Who actually buys anything from Best Buy?

[Just.me]

I have only good feelings with BB, price matching and very nice sales !

 

[Capt Caveman]

Follow FatWallet or Slickdeals, people are always pricing matching at BB. A few years ago, you could use your Chase Rewards points on BB's website and get 50+% on most everything. Wish they would do it again.

 

[TheSlamma]

Where is the OP? he blaze after he found out not everyone thinks like him and his thread backfired?

 

[Eug]

The other thing about Best Buy I like is that you can just order online and tell them to reserve for pickup. They don't charge your credit card either until you pick it up.

This avoids having to go to the main store area and waiting around for sales clerks to help you, and avoids having to wait at the checkout line. You just end up waiting at customer service for your pickup, which is usually about 5 minutes or less, and you know it's in stock because you've already reserved it. This is esp. useful for low stock items.

Oh and returns are easy as pie.

 

[Jumpem]

They are convenient for things that you are not sure you will like, such as keyboards and mice. You can try it, and if it isn't comfortable take it back. They have actually also been becoming more price competitive with Amazon.

 

[vi edit]

Their appliance prices are some of the best out there. Put a 10% movers coupon on top and it's the best you'll find. Then add in the 10% reward zone points you get back and now $2200 in appliances that you'd normally pay $2500 for now also gets you back another $220 in reward points.

Now take those reward points, add in a $150 education discount, and another 10% off movers coupon and a sales price of $150 off an Imac and a $1700 Imac is now $1000. Plus you get another $120 back in rewards points on that purchase.

Or so that's how my last couple purchases there have worked out.

 

[herm0016]

got a galaxy note there a few months back. price match with amazon, free screen protector install. works for me.

 

[vi edit]

Oh and if you are on Verizon, they typically do not charge that lame $30 "activation" fee that Verizon stores tack on when you upgrade your phone.

 

[K1052]

Bought my last w/d set there. Along with my 58in Panasonic plasma set a few years ago...got a really good price on it.

 

[Fritzo]

I went in Best Buy a couple months ago to get a HDMI cable. I figured that after being the butt of internet jokes for half a decade BB would have brought their prices in line with online sellers. Nope. $8 from Amazon or $60 at BB. I did stop to play with the Kindles.

Back in the 90s BB was the bees knees but they lost their way.

Also, how does one buy decent speakers these days? One used to go to a stereo/TV store, CC, or BB to listen to them first. Now BB's speaker room is almost empty. I went to visit my parents and they have an American TV store which used to have an enormous selection of speakers. Their speaker room was also about empty. Ultimate Electronics went bust. Can't really try speakers out over the internet.

Their Rocketfish brand HDMI cable is $29. That's still pricey, but it's not $60.

The best place to go for HDMI cables is 5 Below (if you have one near you). They have $5 HDMI 1.4 cables all over the place Menards has great prices on them too.

 

[Brian Stirling]

Buying locally if the price is right is advised if you're talking big ticket items as it's just easier to return to a local store than go through the hassle of sending back a TV.

The online chains depend on places like BB to provide the hands on stuff and to provide technical/sales assistance and then the customer, armed with that knowledge, goes and buys online to save a few dollars. When all the brick and mortar stores are dead and burred they online places will have to find a way to provide what the brick and mortar stores did and it will increase there cost.

I worked briefly at Fry's in Vegas and there were several occasions when I got a call from a customer asking questions about a camera only to discover that they were actually in a Walmart. They went to Wally World for the lower prices but got no help at all from the sales people so they'd call Fry's to ask questions. In essence, Fry's was providing sales help for Walmart.


Brian

 

[allisolm]

Bought husband an apple TV for Father's Day at BB since it came with a $25 iTunes GC and $5 off my next purchase, which I made sure was right after I paid for the apple TV. So I got the $25 GC and $5 worth of batteries free with the $100 apple TV. Price at Amazon and Newegg at the time was around $95 and you got no freebies.

Got an iPad mini for $199 there at Christmas. Price everywhere else was $299.

Bought our razr M phones there as Verizon wanted $50 and BB had them for free.

People like the OP who dismiss them out of hand miss out on some really good deals.

 

[squarecut1]

Where is the OP? he blaze after he found out not everyone thinks like him and his thread backfired?

He is thinking of other ways in which he is cooler than everybody else

 

[OBLAMA2009]

Bought husband an apple TV for Father's Day at BB since it came with a $25 iTunes GC and $5 off my next purchase, which I made sure was right after I paid for the apple TV. So I got the $25 GC and $5 worth of batteries free with the $100 apple TV. Price at Amazon and Newegg at the time was around $95 and you got no freebies.

Got an iPad mini for $199 there at Christmas. Price everywhere else was $299.

Bought our razr M phones there as Verizon wanted $50 and BB had them for free.

People like the OP who dismiss them out of hand miss out on some really good deals.

not to mention if you go there often enuff you gonna see sum funnie sheet:

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2389184

 

[FeuerFrei]

I might show up at Best Buy to fondle a keyboard, mouse, camera, or see some monitors in action every few years. There's no reason to visit them regularly though.

I killed time in a Best Buy two weekends ago. I'd checked out of the hotel but it was too early to hit the airport. A first-generation Nexus 7 32GB was on clearance for $151. I checked Amazon and found it selling for $149 - so fair market price, not a raging deal. I ended up walking out with two CDs!!!1!!

CDs or flash drives would be what I'm most likely to buy there.

 

[BUTCH1]

I bought a cheap "40 RCA LCD TV there last week, price was good@$259 (which matched anything Amazon or Walmart had), I didn't have to wait for ship to store nor did I have to hope it didn't get damaged by UPS or had dead pixels, if it did I had the option of returning it the same day, not re-boxing it, shipping it back out and wait for another. Also I got the extended 5 year warranty for $60 and it includes lightning damage, this is quite an issue here in central FL..

 

[BUTCH1]

The other thing about Best Buy I like is that you can just order online and tell them to reserve for pickup. They don't charge your credit card either until you pick it up.

This avoids having to go to the main store area and waiting around for sales clerks to help you, and avoids having to wait at the checkout line. You just end up waiting at customer service for your pickup, which is usually about 5 minutes or less, and you know it's in stock because you've already reserved it. This is esp. useful for low stock items.

Oh and returns are easy as pie.

Exactly, I just don't trust UPS or Fed-ex with large flat-screen TV's, yea, Amazon has a great reputation for handling these issues but if you get it at BB or any other B+M then an issue arises, (it dies a week later or it has dead pixels) you can return it and be back up and running the same day, not 10 days later..

 

[OBLAMA2009]

also if bb has a sale and theyre outta stock, you can go to their kiosks and order it and they ship it to you, i think for free. compare that to frys, which uses "sales" with extremely limited quantities to trick u into going to their stores

 

[squarecut1]

I ended up walking out with two CDs!!!1!!

CDs or flash drives would be what I'm most likely to buy there.

Forum speak: You must be a bald 65 year old grandpa who wears socks upto his knees and buys CDs in this day and age.


My speak. I think you're cool

 

[poofyhairguy]

I bought my 50 inch Samsung plasma there and my 60 inch Panasonic plasma there.

They abused the shit out of the poor Panasonic. It is my rescue shelter TV.

 

[trmiv]

I bought a 40" LED tv there the other day. Same price as online, and Amazon charges tax in NC so I couldn't even save that buying it from amazon. I liked the fact that if I didn't like it I could just take it back and not deal with the shipping hassles.

 

[Sonikku]

I got my 40" tv there last year. After I did the research on price and size, their sale had the best fit for my apartment.

 

[steppinthrax]

Where is the OP? he blaze after he found out not everyone thinks like him and his thread backfired?

Nope,

I'm actually pretty surprised at the number of people that came back. I didn't know about the price match and the ease of it. I may try it out now!!!! Still I'm not running to BB though!!

 

[nageov3t]

every couple years, some family member or another will give me a BB gift card... I'll go in and buy a video game or a couple CD's or something.

 

[NutBucket]

Also, how does one buy decent speakers these days? One used to go to a stereo/TV store, CC, or BB to listen to them first. Now BB's speaker room is almost empty. I went to visit my parents and they have an American TV store which used to have an enormous selection of speakers. Their speaker room was also about empty. Ultimate Electronics went bust. Can't really try speakers out over the internet.

I agree with you 100%. I definitely took a leap of faith when I bought our current speakers. But also realize the market for speakers is very small these days. Most people are content with soundbars and worry far more about aesthetics than sound quality.