Dear Best Buy...

[Red Storm]

Best Buy is a pretty good tech show room. You can check things out person before buying online.

 

[trmiv]

I still buy stuff at Best Buy. Mainly because Amazon charges tax in my state, and I can price match. I'm especially more likely to do it if I'm not 100% sure about the product. Much easier to pop into Best Buy near my work at lunch and just return it.

Also I'd hate to see places like Best Buy go away even if I do plan to buy on Amazon. There aren't many places left you can actually physically examine the stuff before you purchase them. If Best Buy went away I'm not sure where'd I'd go around here to look at stuff.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Today I visited your store to buy a laser printer. Apparently you can't be bothered to staff your stores with employees that work for Best Buy and will sell printers. Instead you have HP shills that even though I ask about the price of a Brother printer that has no tag on it proceed to tell me they can't sell me that printer. Here are the HP printers that print mono laser. Well ok that printer is $140 but how much is the Brother one that has a 250 sheet tray and also wireless networking? Pissed off I check your website to find the printer with better options $20 cheaper. Ask the HP shill what about that? Well that doesn't have "HP Quality". Lmao. Thanks but no thanks. And you know what? Maybe I'll just go buy one at Staples since apparently you're all just bending me over for another $20.

Sincerely, AM "pissed off" CRambler

I hate Brother printers. I've had nothing but the worst luck with them... and Lexmark. They are also crap.

 

[gorcorps]

I have this problem all the time. Apparently "We don't watch TV" is not an acceptable answer as they continue to try to sell you tv service.

Just tell them "the happiest day of my life was when I finally cancelled DirecTV"

It usually takes them back enough that you can get away from them without any follow ups.

 

[evident]

I hate Brother printers. I've had nothing but the worst luck with them... and Lexmark. They are also crap.

Brother laser printers are the only ones i will buy, after having a lifetime of crappy consumer HP and Lexmark ones.



I just went to Best Buy last night out of desperation. spent $40 on a HDMI cable. ugh. Once the one from monoprice comes guess where i'll come back to.

I've had better experiences with buying big ticket items at best buy of late. They price matched my washer dryer combo, and the experience buying a Sony 4K TV was pretty seamless.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Brother laser printers are the only ones i will buy, after having a lifetime of crappy consumer HP and Lexmark ones.



I just went to Best Buy last night out of desperation. spent $40 on a HDMI cable. ugh. Once the one from monoprice comes guess where i'll come back to.

I've had better experiences with buying big ticket items at best buy of late. They price matched my washer dryer combo, and the experience buying a Sony 4K TV was pretty seamless.

I have an hp p2035 at work that has never given me any trouble. A friend of mine works in IT for his company and they were throwing a bunch of P2035s out so he gave me one for my wife to use at home. Haven't had a single problem with it. We also have a color laser HP printer networked at home that we've had for 7 years. It goes through toner quickly but otherwise works fine.

Never had any trouble with HP laser printers.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Brother laser printers are the only ones i will buy, after having a lifetime of crappy consumer HP and Lexmark ones.



I just went to Best Buy last night out of desperation. spent $40 on a HDMI cable. ugh. Once the one from monoprice comes guess where i'll come back to.

I've had better experiences with buying big ticket items at best buy of late. They price matched my washer dryer combo, and the experience buying a Sony 4K TV was pretty seamless.

you can usually get hdmi cables for cheap at one of the discount stores if you need one quick. tj maxx, ross, marshalls, etc. you can actually flip some of the cables for a profit if that's your thing also.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

you can actually flip some of the cables for a profit if that's your thing also.

...

Get a job.

 

[Virge_]

It depends, if your buying a "55 LCD do you really want to find out it has a row of dead pixels after you hook it up?, if you went BM then you just load it up and drive it right back.

Uhh.. it depends on what, exactly?

In the scenario you just described it literally takes me a total of 4 clicks in the Amazon app on my phone to not only create the return, but to schedule the UPS guy to pick it up from my doorstep the next day.

All I have to do is hit 4 buttons on a phone, put it back in the box and tape it up with a label attached to it and leave it outside. Why the fuck would I drive somewhere to return it? Not to mention a replacement is shipped immediately and I get it in 2 days if I ask for it..

Old people are funny. =P The only reason to go to a brick and mortar store is for an absolutely must-have now need and/or a temp fix while your Amazon order is on the way.

 

[Griffinhart]

edit
Pics of planes for those who like WWII bombers.

Hey! I know those planes! I have been a passenger on that specific B-17, and I will be flying on the other bomber this September.

 

[artemicion]

Uhh.. it depends on what, exactly?

In the scenario you just described it literally takes me a total of 4 clicks in the Amazon app on my phone to not only create the return, but to schedule the UPS guy to pick it up from my doorstep the next day.

All I have to do is hit 4 buttons on a phone, put it back in the box and tape it up with a label attached to it and leave it outside. Why the fuck would I drive somewhere to return it? Not to mention a replacement is shipped immediately and I get it in 2 days if I ask for it..

Old people are funny. =P The only reason to go to a brick and mortar store is for an absolutely must-have now need and/or a temp fix while your Amazon order is on the way.

Bought my TV at Best Buy because it was cheaper than it ever was or will be on Amazon. Sale price @ Best Buy was $550. Mover's Coupon brought it down to $500. AmEx $25 off $250 deal for Best Buy brought it down to $450 since Best Buy allowed me to split the purchase into two $250 payments.

Lowest historical price for this particular TV at that time from ANY retailer, online or B&M, was $600.

Young people are funny. =P They think they got the world figured out with absolute rules like "The only reason to go to a brick and mortar store is for an absolutely must-have now need and/or a temp fix while your Amazon order is on the way." Then they get proven wrong by an old timer.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I just went to Best Buy last night out of desperation. spent $40 on a HDMI cable. ugh.

Ug that sucks.

 

[Virge_]

Young people are funny. =P They think they got the world figured out with absolute rules like "The only reason to go to a brick and mortar store is for an absolutely must-have now need and/or a temp fix while your Amazon order is on the way." Then they get proven wrong by an old timer.

Sorry to say, but young people DO have it figured out. The difference between us is you think $500 and dealing with multiple payment methods, coupons, and all sorts of other nonsensical nonsense is an effective use of your time.

I can by your $600 TV for $150 online in Bitcoin direct from the factory in Korea and have it on my door in 3 days. Next time you want a TV just PM me and I'll bank the extra $350 you wasted to buy scotch. You still get the "privilege" of paying $500 for a $600 TV that you appear to be so proud of, and I get scotch - this is a win/win for the both of us.

P.S. Checkmate, your move, old timer.

 

[artemicion]

Sorry to say, but young people DO have it figured out. The difference between us is you think $500 and dealing with multiple payment methods, coupons, and all sorts of other nonsensical nonsense is an effective use of your time.

I can by your $600 TV for $150 online in Bitcoin direct from the factory in Korea and have it on my door in 3 days. Next time you want a TV just PM me and I'll bank the extra $350 you wasted to buy scotch. You still get the "privilege" of paying $500 for a $600 TV that you appear to be so proud of, and I get scotch - this is a win/win for the both of us.

P.S. Checkmate, your move, old timer.

Oh yeah, the coupons and multiple payment methods was SUCH a hassle. I had to ask my wife to massage my fingers after we got home because it was SOOOOOO onerous on my hands. And it took sooooo long to swipe two credit cards into the machine. Such nonsense. Much nonsensical.

Link to the website where you buy my 60" LG Plasma direct from the factory in Korea please. LG 60PB6600 for reference. You should use this year's model though, since, you know, my TV's over a year old now so of course it'll be cheaper now. And FWIW, $600 was the cheapest SALE price for the 60PB6600 when I purchased it. MSRP was higher. Also, reading comprehension. I paid $450, not $500.

PS: Checkmate means the END of a chess game, so "Checkmate, *your move*" makes zero sense.

 

[Fritzo]

thank god for price scanner apps now days.

If you ever need assistance at Best Buy, scan something with your phone. They'll come running over to help you in fear you found the item cheaper elsewhere

 

[Virge_]

PS: Checkmate means the END of a chess game, so "Checkmate, *your move*" makes zero sense.

No need to get butt hurt over this. But just because you seem confused, it's still traditional to lay down your king, ergo your move.

But if you want to act significantly less than your current age for no reason other than the burn you're feeling, then you can always just toss the entire table of pieces over in a huff!

Oops. You already did.

P.S. I can't price your particular TV because it's a Plasma, and for some reason or another you old guys still buy Plasma's instead of LED backlit TV's. Something to do with macular degeneration I believe. Either way, I can currently get a 60" LED LG 2015 model (60LF6100, specifically) SmartTV for $350 shipped.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Sorry to say, but young people DO have it figured out. The difference between us is you think $500 and dealing with multiple payment methods, coupons, and all sorts of other nonsensical nonsense is an effective use of your time.

I can by your $600 TV for $150 online in Bitcoin direct from the factory in Korea and have it on my door in 3 days. Next time you want a TV just PM me and I'll bank the extra $350 you wasted to buy scotch. You still get the "privilege" of paying $500 for a $600 TV that you appear to be so proud of, and I get scotch - this is a win/win for the both of us.

P.S. Checkmate, your move, old timer.

TVs are probably a poor basis for this comparison. Too many nerds buy TVs based on listed specs (4k resolution!, _ms response time!, 480hz motion refresh rate (which is BS), etc.) when really you don't know if it is a good tv unless you see it. So many of the "on paper" kickass 4k value TVs have a motion blur, black levels or blooming that makes me want to throw up in my mouth when I actually watch content on them. There isn't a 4K TV I can buy from Korea that I would actually want to replace my now three year old Best Buy plasma.

The BEST tv bar none period no argument is the LG OLED tv, which actually hits its cheapest price when it goes on sale at a Best Buy. Out the back door of the factory you CAN get panels Apple or Samsung or whoever rejected for cheap, but who cares when Samsung hasn't had a really good TV since they retired the plasma line? It is hard to beat Best Buy for TVs if you actually care about videophile picture quality, which I know isn't something everyone cares about.

P.S. I can't price your particular TV because it's a Plasma, and for some reason or another you old guys still buy Plasma's instead of LED backlit TV's.

Because plasmas are better for actually watching video. Lower black levels (the SINGLE most important metric for picture quality) and minimal motion blur. LED simply is garbage tech in comparison, I'm sorry. Good for gaming and monitors, terrible for enjoying the Blu Ray copy of Scarface as God intended (24p with film grain intact).

 

[Nebor]

TVs are probably a poor basis for this comparison. Too many nerds buy TVs based on listed specs (4k resolution!, _ms response time!, 480hz motion refresh rate (which is BS), etc.) when really you don't know if it is a good tv unless you see it. So many of the "on paper" kickass 4k value TVs have a motion blur, black levels or blooming that makes me want to throw up in my mouth when I actually watch content on them. There isn't a 4K TV I can buy from Korea that I would actually want to replace my now three year old Best Buy plasma.

The BEST tv bar none period no argument is the LG OLED tv, which actually hits its cheapest price when it goes on sale at a Best Buy. Out the back door of the factory you CAN get panels Apple or Samsung or whoever rejected for cheap, but who cares when Samsung hasn't had a really good TV since they retired the plasma line? It is hard to beat Best Buy for TVs if you actually care about videophile picture quality, which I know isn't something everyone cares about.



Because plasmas are better for actually watching video. Lower black levels (the SINGLE most important metric for picture quality) and minimal motion blur. LED simply is garbage tech in comparison, I'm sorry. Good for gaming and monitors, terrible for enjoying the Blu Ray copy of Scarface as God intended (24p with film grain intact).

I think I'm just not that picky about picture quality. I don't "calibrate" my TVs or monitors. I like Samsung because I think they make quality products. I've had a Samsung PN50C7000 (slimline Plasma) since they came out and it still works as well as it did when I got it. It's been relegated to the kitchen (on a pivot mount.) I gave away the 48" Vizio I was using in my bedroom before, and I'll never own another Vizio. Just junk quality through and through. I just bought a Samsung UN65JS8500 because it was the highest end non-curved Samsung I could find. I looked at the LG and Sony models and the picture quality seemed pretty much the same to me. I'd say the picture quality on my new 4k Samsung is maybe 20% better than my old 1080p Plasma Samsung. *shrug* The apps & operating system are light years better (another thing I hated on the Vizio.)

 

[Nebor]

I went to Best Buy to buy a power supply last weekend. It was a Corsair 850W model and it showed as "in stock" online. I walked into the store, and it seemed like a fairly typical Best Buy layout. I walked back towards the computers, and found the peripherals. The only power supplies they had were no-name brand and a couple thermaltakes. And the best video card they had was like a GTX620 or some nonsense. I wandered around puzzle for a while, then waited in a 20 minute line to talk to a salesman. He told me that "all the nice stuff is upstairs." So I go up the elevator, and holy smokes, it's the same setup as downstairs, but with nicer stuff. Like nicer washers & dryers, nicer TVs, nicer computers, and nicer peripherals. I found the power supply I was looking for, and grabbed a pair of Logitech 930 headphones (the fake leather on the cups of my old Logitech G35s is flaking off all over the place.) I also noticed they had EVGA GTX 980s in stock.

I price matched the power supply and headphones to Amazon (total of $11 difference) and went on my merry way. What a strange store layout though.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I think I'm just not that picky about picture quality.

Most people don't, there is nothing wrong with you. Most people watch SD channels stretched wide on 1080p TVs, or 1080p sources at best on 4k TVs. They think Netflix quality is "great" and they use the dynamic preset on the TV just because its the brightest (even though it CRUSHES the quality). They think the point of 120hz is frame interpolation, and that the specs on the box aren't lying to you. Plasma died for a reason, no one cares about picture quality. They care about thinness, apps, cheapness, etc.

Everyone has different priorities, nothing wrong with that. I was just pointing out it is dumb to pretend that your priority applies to everyone- aka maximum specs value is more important than getting the best there is. If you care about picture quality the cheap Korean TV isn't even a consideration, heck no LED tv is. That LG OLED (found cheapest at a Best buy near you) makes them all look like a joke in comparison.

 

[artemicion]

No need to get butt hurt over this. But just because you seem confused, it's still traditional to lay down your king, ergo your move.

But if you want to act significantly less than your current age for no reason other than the burn you're feeling, then you can always just toss the entire table of pieces over in a huff!

Oops. You already did.

P.S. I can't price your particular TV because it's a Plasma, and for some reason or another you old guys still buy Plasma's instead of LED backlit TV's. Something to do with macular degeneration I believe. Either way, I can currently get a 60" LED LG 2015 model (60LF6100, specifically) SmartTV for $350 shipped.

LOL. Where's that link I asked for? Too busy scrambling for a strained explanation for your verbal miscue?

 

[Nebor]

Most people don't, there is nothing wrong with you. Most people watch SD channels stretched wide on 1080p TVs, or 1080p sources at best on 4k TVs. They think Netflix quality is "great" and they use the dynamic preset on the TV just because its the brightest (even though it CRUSHES the quality). They think the point of 120hz is frame interpolation, and that the specs on the box aren't lying to you. Plasma died for a reason, no one cares about picture quality. They care about thinness, apps, cheapness, etc.

Everyone has different priorities, nothing wrong with that. I was just pointing out it is dumb to pretend that your priority applies to everyone- aka maximum specs value is more important than getting the best there is. If you care about picture quality the cheap Korean TV isn't even a consideration, heck no LED tv is. That LG OLED (found cheapest at a Best buy near you) makes them all look like a joke in comparison.

IIRC the LGs you're talking about all had curved screens when I looked at them. I'm not a fan. Sadly Samsung only offers their best dimming tech in their curved 4k TVs. I'm one of those people that's far more able to discern "tech specs" than actual qualitative difference in picture quality, so I would have preferred a 9500 series TV with the better dimming tech if it were available in a flat screen TV.

Edit: I pretty much exclusively watch old SD episodes of Seinfeld on "stretch to fit" picture mode on my 4k Samsung.

 

[poofyhairguy]

Edit: I pretty much exclusively watch old SD episodes of Seinfeld on "stretch to fit" picture mode on my 4k Samsung.

I am pretty sure TBS and I want to say Hulu Plus have HD copies of that show. Just FYI.

 

[Virge_]

LOL. Where's that link I asked for? Too busy scrambling for a strained explanation for your verbal miscue?

I said I can get. Not you can get. You lack the capacity for the process.

The world does not revolve around some bubble you can get a link for. You just choose to reside in said bubble and a few of us play in the real world.

 

[Nebor]

I am pretty sure TBS and I want to say Hulu Plus have HD copies of that show. Just FYI.

I have Hulu Plus (with Showtime,) Netflix, Amazon Prime & HBO Now, but I find it's too difficult to look through all of them to see what's there, and what's new.

I watch Seinfeld off my NAS (but I'll look on Hulu Plus.) Most of the other stuff I watch is from iTunes Season Passes. I really like how I get a notification on my phone, iPad, Apple TV and iTunes for Windows when there's a new episode available.