Posted on 07/06/2012 1:43:13 PM PDT by TurboZamboni
Best Buy plans to lay off 1,800 store employees and 600 Geek Squad workers, according to a source at the company. The 2,400 cuts represent 1.4 percent of the company's 167,000 workforce and come on top of jobs associated with store closings the company announced previously.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnbc.com ...
Do you suppose 0bama will use this on the campaign trail?
Best Buy is way overstaffed. He is a video showing how many extra Best Buy has wearing blue polo shirts in their stores.
http://improveverywhere.com/2006/04/23/best-buy/
You charge 20 dollars for a 5 dollar USB cable and wonder why you eventually go out of business....
DUH!
I am sticking to Microcenter, they are FAR FAR FAR better and they are based out of Texas I hear.
I'm not sure that *this* can be blamed on Osama...at least not entirely.PC's,in general,and the internet,in particular have created fortunes and destroyed fortunes.Look at Kodak.Look at Polaroid.My Dad worked for Polaroid for almost 40 years and lived long enough after retirement to see it collapse.It broke his heart.
And no...if you study my posts carefully you'll find that I'm no Osama Obama apologist.
We have a Micro Center near me that I visit occasionally.Good store,but the one near me seems to get more and more threadbare with each visit.I wonder if it's going the way of Comp USA.
In recent years I've made my big electronics purchases either on the internet (good prices,no sales tax) or in New Hampshire (short drive,no sales tax).I think it's folks like me who have spelled Best Buy's decline.
“You charge 20 dollars for a 5 dollar USB cable and wonder why you eventually go out of business....”
No..that would be Radio Shack.
BB recently swiped my Gf’s driver’s license just to exchange a brand new laptop and I flipped out on BB’s policy on treating every high-priced item about IDentification being kept on record just for an exchange of pc’s and laptops. Eff em, I actually bet a lot of people they would go bankrupt by November.
The Best Buy I frequent is always crowded and forget getting in and out if you want your computer looked at. The Geek Squad is always swamped and I always wondered why they didn’t hire more staff.
Ironically this is the Best Buy business model. Give away the big-ticket items (at cost) and make the margin on the accessories.
They know that people buying big-screen TVs, camcorders, DVD players, etc., shop on price so they offer the lowest price possible. However, most people are going to need cables to go with those items and that is where the uneducated consumer gets it socked to them. Those same price-conscious consumers tend to let their guard down after they purchase the big-ticket item so when it comes to accessories and cables, they end up throwing their money away.
Those $99 HDMI Monster cables at the Best Buy probably cost Best Buy about $10. They are getting a 900% margin on you. And if you went for the "extended warranty" scam - you got hosed - that's 100% profit for Best Buy.
BTW, that $5 USB cable you referred to can probably be had for under a dollar on websites like monoprice.com. That is a website that specializes in cables of all kinds and they are CHEAP! I've saved a fortune going there and the quality of the cables is good.
Do you think their support of CAIR has anything to do with falling revenues?
People who have had the Geek Squad experience in my neck of the woods who come to me to solve their problems have nothing but horror stories.
A few times years ago I applied for the Geek Squad at the BB about 10 mins away. They acted like they wanted a Bachelor’s in computer science and a MCSE when I spoke with them.
Another time, some BB yoyo called me up and was begging me to take some stupid customer service floor job. He sounded like a broken record and wouldn’t take anything I said about my exp and certs into consideration. He got a goodbye and a click.
People who have had the Geek Squad experience in my neck of the woods who come to me to solve their problems have nothing but horror stories.
A few times years ago I applied for the Geek Squad at the BB about 10 mins away. They acted like they wanted a Bachelor’s in computer science and a MCSE when I spoke with them.
Another time, some BB yoyo called me up and was begging me to take some stupid customer service floor job. He sounded like a broken record and wouldn’t take anything I said about my exp and certs into consideration. He got a goodbye and a click.
>Look at Kodak.Look at Polaroid.My Dad worked for Polaroid for almost 40 years and lived long enough after retirement to see it collapse.It broke his heart.
Not sure how you can conflate Polaroid & Kodak with an article on best buy & Obama’s job destroying ethos.
Best Buy is contracting under the pressure of the current (failing)economic policy.
Kodak & Polaroid (Dr. Land was an unvarnished genius of the 20th century) fell to the wayside, pushed by technological innovations that made film processes too clumsy to compete - even though silver halide and dye is superior to pixelation at any resolution.
One more thing about Best Buy, always say NO to any extended warranty, no matter how much they try to scare you into thinking you need one. The basic warranty will cover any issues/manufacturing defects in the first year - which is when any issues are likely to occur. Once you made it past a year, chances are your gadget will run trouble-free for years to come.
In fact, my devices run so reliably I almost wish for them to stop working, just so I will have an excuse to get the latest and greatest. My wife makes me keep everything until it dies and I'm still using a stereo system I bought in the 1980s. Somebody come over to my house and break it...please. I'll grill you a steak and pour you a beer.
I tell everyone to stay away from BB extended warranties now.
In defense of BB in two cases I have this. I had a 3 chip mini DV camcorder that I bought the extended warranty for a long time back. Partly due to the pricey nature and mostly knowing how sensitive the heads/drums and tape path hardware can be I was glad I did. Twice I had problems. Once with the heads and the other the drum. BB fixed them w no hassles or complaints on time.
“One more thing about Best Buy, always say NO to any extended warranty”
I found a warranty that actually is cost effective- headphones for my teenager. At the rate she goes through them, I finally said “yes” and it paid off. She was burning through them in less than a year, and for a couple extra bucks, I got one set replaced for free.
I bought a Polk Audio subwoofer from Amazon for $99. I only go to Best Buy to see how a gadget works or if it fits my needs.
You are correct. What is destroying BB is two things. One is that DVD sales are dropping off considerably in a long term downward trend. I'd also put software into that too, as Valve and others have gaming download services. The second is Amazon.com, which has a cheaper business model, and is moving into Best Buy's turf by selling electronics. Many consumers now only use Best Buy to browse and look at big ticket items like tvs, before they order at Amazon. So Best Buy is not much more than Amazon's free showroom.
I suspect this is just them getting rid of the expensive techs (AKA those that know what they are doing)
They announced this today. And today, through a job board I get this..
“Recruiting for FULL TIME retail store technical support openings nationwide. Selected techs get full 2 weeks training in corporate training center. After 90 day on-boarding period as a (marketplace site removed) contractor,successful techs become full time w2 employees for a global technology company. Guaranteed 40 hours per week right from the start and possible overtime. pay is 13 dollars per hour”
13 bucks an hour to be a full time tech in a retail store? Please.. I have turned down gigs that pay more.
bump
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