Just got hired by Best Buy... please come share your BB horror stories...

[fooshkee]

So there's a new best buy coming to my area and I was in dire need of a summer job... and the new BB opens 2 days after school gets out so that was a score... and I'm a 17 year old male... so it seemed like a decent summer job. I went down to the hiring place, filled out the app, took the stupid phone screening test and just had my interview yesterday... went pretty well... lots of lame questions, did stupid "role playing" with the interviewer (pretending he was a customer, etc)... decided to be a part-time non commisioned computer salesman... i got offered $8.25 (min. wage is $6.15 here)...

So... anyone have any experience with best buy? I've heard BB kinda sucks... am I going to most likely hate this job? Is noncommissioned pc sales pretty hard or not so bad? I'm assuming there's a good amount of pressure to push their service plans and what not... did I get a decent rate per hour?

Thanks a lot... any thoughts at all would be appreciated...

 

[Electric Amish]

Sales person didn't know the difference between 80mm and 60mm fans.....and they don't carry 60mm fans (dick-heads).

amish

 

[Iron Woode]

You know there are websites dedicated to bashing BB.

Just google them.

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: fooshkee
So there's a new best buy coming to my area and I was in dire need of a summer job... and the new BB opens 2 days after school gets out so that was a score... and I'm a 17 year old male... so it seemed like a decent summer job. I went down to the hiring place, filled out the app, took the stupid phone screening test and just had my interview yesterday... went pretty well lots of lame questions, did stupid "role playing" with the interviewer (pretending he was a customer, etc)... ... decided to be a part-time non commisioned computer salesman... i got offered $8.25 (min. wage is $6.15 here)...

So... anyone have any experience with best buy? I've heard BB kinda sucks... am I going to most likely hate this job? Is noncommissioned pc sales pretty hard or not so bad? I'm assuming there's a good amount of pressure to push their service plans and what not... did I get a decent rate per hour?

Thanks a lot... any thoughts at all would be appreciated...

You're not going to do well there.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

my ex roommate worked for BB for 2 years. He said it's not bad, cept for them pushing you to sell the warranties.

 

[jacob0401]

One thing I hate about salespeople is when you ask them a question and they proceed to evade the question and point out the blatantly obvious. Or if because they cannot answer the question they make up stuff.

 

[yllus]

Originally posted by: fooshkee
So... anyone have any experience with best buy? I've heard BB kinda sucks... am I going to most likely hate this job? Is noncommissioned pc sales pretty hard or not so bad? I'm assuming there's a good amount of pressure to push their service plans and what not... did I get a decent rate per hour?

*shrugs* It's not so awful. Good job for an university-level student who doesn't want to be too cerebrally challenged after school hours are done with. Just be warned that even while you're non-commissioned, you'll still be pushed pretty hard to bring in service plan dollars. I was very surprised by the fact that like 80% of people will come into the store to buy something they have done no research on...they are yours to meld.

Even though it's easy to abuse that trust, I take the approach that if you sell someone something that they don't need (because it's more than they need, or just plain lying about an item), sooner or later someone is going to tell them so and A) the store likely won't see much more of their business in the future and B) you could land in some pretty hot water. Take it as an opportunity to learn to talk/persuade people and maybe even teach them a thing or two and you'll have fun.

 

[BlamoHammer]

You will be encouraged (read: expected) to sell profitably. Youre store is ranked on 5 categories: Serivce Plans, Accessories, Revenue, Margin, and Digital Subscriptions (MSN, Netflix, DSS). The definition of doing a good job is then to sell a computer, attach a service plan to it, have the customer take home all the accessories, and sign up for internet service.

If this sounds like something you'd like to do for every customer then you'll be fine. However, if you dont believe in the things you sell (warranties, UPS, ink, etc) then you wont do as well. BSing can never substitute honestly believing in what you sell. It's not a bad job if you can sell and dont get your personal take on the products get mixed up in it. Would I ever buy an eMachine for myself? No way. But if a customer comes in and thats what they want, then I have to make them feel good about their purchase because thats what salesmen do.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me. I worked as a Computer Department Supervisor for three years and I know/have seen it all.

 

[murphy55d]

Best Buy gave me a 20 or 25 dollar gift card after the Ti4600 incident.
That is all.

 

[slycat]

i have never walked into one.
and i live in san francisco.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: jacob0401
One thing I hate about salespeople is when you ask them a question and they proceed to evade the question and point out the blatantly obvious. Or if because they cannot answer the question they make up stuff.

"Telling ain't selling."

 

[BlamoHammer]

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: jacob0401
One thing I hate about salespeople is when you ask them a question and they proceed to evade the question and point out the blatantly obvious. Or if because they cannot answer the question they make up stuff.

"Telling ain't selling."

Ha! Thats a good quote!!

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: AngryPirate

Originally posted by: Vic

Originally posted by: jacob0401
One thing I hate about salespeople is when you ask them a question and they proceed to evade the question and point out the blatantly obvious. Or if because they cannot answer the question they make up stuff.

"Telling ain't selling."

Ha! Thats a good quote!!

I believe it's from Tom Hopkins, the sales techniques and fundamentals guru. I've done large commission sales for 10 years. What most people think of as a "salesperson" is really nothing of the kind.
There's a simple litmus test to find out if you're really working with a salesperson or not. Next time you're shopping for something and working with a "salesperson," ask them a simple question about the product. Like at Best Buy, look at a PC and ask if you get the same PC with a faster processor. If the representative takes you to look at a different model or launches into some spiel about the various speeds available, they don't do sales. If the rep asks a question, something like, "Are you interested in owning a PC with a faster processor?" or something like that, then more than likely, you've found a real salesperson.

 

[Rob9874]

I worked for BB for a few years in college, before quitting to work for Circuit City. CC was commission then, and I tripled my income (made $5.75 at BB in '94). But I liked working for BB much better. Probably because it was non-commission. I have such bad blood with CC, and a real affinity for BB. Now as a customer, I could live at BB. However, I wouldn't buy any of their computers or audio equipment (too low-end), I love their selection of video stuff, DVDs, CDs, software, and accessories. When I go in a BB, I feel like a kid at Disneyland!

 

[Sophia]

How not to sell an extended warranty on a computer: tell the customer that the HP manufacturer warranty doesn't cover a couple of parts like the cd-rom. HP warranties its computers but doesn't warranty the whole computer? Um, sure....

 

[GermyBoy]

If you work there, please a) know your inventory and b) tell someone the truth, espeically if you don't know. Don't say, well it doesn't say on the box, but I'm sure it will.

That will get you yelled at.

 

[fooshkee]

bumpppp

 

[Vette73]

All you need to know about BB........*/*/*/*/*/*/

 

[faZZter]

Hmmmm. I've got tons of good deals at BB through rebates or sales. Every time I have a problem with something it is returned or replaced no problem. Haven't really had problems price matching either.

Maybe I'm just lucky??

I HAVE seen clueless sales people answering other clueless customer questions though........and being totally wrong or uninformed, but that doesn't affect me, I know more about what they are selling than they do generally.

For example I bought a car stereo head unit and decided after about 2 weeks that the FM reception sucked azz. So I returned it and got a different unit without a prob. They swapped it out for free plus the 10 bucks price difference on the new unit.

 

[MikeMike]

hopefully BestBuy hires me, i should be gettin a call for an interview soon after the phone interview.


and yeah you arent a salesman if you said

"did stupid "role playing" with the interviewer (pretending he was a customer, etc)... "

you just wont make it.

 

[RossMAN]

CC > BB

 

[bubbadu]

Originally posted by: RossMAN
CC > BB

Staples > CC > BB

I just applied at BB though.. going to make the dark side conversion in order to get the discount from Staples to BB.. they are going to call me in this week to interview.

-Bubbadu

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: bubbadu

Originally posted by: RossMAN
CC > BB

Staples > CC > BB

I just applied at BB though.. going to make the dark side conversion in order to get the discount from Staples to BB.. they are going to call me in this week to interview.

-Bubbadu

Please clarify that Staples B&M > CC > BB

Staples B&M have some awesome clearance deals and coupons can easily be acquired

However my poop > Staples.com

 

[bubbadu]

Originally posted by: RossMAN

Originally posted by: bubbadu

Originally posted by: RossMAN
CC > BB

Staples > CC > BB

I just applied at BB though.. going to make the dark side conversion in order to get the discount from Staples to BB.. they are going to call me in this week to interview.

-Bubbadu

Please clarify that Staples B&M > CC > BB

Staples B&M have some awesome clearance deals and coupons can easily be acquired

However my poop > Staples.com

That is correct Staples.com is crap 90% of the time... gotta love Staples B&M... i just can't stand no geting a discount so i make up for it with PM's ... i have worked there for almost 2 years and i am going to try to work at BB though

-Bubbadu

 

[RossMAN]

Staples.com is crap because they blacklisted me, something about coupon abuse which is only partially true.