“BestBuy is often called “Amazon’s Showroom” for a reason. It’s hard to run profitable brick & mortar businesses these days.”
I agree. I’m old, and if I take the time to go to Best Buy to see a product, if the price is anywhere close to the online price, I buy it in the store. I realize that if I don’t patronize my “showroom” it will disappear.
The price difference between Amazon and in-store Best Buy is minimal. We no longer can buy tax-free on Amazon, so that advantage is gone.
The big advantage of Amazon is the sheer size of inventory and convenience.
I needed a couple of USB - USB C adapters a few weeks ago and went to Best Buy. They didn’t have the adapters, but they did have cables, so I bought two of them. When I got them home I discovered they were Male-Male, not Male-Female, so I jumped on Amazon and bought what I wanted in less than 20 seconds. Then I got in the car and made a SECOND trip to the store. I wasted about $4 in gas and 90 minutes of time.
I’m old too. I bought a $35 DVD player rather than the $85 Blue-Ray. That doesn’t help them either. Old folks got the money but there’s nothing out there we really want. Just watch the commercials that interrupt the YouTube videos.
Wife and I bought two LG TVs at BB to replace our aging plasma sets. The first, a 55” set, was about the same price as Amazon. The second, a 48” set was on sale about a $100 cheaper than Amazon. I like to see TVs in person. I will also say, the OLED TVs weigh a heck of a lot less than those ancient plasmas. Light enough that my wife and I could transport them and handle the setup ourselves.
I used to get the best deals at Circuit City, but once they closed I’ve had good luck at BB.