• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Best Buy IMPLODES: 400 Layoffs, 50 stores closing

Status
Not open for further replies.
Carnby

Carnby

Member
ElectricBlanketFire said:
How about this: Tell me what your point is.
Click to expand...

Pro Tip: READ past number 3.


jaekwon15 said:
My Best Buy Experience:

1) Go to any section

2) Can't find item

3) Can't find sales person

4) Go to different section and find sales person

5) Ask sales person for help

6) Sales person goes to computer and looks at bestbuy.com to see if item is in stock

7) Question why I even bothered going to the store instead of shopping online.
Click to expand...

I'm sharing how my Best Buy experiences are unsatisfactory. But if you want to be an asshole and tell me that I shouldn't expect any customer service and a knowledgeable staff, then enjoy talking to yourself, winner.
 
M

Mashing

Member
Bought a washer from them the other day (and switched to the Directv at the same time for their $150 giftcard promotion). Other than being in the store for a couple hours, it was a pleasant experience. I like the Best Buy right down the road from me, hopefully that one is not closing. I do like the buy online if I can avoid sales tax. Unfortunately Amazon is not one of them for me (they have a warehouse in Texas I think).
 
G

Ghost_Protocol

Member
Mudkips said:
Too much of the general populace still really doesn't like to buy things online, and there is always the instant gratification of leaving a store with an item.

Circuit City will shrink and restructure, but it's not going anywhere.
Click to expand...


I expect Fry's Electronics to outlast Best Buy.
 
T

ThisWreckage

Banned
I am not convinced the economy is improving whatsoever. Best Buy might have had high prices and questionable services, but that's a lot of jobs lost. Not even grocery stores are safe.
 
J

Jimothy

Member
MightyHedgehog said:
I wonder how the crumbling brick 'n mortar retail industry is going to affect online retail competitiveness for pricing. With less serious competition to worry about, there's even less incentive to cutting their margins back and less reason to excel at customer service. It's like a snake eating its tail or something as we've come back to a new, but old corporate retail pyramid.
Click to expand...

As long as Walmart is around (hint: forever), Amazon will keep their prices competitive.
 
S

sangreal

Member
Sol.. said:
I don't like purchasing large objects online. i'm sure my postman hates it more than I do. Dude almost died trying to deliver an exercise bike for my roommate.
Click to expand...

Your regular postman had to do that? I've bought online:
2 large TVs
Refrigerator
Weight Bench
Power Rack

Amazon always contracts with a freight company to deliver these things. Usually with 'white glove' service that will carry it wherever you want it
 
T

tapedeck

Do I win a prize for talking about my penis on the Internet???
Pretty sure everyone on Earth saw this coming. I worked there for a couple years after college, they should have taken Amazon much more seriously much sooner.
 
V

VivaZapata

Banned
sv5Ju.jpg
 
Hari Seldon

Hari Seldon

Member
Staccat0 said:
If you want to know why, try finding something on their website.
Click to expand...

Yeah that is a huge problem. You would think having a decent fucking website with a database that links everything to the stores would be a top fucking priority for these idiots. I guess that is why you shouldn't hire a former sales clerk as your CEO.
 
T

Tobor

Member
The company is betting its future largely on mobile and the commission it is paid by wireless carriers to activate services . By 2016 it hopes to have as many as 800 mobile-only locations, up from 305 today.
Click to expand...

Makes sense. It's worked for RadioShack so far.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
I hope they don't go out of business. It's were I view the latest TVs before going on Amazon to buy them for 1/3 off.

I can't take the upsell that all these retail store do these days as well.
 
M

marrec

Banned
Hari Seldon said:
Best Buy just has to hold out until the sales tax hammer drops on Amazon. It is already starting to in many states.
Click to expand...

We get taxed for Amazon purchases here in Pennsylvania and I'd still much rather buy on Amazon because they still have cheaper prices. Also free 2 day shipping.
 
C

captive

Joe Six-Pack: posting for the common man
MetatronM said:
400 layoffs but 50 stores closing? How is that possible? That's only 8 people per store.

Or are the dozens of people at each store not counted as "layoffs?"
Click to expand...

it says some of the layoffs will come from corporate.
 
M

msdstc

Incredibly Naive
I've been telling my friends this for quite some time now, but they had no idea that best buy was really struggling to get by. I really hope something survives all of this... I miss video stores, and I'll miss electronics stores as they continue to dissapear.
 
J

JGS

Banned
However, analysts polled by Bloomberg had forecast top line results of $17.15 billion, some $500 million more than the company reported. The quarter also benefitted from an extra week in the company's fiscal calendar — excluding the week would mean revenue actually fell 1.1 percent. Shares were down 6 percent in the first minutes of trading.
Click to expand...
This kind of stuff is stupid.

Far from an implosion, it's a smart move. I got a great deal on my IPhone at best Buy. between them and Walmart, I'm not sure why someone would buy direct from the cell phone companies.
 
J

Javaman

Member
Putting all that faith into mobile units seems like a bad idea to me considering how popular prepaid is becoming.
 
S

sangreal

Member
Hari Seldon said:
Best Buy just has to hold out until the sales tax hammer drops on Amazon. It is already starting to in many states.
Click to expand...

This is a pipe dream. Shipping costs never kept people away from Amazon, and neither will the sales tax. Maybe if BestBuy actually competed with Amazon on prices (pre or post-tax), selection and quality of service
 
S

Somnid

Member
Best Buy unlike its competitors has actually made some decent progress in the online sales war. They actually do have good deals now and often free shipping. Unfortunately their site is still a POS but if they focus they could grow in that area.

Putting their eggs into the mobile business is so dumb though. It's seems increasingly to be a bubble marketplace. They really should really diversify rather than push themselves in a singular direction.

It'll be sad to see them go if they can't turn it around. After Circuit City, Comp USA and Ultimate Electronics left they are the only electronics specialty store in Boulder, CO.
 
J

JORMBO

Darkness no more
Best Buy normally has some decent sales each week around here. When they run sales they rarely actually stock the sale item all week though. Then once the sale is over they have tons of stock in again all overpriced. I gave up trying to shop there.
 
S

StriKeVillain

Banned
I've actually purchased a lot at Best Buy recently. 2 iPads, a B&W center channel speaker, an open-box audio receiver and a handful of blu-rays that go on sale week in and week out. My brother also just purchased an open-box HDTV this past weekend.

I would definitely be sad to see them go but them's the breaks.
 
I

Ignatz Mouse

Banned
I somebody who used to shop there extensively, good riddance.

Their anti-consumer crap and declining quality drove me away ages ago.
 
Rentahamster

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
Best Buy employs 180,000 people and has over 1000 stores. How is laying off 400 people and closing 50 stores "imploding"?
 
D

Dan

No longer boycotting the Wolfenstein franchise
The few times I've wandered in to a Best Buy over the last couple years have been pretty bad. They've got such an atrocious media stock nowadays. Unless you want the very most mainstream stuff, they don't have it.
 
S

Sean

Banned
Hari Seldon said:
Best Buy just has to hold out until the sales tax hammer drops on Amazon. It is already starting to in many states.
Click to expand...

I doubt that will harm Amazon too much since even with sales tax, their prices are usually much cheaper than the competition.
 
M

Mashing

Member
Out of curiosity, is there a brick and mortar retailer that people DO like? I guess it could be a case of the haters being the more vocal group, but I almost never see anything positive said about B&M retailers. Just been wondering.
 
B

BattleMonkey

Member
Sean said:
I doubt that will harm Amazon too much since even with sales tax, their prices are usually much cheaper than the competition.
Click to expand...

They don't change their prices based on where they have to charge sales tax. Price also really not much bearing on the need to collect sales tax. The point that many try to make is that customers will be turned off when they have to start paying tax for their purchases and it will bring prices more in parity
 
M

megashock5

Member
Somnid said:
Best Buy unlike its competitors has actually made some decent progress in the online sales war. They actually do have good deals now and often free shipping. Unfortunately their site is still a POS but if they focus they could grow in that area.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they had some good Black Friday sales online last year, with free shipping.
 
G

gdt

Member
Mashing said:
Out of curiosity, is there a brick and mortar retailer that people DO like? I guess it could be a case of the haters being the more vocal group, but I almost never see anything positive said about B&M retailers. Just been wondering.
Click to expand...

I like Target. If I neeeed something asap, I go there. They try (ish) to PM Amazon, and they have a grocery there if I need bananas or something. Certainly not buying anything big there though, 90% of my shopping is on Amazon.
 
L

levious

That throwing stick stunt of yours has boomeranged on us.
Mudkips said:
Too much of the general populace still really doesn't like to buy things online, and there is always the instant gratification of leaving a store with an item.

Circuit City will shrink and restructure, but it's not going anywhere.
Click to expand...

well they're technically still around...
 
N

Ninja Scooter

Member
At least they are attempting to do something smart by focusing on mobile. Everytime I go in there that seems to be the only section of the store that is busy. They are trying to find a business model that works that's more than can be said for Borders letting people use them like a library and then wondering why they are bankrupt.

I do agree though that they need to find a better niche with their consumer electronic stuff to stay afloat. In the last year all the Best Buys in my area have remodeled and ever since thu are more cluttered and disorganized than ever.
 
B

btkadams

Member
shira said:
Anyone know what happens in Canada? It is idiotic having a Future Shop next to a Best Buy. I assume those are going away.
Click to expand...

as bizarre as it is, the two stores actually hit two different markets. they position themselves differently.


also, this thread leads me to believe bestbuy in the states sucks? in canada, they're extremely competitive with gaming. amazon.ca sucks, so maybe that's why it seems like bestbuy.ca is so great here ha.
 
S

StriKeVillain

Banned
Ninja Scooter said:
At least they are attempting to do something smart by focusing on mobile.
Click to expand...

That is true. I just got an iPhone and they ran a promo last month where if you signed up they gave you an extra $50 off an upgrade. Pretty sweet deal and it got me to use their service instead of heading to Verizon or Apple.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Reuters: GameStop faces 'unsustainable' sales decline, cuts jobs to control costs
Business 2 3 4
150
5K
rm082e replied
Unity announces layoffs
News Game Dev
35
2K
StereoVsn replied
TheVerge: The Epic Games Store still isn’t profitable. It
News 2
68
4K
Freelance Yakuza replied
Bloomberg: Take-Two Bet $12 Billion on Zynga, Just as Mobile Games Tumbled
Game Dev
17
2K
ChuckeRearmed replied
Irish gaming developer WarDucks goes out of business
1
567
Jinzo Prime replied
Top Bottom