[trOver]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Aren't the only two requirements to work at Best Buy:

1) A pulse
2) A complete lack of ethics or a conscious

I guess that #2 is optional, but I'm sure that it would make recommending $80 Monster Cables to 70 year old retirees living on Social Security much easier.

Its gona be hard doing that...

 

[Gothgar]

Originally posted by: trOver

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Aren't the only two requirements to work at Best Buy:

1) A pulse
2) A complete lack of ethics or a conscious

I guess that #2 is optional, but I'm sure that it would make recommending $80 Monster Cables to 70 year old retirees living on Social Security much easier.

Its gona be hard doing that...

dont forget to tell said 70 year old if they dont spend the 80 dollars on the monster cable their pacemaker will most likely stop running....

 

[Kalmah]

I agree with just about everything that has been said.

I've been working at circuit city for about 2 years now as a sales person. In complete honesty, I have more respect for their firedog than best buys geek squad. But as a computer tech, you are just as much of a salesman as you are a tech. Making sure customers are happy is low on the priority list. The top thing on the list is the sales goals.

So basically, if you don't make sales goals, you get chewed out, feel totally disrespected, job is on the line constantly. One day you are the mangers' best friend, the next you are on the edge of getting fired.. back and forth.. the constant nagging from managers slowly brainwashes you.. you start becoming dirty, putting your job first instead of ethics.

When you do make sales goals, you get a 'ok, now do more' from the managers. They get commission off every dollar you make once sales goals are 100%. (in cc, this includes techs as well) So once you hit 100% the managers don't get happy like you would think.. they get greedy... they want MORE so that they can get more commission while you get squat.

It's even better when your store gets some kind of special recognition for doing so good so all the managers get bonuses on their checks even though they did nothing but sit on their asses bitching and complaining while you get nothing after working your ass off.

Managers are usually ridiculous. They have no idea what the hell they are doing, if they make mistakes, it's your fault.


It's pretty much the equivilent of hell. I think I'm stuck though. They work around my demanding school schedule.

Oh, and if you are lucky enough to witness a Black Friday.. you'll wish you where being drowned in a septic tank swallowing and throwing up urine and shit while you slowly suffocate instead.


The good side...
You learn some valuable social skills and build alot of confidence that I don't think you could get anywhere else unless you where just born with it. It's hard to explain..

 

[nod218]

What you should know about Geek Squad is that it's more sales knowledge then technical knowledge. One of the key things to do is always recommend stuff. For example, the interviewer might ask you how you would go about selling a laptop to a person. First thing to say is ask questions, get to understand the customer and tailor a solution to fit their needs. Then when you sold the computer you want to tack on as many "optional" stuff, always recommend the Geek Squad protection plan and optimization and provide examples from your real life experience where you need spyware removal and how it was a pain to do and having the protection plan would help out in the long run (total BS but the interviewer will feel, you can relate to the customer). Also they might ask you what you would recommend the customer to buy. Again, this is is a probing question....essentially they want Geek Squad people to be able to sale the protection plan because that's where the bulk of their money comes from, is the service plans. So you would recommend the extended warranty, protection plan, antivirus, spyware, additional memory, printer, power strip, bag, mouse, usb flash drive, microsoft office, etc.

Another question they might ask is..."if a customer bought in a computer wanting to upgrade it to windows vista and install a dvd burner, what would you do?" The correct answer is sell them a new computer with a warranty, protection plan, antivirus, etc. You'll want to explain how you came up with this answer, because a fresh install with OS will run about 300-400 dollars at Geek Squad...so you can say that it's a cheaper option for the customer, but in fact it's a cheaper option for Bestbuy. Not only will they get a computer sold, but they don't have to waste time on a OS install which could take over 2 hours, where as you can sell the customer a new computer and get them to buy the additional junk.

Remember they are not looking for technicians, they are looking for people with the attitude to sell crappy plans with a smile on their face and look sincere.

Basically everything in this post is true http://forums.anandtech.com/me...word1=%22geek+squad%22

 

[Gooberlx2]

Originally posted by: JS80

Originally posted by: Ns1
Text


/thread

wow that was awesome.

QFT...I was actually a little sad when it ended.

 

[Pepsi90919]

i see you've pretty much given up on life

 

[trOver]

holy shit this is gona be hell. Only 3 months though, well see how it goes =]

 

[trOver]

oh and ill be sure to document my findings in a thread