What kind of discount do employees of Best Buy and Circuit City get?

[DPK]

I would like to grab some extra income with a part time job in the evenings and I was wondering what kind of discounts places like Best Buy and Circuit City give to their employees.

 

[imported_LoKe]

I think they buy things at cost, but I can't be sure.

 

[lancestorm]

I thought Best Buy was about 10% above cost to BB.

 

[EarthwormJim]

Originally posted by: lancestorm
I thought Best Buy was about 10% above cost to BB.

It's 5% for Best Buy. Circuit City has no set amount, depending on what department the item is from it's anywhere from Cost + 4-15%.

 

[sciencewhiz]

At Best Buy, the sale items are sometims cheaper then the employee discount.

 

[flot]

I hear this a lot but have never seen anyone produce actual prices or figures...

The question on MY mind is:

1) How long would I have to work at BB to get said discount?
2) How much would your average $4500 plasma TV cost after said discount?

There's a BB by my house, I'd be happy to get a part time job there for 2 weeks to score a cheap TV, lol.

 

[mi xiao]

depends on what department the product is.

some things are almost 50%, they get a deal on cable (like 1/3 the price), no deal on computers really.

 

[PhlashFoto]

I use to work for both companies and for the abuse and waiting to qualifying for the discount isnt worth it. IIRC, at CC you have to wait 60 days; and for BB it is 30 days I think. During Christmas season. The stores will waive the time requirement and is available instantly.

As for pricing. I think at CC it was "cost" and at BB, it was 5% above cost. Where the discount kicks in great is accessories and extended warranties. I remember a 3 year, 40$ printer warranty was only like 3$ for employees. Then buying blank CDRs which were high prices, for way under .10 each back then. But I dont miss those days that much. I get just as much discounts buying from there as a regular customer.

 

[KB]

Working at BB for the discount isn't worth the hassel. IIRC the discount was about 5% above cost. This was great for audio equipment in the 1990s which was marked up 100 - 200 %, but now Video games, computers and other electronics aren't marke dup much. All the money comes from those extended warranties.

 

[fs5]

If you are looking to buy computer parts, the internet is cheaper. At least for CompUSA. The 'cost' they give the employees is definitely not the cost to compusa.

 

[imported_LoKe]

My uncle worked at Best Buy, I believe he got electronics (his department) at cost.

 

[PhlashFoto]

Only reason these freaking stores even give the discount is so they can get back the paycheck you received the week before. So it's free labor to them while you made them profit from the extended warranties and accessories sales.

1) Work
2) Paycheck
3) Buy Goods from store
4) ...
5) =! Profit

 

[MeanMeosh]

my 50" DLP was $3000 at best buy. i got it for $18xx after the employee discount. after the service plan ($300 instead of $400) and tax, it was $23xx out the store.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

point is you can't beat fry's electronics and their discounts.

$29.99 for a 120gb hard drive a year ago? rofl. $48.88 for a 200gb hard drive???

$69 for a RAPTOR?!?!?!?! HAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[purbeast0]

i used to work at BB. the employee discount is 5% over what best buy pays for the item. on somethings its a huge discount, on some its not. you have to work 30 days before your employee discount kicks in as well.

all i know is that i saved over $1300 when i purchased a bunch of HT stuff on my 30th day, then i quit on my 31st day. fvck best buy, worst store ever. i would never work there again in my LIFE.

 

[DPK]

For those who have worked for Best Buy or Circuit City, how much savings would it be for a TV that cost about 2000. From the previous post, it doesn;t seem like much.

 

[godmare]

Originally posted by: flot
I hear this a lot but have never seen anyone produce actual prices or figures...

The question on MY mind is:

1) How long would I have to work at BB to get said discount?
2) How much would your average $4500 plasma TV cost after said discount?

There's a BB by my house, I'd be happy to get a part time job there for 2 weeks to score a cheap TV, lol.

Probably you haven't gotten a figure on a plasma tv discount because bb's cost for items is nonbpublic information.

 

[Fingolfin269]

The best items were home audio and home theatre when I worked at Best Buy in 2000. Of course the best margin items were pretty much any accessories. I remember buying a $36 printer cable simply because the employee cost was ~$6.

 

[MeanMeosh]

Originally posted by: DPK
For those who have worked for Best Buy or Circuit City, how much savings would it be for a TV that cost about 2000. From the previous post, it doesn;t seem like much.

expect to save about 1/3 off the retail price. i saved just a little over that.

 

[fbrdphreak]

Car Audio -- 50-70% off
Home Audio -- not sure, ~20-30% off?
Home Theater -- not sure, bought a $4000-$5000 LCD HDTV a year ago and paid like $2000-3000 IIRC
Computers -- jack
Computer hardware -- mostly jack, decent amt off video cards
Computer accys (cables, etc) -- 70-90% off
Music/Games/Software -- jack
Cell phone -- ~20-30% off

30 day wait from hire, I believe that is waved (A) if you're an "occasional/seasonal" hire or (B) if you are hired near the holidays

Its a benefit, but not worth working there alone.