I'm thinking about applying for Best Buy tomorrow or monday. It'll be a summer job and hopefully through the school year. Does anyone work for them now? Can you explain the hiring processess? Do they ever turn people down if they have enough staff? I havea bunch more questions that I can't think of right now...
Working For Best Buy?
- Thread starter ArJuN
- Start date
Yea, I figured that. But it's sadly my favorite store. And the discounts would be nice...plus the paycheck...
Tell me about it...****** retarded people (the employees)...hopefully I can atleast bring in some smarts.
FelixDeCat
Lifer
- Aug 4, 2000
- 31,012
- 2,682
- 126
I'll give you an honest response:
The hiring process is simple. As long as you can pass a drug test, talk to the interviewers for more than 30 seconds, and can pretend like you know a little bit about the area you're applying for (even if you're making it up. As long as you can give technical jargon about a product that would confuse the average buyer, even if it's random stuff from a Star Trek episode), you will be hired if they have a spot open. Fortunately for you, BB has a turnaround rate higher than your average restaurant.
Getting in is simple. Staying in is the hard part. You will be forced, with the penalty for failure being you get fired, to sell those service plans to almost every single customer that walks in. You will be required to sell (at least in the computer department) a minimum of 3 overpriced by 400% accessories per computer.
There is a monthly meeting, on the first sunday of every month, that you are required to attend but ammounts to nothing more than your store manager telling every department how much they suck and that they need to work better. Hope you have thick skin, unless your store is the best in the district... in which case you only need medium skin ("you suck, we could do better, but at least we're ahead of the others").
Honestly, if you're smart enough to ask a technical forum what the BB jobs are like, you shouldn't go there. They might not be as blatently and in-your-face forcing their help wanted ad's at you, but there are 100 other jobs at the moment that are looking for the skiills you have and are paying more money.
EDIT: Yes, the discount is very nice. They actually use the discount as a hiring tool to sucker potential employees in. Don't let that be the reason you hire on.
The hiring process is simple. As long as you can pass a drug test, talk to the interviewers for more than 30 seconds, and can pretend like you know a little bit about the area you're applying for (even if you're making it up. As long as you can give technical jargon about a product that would confuse the average buyer, even if it's random stuff from a Star Trek episode), you will be hired if they have a spot open. Fortunately for you, BB has a turnaround rate higher than your average restaurant.
Getting in is simple. Staying in is the hard part. You will be forced, with the penalty for failure being you get fired, to sell those service plans to almost every single customer that walks in. You will be required to sell (at least in the computer department) a minimum of 3 overpriced by 400% accessories per computer.
There is a monthly meeting, on the first sunday of every month, that you are required to attend but ammounts to nothing more than your store manager telling every department how much they suck and that they need to work better. Hope you have thick skin, unless your store is the best in the district... in which case you only need medium skin ("you suck, we could do better, but at least we're ahead of the others").
Honestly, if you're smart enough to ask a technical forum what the BB jobs are like, you shouldn't go there. They might not be as blatently and in-your-face forcing their help wanted ad's at you, but there are 100 other jobs at the moment that are looking for the skiills you have and are paying more money.
EDIT: Yes, the discount is very nice. They actually use the discount as a hiring tool to sucker potential employees in. Don't let that be the reason you hire on.
Wow, that's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks man. That made me not want to join lol. What "other" jobs did you mean?
I worked for them 6 or 7 years ago.
I wouldn't recommend them. They were terrible. They made me change my wedding plans due to their black out dates. They simply refused to give me time off.
I was really good at selling those stupid service plans. My department was the number one dept in the whole country. My reward? A $0.10 raise. So I quit.
If you're set on working there, get the employee discount, suck them dry, and tell them to blow you as you walk out the door the next day.
I wouldn't recommend them. They were terrible. They made me change my wedding plans due to their black out dates. They simply refused to give me time off.
I was really good at selling those stupid service plans. My department was the number one dept in the whole country. My reward? A $0.10 raise. So I quit.
If you're set on working there, get the employee discount, suck them dry, and tell them to blow you as you walk out the door the next day.
DainBramaged
Lifer
- Jun 19, 2003
- 23,454
- 41
- 91
Not sure if they still have it, but when I worked there they hired temporary employees during the holidays that got the employee discount. I think it was from November until January.
If all your after is the employee discount than this was the way to go. I think you got the discount immediately vs having to wait 30 days. Then make sure they think you're filthy rich and live in a huge house or with your parents in a huge house. That way you can justify buying 5 TV's.
The better route is to just find a friend who works there.
If all your after is the employee discount than this was the way to go. I think you got the discount immediately vs having to wait 30 days. Then make sure they think you're filthy rich and live in a huge house or with your parents in a huge house. That way you can justify buying 5 TV's.
The better route is to just find a friend who works there.
watdahel
Golden Member
RaistlinZ
Diamond Member
- Oct 15, 2001
- 7,470
- 9
- 91
I worked at BB for almost 3 years in the computer department. The employee discount was nice on some things, it was fun fiddling with the new laptops that came in every week, and there are quite a few cute girls working at Customer Service, but other than that I hated it.
A lot of it depends on which department you want to work in.
If you choose Media, expect to spend about 85% of you day downstocking CD's and DVD's and the other 15% of your time answering stupid questions like, "Where do you guys keep your CD's and DVD's?". :roll:
The Car-Fi department is pretty laid back at most stores I've been to. They don't get many customers and the customers they do get usually kinda know what they're looking for, so you get fewer dumb questions.
Home Theater is a good department if you're into TV's and surround sound systems and such; or if you love sales and are good at selling things like NetFlix, monster cables, and extended service plans. Top sellers in Home Theatre can usually get promoted to Supervisor if you see yourself staying with BB.
Appliances is by far the most boring department to work in, at least in the store I worked at. Most people don't think of Best Buy first when it's time to buy a new refrigerator, so you could go over an hour without a customer setting foot in your department.
Digital Imaging / Wireless is a lot like Home Theater and PCHO (computer department). You'll be expected to tack on as many accessories as you can to each purchase. The busy time of year is the Christmas shopping season so don't expect to get any days off in December.
PCHO is where I worked. It's easily the most selling-intensive department to work in and your sales will be closely monitored. If you don't like selling, stay away. You're pretty much expected to tack on the following to each computer: 1) extended warranty 2) UPS surge 3) $40 USB printer cable (store cost on these is about $1.50. I'm not joking) 4) printer paper 5) printer ink 6) Antivirus/Spyware + installation 7) DSL/Cable/AOL subscription 8) Reward Zone membership 9) Geek Squad in-home wireless networking setup. There's probably a few more that I'm forgetting, but those are the basics. Top sellers in PCHO can pretty much get promoted whenever they want, which is good if you want to be a Sales Manager.
As a summer job it might be good, but don't stay past that. Selling your soul to sell extended warranties for $8.75/hr just isn't worth it in the long run.
A lot of it depends on which department you want to work in.
If you choose Media, expect to spend about 85% of you day downstocking CD's and DVD's and the other 15% of your time answering stupid questions like, "Where do you guys keep your CD's and DVD's?". :roll:
The Car-Fi department is pretty laid back at most stores I've been to. They don't get many customers and the customers they do get usually kinda know what they're looking for, so you get fewer dumb questions.
Home Theater is a good department if you're into TV's and surround sound systems and such; or if you love sales and are good at selling things like NetFlix, monster cables, and extended service plans. Top sellers in Home Theatre can usually get promoted to Supervisor if you see yourself staying with BB.
Appliances is by far the most boring department to work in, at least in the store I worked at. Most people don't think of Best Buy first when it's time to buy a new refrigerator, so you could go over an hour without a customer setting foot in your department.
Digital Imaging / Wireless is a lot like Home Theater and PCHO (computer department). You'll be expected to tack on as many accessories as you can to each purchase. The busy time of year is the Christmas shopping season so don't expect to get any days off in December.
PCHO is where I worked. It's easily the most selling-intensive department to work in and your sales will be closely monitored. If you don't like selling, stay away. You're pretty much expected to tack on the following to each computer: 1) extended warranty 2) UPS surge 3) $40 USB printer cable (store cost on these is about $1.50. I'm not joking) 4) printer paper 5) printer ink 6) Antivirus/Spyware + installation 7) DSL/Cable/AOL subscription 8) Reward Zone membership 9) Geek Squad in-home wireless networking setup. There's probably a few more that I'm forgetting, but those are the basics. Top sellers in PCHO can pretty much get promoted whenever they want, which is good if you want to be a Sales Manager.
As a summer job it might be good, but don't stay past that. Selling your soul to sell extended warranties for $8.75/hr just isn't worth it in the long run.
Wow thanks for the help guys. I'm probably going to head over there soon and see how it is, maybe ask a few employees there for their personal experiences at the store. What is the pay like? I'm expecting minimum wage. As for the departments RasitlinZ listed, I wouldn't touch Media, or Appliances. Everything else I'm interested in. Where would video games fall under?
The Stigenator
Lifer
- Oct 9, 1999
- 15,216
- 3
- 81
i just joined BB.
the online app is the first interview (make sure you do well in it) then there are 2 more interviews.
I just started 2 weeks into it, and let me tell you pushing service plans and monster cable is NOT fun! and working with idiot customers who brings a white van speakers and wants to run 200w per channel (because the 2 sheets of paper as a manual says so) is not fun. Otherwise its okay. I am doing it for the summer, i am not bothered by the discounts, but i may do it into the fall semester (part time) - right now i am doing close to 40/week.
I would buy an HDTV and all but frankly the amount of 'pushing' sales .. its stupid.. seriously one doesnt need 150 dollar monster hdmi cables for something or even teh monster whatever 1000 / 800 component cables.. standard component cables will do fine.
i think the part of the problem is (atleast with me) is that my ethics of what i consider minimum requirements for average user makes me feel liek i am over selling something they dont need.
Seriously if you buy a 5000$ HDTV plasma and not spend for the HDTV signal or the upgraded dvd player (they didnt even have an progressive scan one - well probably not a progressive scan one).. tehn teh only reason you are buying the big tv is to show off.. and in the end you are being as ignorant as the next idiot who bought a hdtv and didnt get to use it to the full potential.
edit: service plans for the flat panel and dlp's are a must if you re thinking of it, i've already seen 2 tv's that arent holding up to specs.
the online app is the first interview (make sure you do well in it) then there are 2 more interviews.
I just started 2 weeks into it, and let me tell you pushing service plans and monster cable is NOT fun! and working with idiot customers who brings a white van speakers and wants to run 200w per channel (because the 2 sheets of paper as a manual says so) is not fun. Otherwise its okay. I am doing it for the summer, i am not bothered by the discounts, but i may do it into the fall semester (part time) - right now i am doing close to 40/week.
I would buy an HDTV and all but frankly the amount of 'pushing' sales .. its stupid.. seriously one doesnt need 150 dollar monster hdmi cables for something or even teh monster whatever 1000 / 800 component cables.. standard component cables will do fine.
i think the part of the problem is (atleast with me) is that my ethics of what i consider minimum requirements for average user makes me feel liek i am over selling something they dont need.
Seriously if you buy a 5000$ HDTV plasma and not spend for the HDTV signal or the upgraded dvd player (they didnt even have an progressive scan one - well probably not a progressive scan one).. tehn teh only reason you are buying the big tv is to show off.. and in the end you are being as ignorant as the next idiot who bought a hdtv and didnt get to use it to the full potential.
edit: service plans for the flat panel and dlp's are a must if you re thinking of it, i've already seen 2 tv's that arent holding up to specs.
I keep going back and forth on whether I want to apply to Best Buy, too. I have a friend working at one though, so I'm just going to use his discount if I ever want something. The thought of buying some goodies and selling them on ebay has crossed my mind. I'm just looking for a month's worth of paychecks for the sake of having more money than I do now.
If you have any kind of sales experience you should be able to get more than minimum wage. I had a little bit of experience and they started me at $8/hr and I didn't even try to push for more. I worked in the digital imaging department and that was pretty easy. Selling the service plans on the cameras was a piece of cake. Video games, cd's, and software are all in the same department I believe.
Jeff7
Lifer
- Jan 4, 2001
- 41,596
- 20
- 81
They will leech off of you until you have no intelligence left.
It'll be one of those where everyone just says "Oh I don't know, just ask HIM," and then they point to you.
That's the kind of crap I couldn't do. Those ludicrously expensive printer cables were a joke. $5 will get you a USB cable online. All that extra bonus crap is just that. Crap.
Yep. But that's where BB makes their profit. All of those are either 100% profit, or 95% profit. The markup on the actual computer tower and monitor is somewhere around 3-5% over cost. That's why they ride your ass about selling accessories, and fire people that can't do it.
SKORPI0
Lifer
- Jan 18, 2000
- 18,481
- 2,418
- 136
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