Actually, it has nothing to do with Best Buy recognizing or not recognizing Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or any muslim holiday. A microscopic portion of the American public makes buying decisions based on that. The reason Best Buy is doomed is very simple.
If I want to buy say.. a camera, I’ll go to Best Buy, and find the one I like most. I’ll then log on to Amazon, buy it tax free at a lower price, and it will be at my house in two days.
Best Buy is Amazon’s show room. The competitive market, and ridiculous sales taxes (that they can’t control). THAT is why they will slowly go out of business.
You are right. However, I have found Best Buy (and earlier Comp*USA) to be a God-send when I needed something right away. If I needed a monitor, hard drive, video card NOW, I could go to Best Buy and get them.
Their appliance department, however, is useless. The car add-on department, muscled out by fully-loaded new cars and boutique shops for the high-end buyer. DVDs and CDs? Obliterated by downloadables. Phones? Competitive, but no real advantage over the carriers’ stores, Radio Shack, and Apple Stores.
A big store like that can’t be carried by PC sales and service alone.
I find the reviews on Amazon more helpful than going into a store and looking at the product. Though I will admit that the last time I went into a Circuit City was to confirm which TV I would buy on Amazon after I’d thoroughly researched and was down to just a couple options. Amazon delivered and installed identical unit for nearly $100 cheaper than CC even before sales tax savings. CC is bankrupt now and it has been longer than that since I was in a BB.
There is simply nothing that interests me in a BB that I cannot find volumes more information about online and without the hard sell tactics. DVDs? read the reviews and rent or download from Netflix. CDs? Amazon if I want to own, Grooveshark if I want streaming. Appliances? research online and Lowes or Home Depot have the better deals. TVs or stereos as example above. Computers? Amazon or direct from a vendor like Dell. Digital photography? B&H for higher end, Amazon for the basics. If I absolutely feel the need to play with hardware in a store Fry’s is about as easy to get too and is a much more fun.