Best Buy shenanigans with their employees

[stompah]

Sad to hear what is happening over there.

I've been trying to pivot away from Newegg for a few different reasons and trying to move to Best Buy since they have physical presence close to me. Out of the 7 major PC purchases I made within the last year 3 were at Best Buy. Other than the uncertainty of the 5600x (which came through) I was 100% happy with my service from them. Just as I was getting comfortable with everything to do with BB's process they cut employees.

I am talking less about the morality of the business decision and more of their service moving forward. I will probably try to snag a video card from them in the near future but am not excited to see how that experience plays out.

Damn you Fry's for being so close to home and so messed up at the moment.


Prediction: Best Buy will find this was a failed move and try to regain their lost brick and mortar positions. They will flounder in the shadows of Amazon and other component/electronics companies who are already solidly in the online market sphere.

We will wind up with stripped down BB stores with a foot print of 1/4 the size of current stores. Which isn't that bad of an idea if they went straight to that.

 

[BugFreak]

Pretty much every time I have ever tried to use BB they have either screwed it up or made the purchase awful in some way. I try my best to never use them so I think we will see them fail in the coming years. Covid may have delayed this some but the time will come that BB ends up just like Sears.

 

[freakdiablo]

And I kinda sorta just got a TV from them today

They did seem a little understaffed, even with customer count way down due to Covid and the weather being terrible. Took close to 10 minutes to get someone to pull one out, used to be I had sales guys nagging me constantly.

I've been trying to do the same, move away from Amazon, it's easier now as I'm closer to a Walmart/Target/BB/MC. MC is further out of the way than BB, so I usually stop there first to save the trip, so I'll be irked if they go under.

 

[stompah]

I have had decent luck with getting help at my local BB.

Amazon still kills BB and other stores online and brick and mortar. I don't like how they comingle inventory with 3rd party sellers. I have yet to get a fake from Amazon themselves though.

What I do like about BB is not having to wade through multiple listings for the same product. I've found that to be tiresome at Amazon.

 

[freakdiablo]

I've only had two problems with Amazon inventory - a while back I ordered a stack of "new" WD RE drives from them. One of them failed a year or two in, and WD denied the warranty claim saying the drive was really a refurb. The second time just a few months ago, I grabbed The Wolf of Wall Street on Blu Ray and it looked like someone just whipped off a box sleeve with an old inkjet printer and the "shrinkwrap" might as well just have been some saran wrap. But with everything I've ordered I'm ok with just the two inventory screwups.

I have the same issue with the multiple listings, which is one of the main reasons I'd rather just hit BB or Target - both are just across from my work so I can stop in on the way home. Combined with their search being kinda meh, it seems like whenever I search for something common (surge protectors probably being the most recent one) I have to wade through repeated items from brands I never heard of before.

 

[Robert17]

I've been pleasantly surprised by the BB in Tyler and Longview, Texas. Have purchased within the last couple of years at both after avoiding them for years when we lived in the Metroplex. Had very good customer service oriented people help us out and they seemed well versed in their product areas. Last purchase was a couple of weeks ago, had to order an item from their CDC in Dallas, was notified a day early that it had arrived and when we got there to pick it up (a small upright freezer) they had us loaded within about 5 minutes. Hard to complain.

 

[dejo]

In Tyler, the only guy that has a clue is the older gentleman in the pc department. My experiences have been pretty positive there as well

 

[dfonda]

I think it has to do with an experience as a 13 year old , I received a package of ERB books that my sister sent from VA. Amazing experience. Could get them nowhere else. It was literally 20 years before I got another package by mail. I love getting packages.

That coupled with OCD and germ a phobia for the last 40 years..always disliked interacting with brick and mortar stores. I have to go to HD and grocery stores , but I can skip the rest.

Had a new nurses aid come this week and she put out her knuckles...I was quizickle...she said the notes said I do knuckles not hand shakes and need the sink always clean...I LOLed and said yeah, well I ain't doing knuckles anymore either.

EDIT: OH I forgot, I'll go to MC for the CPU's...

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

Covid may have delayed this some but the time will come that BB ends up just like Sears.

Even as of one year ago, I seriously doubted that. I hope I don't see them go to non-existent for most things PC-related! Best Buy in West Lebanon, New Hampshire definitely was recovering a major amount by 2019 and 2020. I hope they are not back to being like they were in the early-2010s!

 

[stompah]

Best Buy Update:

So just went in because I need a new low end power supply. I need to be in the 600w range. A quick Google search came up with an EVGA 600W for $39.95 at my local Best Buy. No way to get that much wattage for that price, brand name and pick it up today. So off I went.

When I got there the shelves were picked through but very tidy. Out of the corner of my eye I spotted a WD black 4tb HDD. I am familiar with this drive, not the first I've owned. But I need some large storage for my HTPC. Shelf said $249, Newegg & BB.com said $149. But Microcenter said $126.99, in store only. I do not have any MCs local to me. But BB managed to price match within a few minutes.


Seriously, why mess with Amazon and Newegg nowadays?

 

[Blaylock]

I haven't gone inside of a BB looking for PC parts in years. Maybe it's time I stop in. I have one 5 mins away.

 

[stompah]

I haven't gone inside of a BB looking for PC parts in years. Maybe it's time I stop in. I have one 5 mins away.

You must do this next time you are looking for a part. Search on their website to make sure it's in stock at your local BB. If need be you can price match at the register.

 

[Blaylock]

I am looking for a Ryzen APU, maybe 3200G(E) or 3400G(E) and a cheap set of DDR4 for my mining rig.

 

[stompah]

I have not seen 3200g/3400g in stock anywhere. But, check on Bestbuy's website since it's regional. Here in Seattle there may not be any CPUs, but there could be stock in Detroit.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

I have not seen 3200g/3400g in stock anywhere. But, check on Bestbuy's website since it's regional. Here in Seattle there may not be any CPUs, but there could be stock in Detroit.

No CPUs? That reminds me of BB in likely somewhere around 2009 to the later-2010s. I remember the days where I was lucky to find a drive, a mouse or a keyboard and walk out with them! (possibly the case in most or all of the late '00s!)

 

[stompah]

In all fairness it's nearly impossible to find those two CPUs in new condition that aren't being scalped.

If you want a 3700x or some Intel CPUs they had them.