Apple + Best Buy Update: Just A Pilot?

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com)

An in-depth report (http://www.appleinsider.com/article.php?id=1788) by AppleInsider is shedding more light onto the recent appearance of Apple's full line of Macs at select southern California Best Buy stores. Contrary to the initial report (http://www.macrumors.com/pages/2006/05/20060531211540.shtml) by ZDNet which was based off of statements by analyst Samir Bhavnani, the current program is only a seven-store pilot.

However, Best Buy has indicated that it is prepared to scale the Mac pilot program "rapidly" if it proves to be a hit, according to Steve Lidberg and David Niederman, two analysts with Pacific Crest Securities. They say a fortified relationship with the electronics retailer will present Apple with the opportunity to bulk up on its domestic retail presence.

Best Buy is North America's #1 consumer electronics retailer and sells home and car audio products, CD/DVDs, and home appliances (washers/dryers/microwaves/etc) in addition to computer-related products.

[yankeefan24]

I knew it wouldn't all start at once. 7 stores sounds right. In a few months, it may go nation wide, or they may drop it. Let's wait and see.

[Shadow]

It'd be a great way to increase Apple's market share-not many people (including me) have "easy" (ie not having to travel several hours) to get to an Apple store :(

[runninmac]

Im glad because Im not to sure how smart BB's team is around the nation. Around here they tried selling me an iPod calling the click wheel the "fly wheel." Im sorry but you should call the main features of the product by the right name.

And like the sale's clerk new more that me *rolls eyes*

[Kingsly]

As long as the Best Buy employees actually take five minutes to learn the main features of the machine before trying to sell me one... i'll be happy.

[Rocketman]

As long as the Best Buy employees actually take five minutes to learn the main features of the machine before trying to sell me one... i'll be happy.


Is that even realistic considering the sheer volume of SKU's BB sells? My guess is BB is for people already familiar with a product via TV, word-of-mouth, or online research, and a direct sale approach with qualified sales reps is limited to Apple Stores and (remember them?) the faithful long-term Apple authorized retailers.

Rocketman

Free advise. Buy from someone willing to give service AFTER the sale.

[Seasought]

At least you'll be able to buy a Mac at one of these seven stores, unlike another big computer company I know... :D

[yg17]

I'm not so sure it's a good idea unless there will be full time Apple reps at the store.

BB employees aren't the brightest crayons in the box, I can just imagine a potental switcher who knows nothing about Macs walking into the store:

Customer: "So, I can check my email, chat with friends, and surf the web with this thing, right?"
BB Employee: "Uhhhhhhh......I'm not sure if Macs can do any of that. I think you need Windows for that sort of thing."
Customer: "OK, I'll take this HP then"

----------

Customer: "So, if I buy this digital camera, and this Mac, they'll work, right?"
BB Employee: "Uh......the box for the camera says Windows is required, so I guess it won't work."
Customer: "You don't know if it will work with that iPhoto thing I've read about?"
BB Employee: "Ummm....guess not. The box says Windows"

---------

Customer: "What's the difference between this Mac and that eMachines computer?"
BB Employee: "The eMachines has 2 buttons on its mouse, and with computers, more is better so you want that one"


You get the idea. I just don't see it being good for Apple's sales.

[bobber205]

Personal and typical mac consumer opinion:
I would look and see a mac in a best buy, but I would never buy one in a best buy.

[MacBoobsPro]

So what is BestBuy? Is it like Tesco/Walmart in England?

[longofest]

Personal and typical mac consumer opinion:
I would look and see a mac in a best buy, but I would never buy one in a best buy.

Mac people wouldn't, but how about potential windows switchers? They probably aren't even going to the Apple Stores, so this gives more options other than CompUSA or other smaller resellers.

[yg17]

So what is BestBuy? Is it like Tesco/Walmart in England?

Its an electronics store in the US. Or also, a tool of the devil.

[longofest]

So what is BestBuy? Is it like Tesco/Walmart in England?

Haha... good question. We forget that BestBuy isn't EVERYWHERE. Best Buy sells a ton of things, and is kind of like a "superstore". It sells home and car audio products, CD/DVD's, Home Appliances (washers/dryers/microwaves/etc), and of course has its venerable Electronics section which includes cameras/camcorders, software/games, and PC's.

[ejb190]

Here we go again... I have never been impressed by the staff at Best Drive on By. Almost every time I have bought something, I have had to haggle with a manager over getting the advertised sale price or the prices on the shelves being wrong. And the knowledge base of the staff? I usually have to leave the computer section when I hear some punk trying to sell an older couple a computer far beyond what they need. Last Christmas I ended up helping a couple trying to buy their first SLR and teaching the employee at the same time.

Apple works hard to be an upscale brand. Biased staff and un-maintained demo units lead to poor sales and another failed attempt to put Apple Computers in Bust Buy stores.

[runninmac]

I guess for the people explaining what bestbuy is it would be important to point out it is the largest electronics retailer in the US

[Rocketman]

I have a simple and obvious solution. Usually a good idea.

Just say a Mac IS a PC, with a free software bundle.

:)

Rocketman

[Object-X]

Got one near my house and it certainly seems to be a hit. Standing room only and the presentation is quite nice; much better than most CompUSA stores I've seen. Apple has generated quite a lot of buzz so it's good for them to expand their presence beyond their own stores. Especially now, since Vista is obviously going to suck and interest in Apple will rise substantially in the next two years.

[lord patton]

Apple works hard to be an upscale brand. Biased staff and un-maintained demo units lead to poor sales and another failed attempt to put Apple Computers in Bust Buy stores.

That's a definite possibility. Most peoples complaints center around the fact that the employees don't know anything, the product is poorly displayed, and the computers aren't well maintained.

That certainly has been my impression. However, if they are doing a slow roll out, perhaps they're trying to get it right. Having a large display will help, and Apple should make sure the computers have lots of software installed, a locked desktop (?) and good demo materials.

Then it could be a big win. Interesting, as well, that Best Buy wants to make sure the inventory pipe flows well.

[081440]

So what is BestBuy? Is it like Tesco/Walmart in England?


Yes, but only for electronics.

See website:

http://www.bestbuy.com/

[~Shard~]

Sorry, maybe I'm missing something, but the Best Buy here has been selling Apple computers for quite a while now - nothing new at all. This news items implies to me that the USA Best Buy's don't sell Apple computers, so someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Weird... :confused:

[stefan15]

This works out awesome for me. We have a Bestbuy here in Calgary but no Apple Store. We do have London Drugs, but currently they only have the 17"MBP

[CorvusCamenarum]

From my personal Best Buy experiences, this will be akin to McDonalds selling prime rib, only no one there realizes that there's more to a cow than just D grade ground beef.

Let's hope Apple makes them do it right.

[poppe]

Apple Insider speaks of the anyalysist (wow... I know... sp?) comparing the 17MBP and the M1202 or what evel the XPS is. Did they say anything about performance differences? not to get off topic..

[pashazade]

So what is BestBuy? Is it like Tesco/Walmart in England?

Think Dixons/Currys - same kind of products, same kind of 'knowledgeable' staff.

[aprilfools]

Pilot program? It absolutely won't last. I can guarantee it will not. For 10 years I have always shopped at the Best Buy in Pasadena (Southern California). Every two or three years that Best Buy puts in a small Mac section and than a few months later the Mac section is completely gone. This has happened several times over the last ten years. I have come to believe that Best Buy management at both the Corporate and local store level in the computer department will ever take the proper accountability to maintain the Mac section and promote Mac sales. Kind of like the Mac section at CompUSA. Same thing. The Mac section is way back in the far dark corner of the store. Why? Because, they do not believe in the Mac, don’t want to give up shelf space for the Mac and don’t want shelf space for miscellaneous Mac software either. The CompUSA in Monrovia still has a huge cardboard sign that promotes Panther 10.3 that is how “out of touch” they are. Panther 10.3!! Tiger has been out for over a year now. CompUSA and Best Buy are so out of touch with Mac stuff and so clueless that they don’t even realize there is a clue.

Pilot Program? What a joke!!! Not gonna happen. Mark my words!!!!

Ben

[baleensavage]

I for one would welcome it if Best Buy sold Mac stuff. It would be nice to drive to the local Best Buy and buy my Mac stuff instead of having to order it online and pay shipping and the like. The nearest Apple store to me is like 5 hours away.

Sure the staff at Best Buy may be useless, but the more people that see Macs, the more people will consider them viable options, it's not like the staff at Best Buy will be able to help people with PCs either, I think they're just all around useless.

[Soli Gratia]

Don't get me wrong, I would love having more retail locations that sold Macs but seriously, Best Buy is notorious (and I'm not singling them out, because even smaller computer chains or Mom & Pop computer stores for the most part are ignorant of Apple products) for product ignorance. Not just on Macs mind you, but on the whold realm of computer products in general. I would love it so I could play with new Macs, but...in reality, in spite of my own selfishness, I don't think this is a good move for Apple. Just a thought.

[aprilfools]

I'm not so sure it's a good idea unless there will be full time Apple reps at the store.

BB employees aren't the brightest crayons in the box, I can just imagine a potental switcher who knows nothing about Macs walking into the store:

Customer: "So, I can check my email, chat with friends, and surf the web with this thing, right?"
BB Employee: "Uhhhhhhh......I'm not sure if Macs can do any of that. I think you need Windows for that sort of thing."
Customer: "OK, I'll take this HP then"

----------

Customer: "So, if I buy this digital camera, and this Mac, they'll work, right?"
BB Employee: "Uh......the box for the camera says Windows is required, so I guess it won't work."
Customer: "You don't know if it will work with that iPhoto thing I've read about?"
BB Employee: "Ummm....guess not. The box says Windows"

---------

Customer: "What's the difference between this Mac and that eMachines computer?"
BB Employee: "The eMachines has 2 buttons on its mouse, and with computers, more is better so you want that one"


You get the idea. I just don't see it being good for Apple's sales.

yg17 totally nailed it!!!!!!!!!! 100% true. NO...... I changed my mind yg17 is, 1000000000000000000% true. for the most part, best buy computer employees are STUPID!!!!!!!!!

[kahos]

From my experience, this is not as good as you might think it is...

I worked at best buy and out of a dozen salesperson, only 2 of us knew something about apple computers... and guess what, none of us still work there anymore...

My supervisor didnt appreciate the fact i sold apple computers, since it meant a low profit margin, no geeksquad service, and very few people actually bought the in store extended warranty since it was more expensive then applecare

One time, he convinced a customer not to buy a mac mini because he didnt want the extended warranty. He told him he would get lots of spyware that could fry his hardware... shows how much he knew about OS X...

So to sum it up, very few best buy employee are knowledgeable enough to sell apple hardware, and even if they do, their supervisor will most likely give them a hard time about it since they wont sell as much accesories, warranties or in store software installs (anti virus, spy sweeper)

[amac4me]

The program will ONLY be successful if Apple has a specialist dedicated to selling the machines. The average Best Buy sales associate lacks the knowledge to push the Mac.

If the pilot lacks the Apple specialist, it has FAILURE written all over it.

[todstiles]

Bad news for Apple. Bad frickin' news.

Have you ever been to Best Buy and tried to get any type of information from the sales staff? You'll have two chances of being successful: Slimski and Noneski, and the chances will be that Slimski just left town.

If you know exactly what you want then maybe it's not a bad thing. But as previous posts have stated the new comers, converts and people switching from Windows are in for a long nightmare.

I'll give Apple the benefit of the doubt, and I hope they know what they are doing. But I'm finding it difficult to see how this is going to enhance the image of the product and create satisfied customers.

[revjay]

I have a simple and obvious solution. Usually a good idea.

Just say a Mac IS a PC, with a free software bundle.

:)

Rocketman

Remember this?: http://www.apple.com/getamac/
rev

[yg17]

Bad news for Apple. Bad frickin' news.

Have you ever been to Best Buy and tried to get any type of information from the sales staff? You'll have two chances of being successful: Slimski and Noneski, and the chances will be that Slimski just left town.

If you know exactly what you want then maybe it's not a bad thing. But as previous posts have stated the new comers, converts and people switching from Windows are in for a long nightmare.

I'll give Apple the benefit of the doubt, and I hope they know what they are doing. But I'm finding it difficult to see how this is going to enhance the image of the product and create satisfied customers.

Ditto.

I don't go into Best Buy with any questions in mind. If I'm making a big purchase, I answer any questions I have with research online and then go in and buy. I'm sure there are a few exceptions scattered across the US, but for the most part, their employees are complete morons.

[ChrisA]

So what is BestBuy? Is it like Tesco/Walmart in England?

The typical BB store is a large square building, maybe 150 feet on a side. Inside there are maybe 100 different TVs and steros all bing demo'd at once with diffent programming. If you hunt around you can find some poor kiid working for minimum wage who is only working at BB untill he can find a better job. They can give directions; "TV sets? That way" but only the most unknowagable consummer would ask them a technical question.

[dbonesyl]

As the "mac guy" amongst my friends I received a call from a guy on Saturday who wanted to buy a mac. He was at our local Best Buy and was wondering where all the Apple computers were. I had to inform him that he would need to drive an hour to the nearest Apple Store or 30 minutes to the nearest CompUSA where he would find out of date versions of Apple Computers. So perhaps this would help boost sales to the uninitiated potential Apple Customer.

I for one don't mind Apple having a small but profitable user base. It reduces the chances that some hacker will try to write a virus for the platform.

[yg17]

The typical BB store is a large square building, maybe 150 feet on a side. Inside there are maybe 100 different TVs and steros all bing demo'd at once with diffent programming. If you hunt around you can find some poor kiid working for minimum wage who is only working at BB untill he can find a better job. They can give directions; "TV sets? That way" but only the most unknowagable consummer would ask them a technical question.


Best description EVER

[quigleybc]

As long as the Best Buy employees actually take five minutes to learn the main features of the machine before trying to sell me one... i'll be happy.



I've seen iMacs and other Macs at the Best Buy here before....and ya, the employees were no help....

[marchcapital]

This would be awesome fo me! I dont have an "Apple Store" near by.

[marchcapital]

I've seen iMacs and other Macs at the Best Buy here before....and ya, the employees were no help....

MacRumors is the best help anyway when buying an apple computer...

[hulugu]

Haha... good question. We forget that BestBuy isn't EVERYWHERE.

Oh sure next you'll tell me that one can travel to the ends of the earth and not find a Starbucks and a McDonalds either. :D

[hulugu]

From my experience, this is not as good as you might think it is...

I worked at best buy and out of a dozen salesperson, only 2 of us knew something about apple computers... and guess what, none of us still work there anymore...

My supervisor didnt appreciate the fact i sold apple computers, since it meant a low profit margin, no geeksquad service, and very few people actually bought the in store extended warranty since it was more expensive then applecare

One time, he convinced a customer not to buy a mac mini because he didnt want the extended warranty. He told him he would get lots of spyware that could fry his hardware... shows how much he knew about OS X...

So to sum it up, very few best buy employee are knowledgeable enough to sell apple hardware, and even if they do, their supervisor will most likely give them a hard time about it since they wont sell as much accesories, warranties or in store software installs (anti virus, spy sweeper)

And this is exactly why I hate Best Buy.

Me: I'd like to buy this widget.
BB Employee: Great, would you like the Super-Duper Wow Warrenty?
Me: No.
BBE: But, with the Super-Duper Wow warrenty...
Me: I know. But, no.
BBE: But, that widget has this problem with the whazzit and it sometimes breaks off.
Me: You just told me this was the most reliable widget ever made.
BBE: <shrug>
Me: So, which is it then?
BBE: You need the warrenty.
Me: How much is it?
BBE: <rediculous number>
Me: That's more than this widget costs.
BBE: But, it's covered.
Me: I said no.
BBE: Okay, how about a year's subscription to Entertainment Weekly?
Me: <&$#)$#&>

[Aperture]

I think this is good and bad. Apple needs to get their name out there and get switchers, but the staff at BB is horrible. If you ask them a technical question, they simply look at the box and if it doesn't say then they make up an answer. All I am thinking is, "I wouldn't have asked you if it was on the box". And as someone already stated, they are really only good for pointing you in the right direction. I've found that if you go to the Geek Squad counter and ask a question about a product than they are MUCH more helpful. So unless Apple gets certified staff, like they have at CompUSA, it might not work out.:rolleyes:

Kevin

Edit: I forgot to add that most of the staff have not much interest or knowledge of the products, but are just there as a "stepping stone" and could pretty much care less about helping potential customers. AND, this doesn't apply to all of the staff, most however.

[Eraserhead]

It its anything like Currys/Dixons in the UK if they don't sell 10% of products with a warrenty then they get fired, normally I find though that a firm NO shuts them up completely, I guess they realise they wont sell any warrenty to me as I know they're a waste of time. It's a problem though, and in the long run will loose them sales to Amazon etc. They are also hugely expensive, a 512MB Flash SD card costs £7 on Amazon and £28 in PC World, such a rip-off...:rolleyes:

[rt_brained]

Free advise. Buy from someone willing to give service AFTER the sale.
That's what Best Buy's "Geek Squad" is for. However...the negative light painted upon Apple by the salespeople at Best Buy, pales in comparison to the opinions held by the Gamer, er, Geek Squad.

[rosalindavenue]

This story is the "Groundhog Day" of Apple retailing. This must be the third "pilot program" in the last three years. My local one (Virginia) participated in one in the days of the g4 imac; none of the saleskids knew anything about them. Apple has correctly focused on creating their own retail network.

[chuckles:)]

I bought my first mac 6 months ago at the new apple store that opened around the corner.

my previous laptop came from BB.

when i asked their sales rep about the macs (which i had intended on getting) he replied something along the lines of:

" Macs are hard to use, incopatible with everything, unsafe due to no virus protection, more expencive for no reason, bad, bad, machines."

that guy kept me from switching for a whole 2 years.

[TSEliotLives]

I find it interesting that most people see "Best" and "Buy" in the same sentence with "Apple" and automatically think that not only will whatever plan it is fail, but Apple's market share will instantly fall to negative percentage, all iPods will simultaneous explode, and every machine with OSX installed with have a kernel panic. Sorry, guys, not the case.

I'm an employee of Best Buy. I make way more than minimum wage. I know my department like the back of my hand (home theatre, that is). I'm not a pimply teenager. And, true, I don't see myself working for the Big Blue Box in ten years, but right now, I'm moving up in the company, and enjoying it. I like what I do, and what I sell. And I understand the stuff I sell because the company gives me a basic education on it, and what I can't find out from them I research myself.

And that's the key to making things in Best Buy move out the door: making sure employees know selling points. It's true, some employees flub up on some stuff. I had a co-worker once tell a customer that a DLP projector uses red, green, and yellow light (she must have had DLP's and stoplights confused). But we talked with her, educated her, and now she knows DLP's.

The key is NOT educating employees on the fine points of Darwin, or making sure they all are aware of the performance differences of every processor Apple used since the 68020. If Apple gives good basic training materials to BBY, and BBY in turn lets their employees know, then life will be gravy.

The other big "if" is if Apple makes it worth BBY's while to sell Macs. If there's margin in it for BBY, there should be no problem. We recently had a company-wide mandatory training because we started selling Infinity car speakers. Paying every carfi employee in every store (all 700) for two hours to learn about a specific brand of car speakers is EXPENSIVE. But BBY will recoup those costs on the margin of the speakers. Same goes for Macs. If there's money to be made, there's money to be spent on education. It all depends on Apple's end of things.

But don't blame Best Buy if this falls through... product education is just as important on the vendor side as it is on the sales side.

[carlos700]

I live in Vegas, and in our Best Buy there are two MacBooks, a MacBook Pro, Power Mac G5, iMac, and Mac mini. So the whole lineup with the exception of a 17-inch MBP.

[Bradley W]

_

[Koodauw]

to be honest, I'd rather buy a Power Mac from a vending machine.

[kresh]

I find it interesting that most people see "Best" and "Buy" in the same sentence with "Apple" and automatically think that not only will whatever plan it is fail, but Apple's market share will instantly fall to negative percentage, all iPods will simultaneous explode, and every machine with OSX installed with have a kernel panic. Sorry, guys, not the case.

I'm an employee of Best Buy. I make way more than minimum wage. I know my department like the back of my hand (home theatre, that is). I'm not a pimply teenager. And, true, I don't see myself working for the Big Blue Box in ten years, but right now, I'm moving up in the company, and enjoying it. I like what I do, and what I sell. And I understand the stuff I sell because the company gives me a basic education on it, and what I can't find out from them I research myself.

You are most certainly the exception to the rule. This past weekend I just happened to stop by the BB store in Greensboro, NC. I was looking at the MP3 players. I was curious about the Sansa E200 series that SanDisk is promoting at idont.com.

There were 5 young people working in and around this section (none had keys to cabinets though). I asked one of them what was so great about the Sansa E250. He told me that it was really cool because it played MP3s that you could download off the net. He said that with the iPod you had to buy your music from iTunes and it would only play music bought from iTunes. I couldn't help but laugh.

I walked around the store for a while, kinda dumbfounded at what I had been told. I went back and asked a different employee in the MP3 players section about about the iPod and MP3s. I said "I heard the iPod won't play MP3s". He replied "Yep, you have to buy the music from Apple, they rip you off". I eventually asked everyone that I could get to stand still in that department. They all claimed that the iPod only plays music bought from Apple.

I find it hard to believe that potential Apple customers were not being deliberately targeted with mis-information. I can't even begin to imagine how Apple will be treated if this store ever stocks Macs.

[dubnluvn]

I have absolutely no confidence in Best Buy. Their staff is horrible. I remember way back in 98 when i got my first iMac they kept trying to tell me NOT to buy it. I can guarantee that they will provide nothing less than a horrible buying experience for anyone when it comes to buying a Mac. If I need to go to a big chain store for apple stuff I'll go to CompUSA whose apple staff has always impressed me by their knowledge and passion for Apple.

[neoelectronaut]

And this is exactly why I hate Best Buy.

Me: I'd like to buy this widget.
BB Employee: Great, would you like the Super-Duper Wow Warrenty?
Me: No.
BBE: But, with the Super-Duper Wow warrenty...
Me: I know. But, no.
BBE: But, that widget has this problem with the whazzit and it sometimes breaks off.
Me: You just told me this was the most reliable widget ever made.
BBE: <shrug>
Me: So, which is it then?
BBE: You need the warrenty.
Me: How much is it?
BBE: <rediculous number>
Me: That's more than this widget costs.
BBE: But, it's covered.
Me: I said no.
BBE: Okay, how about a year's subscription to Entertainment Weekly?
Me: <&$#)$#&>

This is the ONE thing I hate about working for CompUSA. Pushing the TAP plans. Don't get me wrong, for the most part, they're worth it, but still, the idea of asking the customer gets me nervous, because I know how most people think about it.

$25 on an Airport Extreme Base Station, and if it goes out in two years, you get a new $200 Base Station? Not a bad plan at all. Too bad most people don't seem to look at it that way.

Typically, I'll ask once, if they say no, I'll move on, and right before them getting rung up I'll ask a second time, just to make sure.

[TSEliotLives]

I said "I heard the iPod won't play MP3s". He replied "Yep, you have to buy the music from Apple, they rip you off". I eventually asked everyone that I could get to stand still in that department. They all claimed that the iPod only plays music bought from Apple.

I find it hard to believe that potential Apple customers were not being deliberately targeted with mis-information. I can't even begin to imagine how Apple will be treated if this store ever stocks Macs.

All I can say is: I know you are but what am I?!?

It's true, there's some real winners working in Best Buy. But, to be honest, the last time I was at the Mayfair Apple Store, I wasn't too impressed with their staff, either. Granted, all they sell is Macs, but when it comes down to it, I think both Apple branded retail and big box resellers have their positives and negatives.

Most of the people in my BBY store's digi/tech department are very, very smart, and know their stuff just as much as any Mac geek in these forums. Unfortunately, most of those very, very smart people (and this goes for the greater BBY world, outside of my store) have not been exposed to the wonders of the Mac, or remember them only as pizza-box machines they had in their gradeschools that ran SuperPaint and Oregon Trail.

The fact of the matter is, if Apple wants any chance at all to succeed in any retail environment outside of their own stores, they need to undergo a PR makeover that's going to go waaaay further than just having the Hilton sisters appear in Entertainment wearing rhinestone-studded iPods. People still think of Macs as toys, or MIDI machines that don't "do" the internet, and don't "do" office suites. I had one co-worker ask me recently if Apple still made computers. Is that Best Buy's fault, or Apple's?

I say, market share, schmarket share. The Mac is still very much a niche computing product, occupying the space in Joe Sixpack's mind somewhere between Windows code-trolls and Linux tar-ballers. Until the unwashed masses are either A) totally sick of being bent over by a rushed, swiss-cheese OS cobbled together with chewing gum, baling wire, and prayer, or B) Apple changes PR gears and finds a way to stop being clever and glossy and start giving people valid reasons to switch, the revolution will not only not be televised, but it may not happen at all.

The problem is not with Best Buy. The problem is that Apple is marketing the Mac to the wrong people: Mac users. We laugh at the new commercials. Soccer moms and steel mill workers who just want a computer that works think the same commercials are a joke.

Yes, some retail employees are morons. Yes, Best Buy might not be an ideal retail chain to latch on to (but honestly, what would you rather have? Best Buy, or Walmart?). But there is a lot that needs to change in the culture of the Mac if we'll ever see the day that a Best Buy employee shuns a Windoze machine only to sell the customer a MacBook. I look forward to that day, though.

[Billy Boo Bob]

But don't blame Best Buy if this falls through... product education is just as important on the vendor side as it is on the sales side.

My thoughts, exactly. I would hope that Apple has learned from past experiences in the various retail outlets. I've seen, over the years, the minimal exposure… the "token" Mac on the endcap… and the employees that didn't know squat about them. I don't remember exactly what years this was, but some of them (pre iMac days) were, I'm sure, when Steve Jobs was "on leave".

Hopefully now, though, they'll take the time to give BB employees a crash course on the Mac. Like he says… not the finer details… just the basics. Show them how to demo some features of the bundled software, etc. Educating the sales force is certainly important.

I'd be curious to hear from employees at the pilot stores. If any of you live near one of them, how about finding someone there working the Mac section and ask them stop by here and chime in… let us know what Apple did for them in the line of training. If Apple did them well, then maybe a first hand account would slow down some of the nay-sayers here. :p

I'd love to see it happen at our local BB… The nearest Apple store is hours away (Nashville or Memphis). Currently, our local BB doesn't carry any Macs (last I visited months ago).

[tigertrainer]

OK, this is the only way it would work: It MUST be financially advantageous for employees and managers in Best Buy stores to sell Apple products. Apple needs to set up a program where employees get a spif (incentive in a set dollar amount) set for each product sold. When employees know that they will get some cash for selling a Mac, you better believe they will push them. Even if these employees are bottom of the barrel stupid, they will either learn about the product or make stuff up about it to sell it. In the very least you will see the blatant bias disappear completely. Over night you will see Best Buy employees talking up Macs and maintaining the products. Even if when a customer chooses a winblows computer, you will see a Best Buy employee pushing an Apple display to go along with it so he can get the ten bucks or whatever spif. Apple also needs to make sure the push comes from the top, i.e. management. Management is ALWAYS motivated by their bonuses. If management gets a bonus for making their Mac quota, you better believe there will be 'sell Macs' pep talks on the sales floor. Furthermore, a$$ racket Best Buy has with their hard sell warranty program needs addressing. Apple needs to make AppleCare profitable for Best Buy as well, so the people in Best Buy's accounting department give the green light on profitability to upper management. This is all really simple. I do not understand why Apple doesn't get this. Yes, believe it or not, in some circles, there actually are no Mac enthusiasts and there never will be. Best Buy employs low talent and a lot of young high school boys who have windows computers and probably play games all day. They need a reason to sell Macs. Anyone who ever had a ***** job in college selling something knows this. You sell what makes you money. I used to sell tools at Sears back when there were commissions on those items. We got 1% or 3% depending on the item. Guess which tool sets flew off the shelves? Of course, the ones earning 3%! We used to fight over selling them, just because they earned us an extra lousy few bucks. But when you are making $7 an hour, you can easily double your pay this way! And then on top of that, there would be the occasional spif on an item. At Sears, it would be just a buck or two for selling this hammer or that wrench or whatever. Holy crap they would be gone! In my waiter days, mangers would sometimes have a contest to see who sells the most special of the day, or this wine, or that dessert. Ever wonder why waiters seem to push some things? Anyway, my point is that it is all very simple and it's about money. Apple needs to get this because Best Buy sucks. It will be another reputation harming experience for Apple at Best Buy unless they do it this way.

[rickag]

OK, this is the only way it would work.... It will be another reputation harming experience for Apple at Best Buy unless they do it this way.
Good Post, thank you. But, how depressing.

[mccldwll]

Yes. Best Buy is bad. But, I think this is much more about the integrated home entertainment products in the pipeline than selling mac computers.

[rt_brained]

Most of the people in my BBY store's digi/tech department are very, very smart, and know their stuff just as much as any Mac geek in these forums.
Doubtful. While most BBY digi/tech employees could be as equally tech-savvy as any Mac geek here, it's far less likely that the BBY'ers utilize their computers to the extent that most proficient Mac users do. Arguably, the vast majority of PC geeks (BBY employees included) focus their computing energy as follows: 75% on gaming, 10% browsing the web, 5% on music downloads (legal & illegal), 5% writing/answering email and 5% blogging or building their MySpace site. The vast majority of said group has little or no proficiency in: creating/editing/posting their own movies, digital photo albums or creating and burning menu-based DVDs, proficiency in all of the MS Office apps., as well as QuarkXpress, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash...the list goes on.

While most PC and Mac geeks have little trouble building and configuring networks and upgrading their machines, the vast majority of PC geeks don't know or use half the number software platforms that most Mac geeks do.

The fact of the matter is, if Apple wants any chance at all to succeed in any retail environment outside of their own stores, they need to undergo a PR makeover that's going to go waaaay further than just having the Hilton sisters appear in Entertainment wearing rhinestone-studded iPods. People still think of Macs as toys, or MIDI machines that don't "do" the internet, and don't "do" office suites. I had one co-worker ask me recently if Apple still made computers. Is that Best Buy's fault, or Apple's?
Honestly, it's hardly fair to blame Apple for any one person's ingnorance. The success of any Apple branded or non-Apple branded retail store relies heavily on the education of its salesforce. Apple doesn't outright tell consumers to buy their products only at Apple-owned retail stores.

I say, market share, schmarket share. The Mac is still very much a niche computing product, occupying the space in Joe Sixpack's mind somewhere between Windows code-trolls and Linux tar-ballers. Until the unwashed masses are either A) totally sick of being bent over by a rushed, swiss-cheese OS cobbled together with chewing gum, baling wire, and prayer, or B) Apple changes PR gears and finds a way to stop being clever and glossy and start giving people valid reasons to switch, the revolution will not only not be televised, but it may not happen at all.
Apple's been giving people valid reasons for years. The information has never been hard to find. Unfortunately, the message often falls on deaf ears.

The problem is not with Best Buy. The problem is that Apple is marketing the Mac to the wrong people: Mac users. We laugh at the new commercials. Soccer moms and steel mill workers who just want a computer that works think the same commercials are a joke.
Much of the problem IS with Best Buy. There are few qualifications for a salesperson at Best Buy outside of a general interest in home electronics. Best Buy is not and has never been interested in educating their employees on the products they sell, nor is Best Buy interested in educating them about how the products they sell actually work. It is largely the individual salesperson's reponsibility to educate themselves about the products they sell. As such, any preconceived ideas or opinions they bring with them affect their desire to learn and their ability to represent/sell the products on the floor.

The commercials? A joke? Is it a joke that Macs are easier to network across platforms and among devices than PCs? That the Windows OS is unstable? That there are 114,000 known viruses on the Wintel side and none for Macs? That Macs come bundled with tons more software? That WSJ's tech writer, Walt Mossberg, says that the Mac is the "...finest desktop PC on the market"?[/QUOTE]

Although, sometimes people laugh at the things that make them feel uneasy.

[technicolor]

As long as the Best Buy employees actually take five minutes to learn the main features of the machine before trying to sell me one... i'll be happy.
The apple employee store people cant even do this.

Ive sold several apple products in the store, helping their sales people.

[accelman]

I was just in a Best Buy in Kansas City two days ago and one of the salespeople said that they were going to be getting some inventory of iMacs come August. He also strongly implied that I wouldn't really need one unless I needed to do "Mac coding". What??? Also he said they're a lot like a Lotus -- same quality as a Mercedes or a BMW, but the parts are more expensive. What????????

[blitzkrieg79]

Ahhhh Best Buy stores, I have like 3 around my area, sales people know about their products as much as I know about quantum physics, but they do have great prices especially with rebates.

Once I asked them if a particular desktop computer offered an actual AGP card slot or were the graphics intergrated without any option to upgrade, took them like 40 minutes to answer this before I told them to just open up the demo computer so I can see the motherboard. Well at least they opened it up.

[Billy Boo Bob]

Apple's been giving people valid reasons for years. The information has never been hard to find. Unfortunately, the message often falls on deaf ears.
When the only messenger is the one that makes the product, that often happens. Word of mouth from other mere mortals goes a long way toward product endorsement. If BB folks can (and have some reason to) say something positive about a Mac, that can go a long way. Let's just hope there's some good training going on in this case.

[fblack]

I think increasing channels to sell mac products is good. Not everybody lives within 1hr commute of an apple store--I dont. Bestbuys seem to be everywhere I look. This could be a good thing. But as others have pointed out there are alot of hurdles involved to this being successful, namely bestbuys approach to retail and perhaps this is why its a pilot program.

Personally, I dont go into bestbuy anymore and dont buy any of their products. They are so aggressive with their sales, they are at times misinformed, and often purposely misleading just to make the sale. I'm quite fed up with them.

I hope apple can make this work in select locations across the U.S., the more outlets for their products the better, but they are going to need to get apple sales trainers to train some of those bestbuy people.

[jaydub]

I visited a Best Buy here in Vegas that has the Apple area set up. IMO it's not a good way to highlight Apple products. They have the machines set out for people to use, but when it comes to accessories they're all crammed in one small kiosk area and none are visibly labelled. Some even look like they're in OEM boxes. The other one is that they have the machines bolted down in a way that you can't straighten the monitor on a portable.

I've always preferred the setup at the Apple store here in Las Vegas because I can go use the machines, and even though the machines are anchored down, the security isn't so intrusive that I can't try the machine out and get a feel for it. The other part I didn't like was that the Apple section was thrown in right among the external hard drives and burners... right past all the PC computing section. :rolleyes:

[spacehog371]

apple should just open up more apple stores... i can't believe ther was only one in nyc until a couple weeks ago.

[rt_brained]

When the only messenger is the one that makes the product, that often happens. Word of mouth from other mere mortals goes a long way toward product endorsement. If BB folks can (and have some reason to) say something positive about a Mac, that can go a long way. Let's just hope there's some good training going on in this case.
Hope, I will. But hasn't Apple already come and gone from the shelves of Best Buy something like...what is it, three times now? First was the Bondi Blue iMac (Rev. B), then nothing, then Mac Mini and iBook (?), then nothing, and now the Intel Macs.

I don't think BB gives a damn about the product or how it could breath excitement into an otherwise boring department at BB. In reality, it's strictly down to how many units are sold. Move 'em in, move 'em out.

BTW...Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that whenever you enter an electronics retailer that sells both Macs and PCs, half of the Macs are shut down or someone's come over and screwed with them so they don't appear to be working properly, while all of the Wintel machines around them are ON and working just fine.

I don't know how many times over the years I've walked past a "dead" Mac on prominent display (Best Buy, CompUSA, Micro Center, Fry's) and turned it back on.

[darkfro]

I see this as good and bad. I live in between 2 apple stores both 35 minutes away in either direction one to the south and one up north. But that is still a 35 minute drive either way and the traffic is always bad. And one is in a mall and the other is at a busy shopping center. BB on the other hand is 10 min drive and all by itself. I say they should just get a certified apple guy in bb and all will be better. This apple guy should basically run the apple section alone and not have any bb staff helping.

[denn333]

Apple, if I understand correctly, has several trainers that do Apple Store training. They could, perhaps, support some train-the-trainer stuff with BestBuy and other large retail groups so that they do a better job preparing retailers to sell Apple products besides iPod better.

[fblack]

Hope, I will. But hasn't Apple already come and gone from the shelves of Best Buy something like...what is it, three times now? First was the Bondi Blue iMac (Rev. B), then nothing, then Mac Mini and iBook (?), then nothing, and now the Intel Macs.

I don't think BB gives a damn about the product or how it could breath excitement into an otherwise boring department at BB. In reality, it's strictly down to how many units are sold. Move 'em in, move 'em out.

BTW...Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed that whenever you enter an electronics retailer that sells both Macs and PCs, half of the Macs are shut down or someone's come over and screwed with them so they don't appear to be working properly, while all of the Wintel machines around them are ON and working just fine.

I don't know how many times over the years I've walked past a "dead" Mac on prominent display (Best Buy, CompUSA, Micro Center, Fry's) and turned it back on.

Always was the case, in every store I ever walked into the macs were always sad or shut down and this is going back more than 10 years. Last time when apple had minis in bestbuy they were all screwed up. :(

[skwoytek]

I apologize for the sarcasm (and the camera phone pics). I went to the Best Buy in Mission Valley, San Diego, CA and told them I needed a computer because I just got a digital camera for my birthday. I want to use the internet, email, listen to music, watch movies, store my photos, put together slide shows and movies of my vacations with music, burn dvds and other fun stuff. After we decided I wanted a notebook and wanted to spend under $1500, I was shown a Toshiba. Next I was shown a Sony Vaio, because you can stick your camera's memory card in it... not mine by the way (Digital Rebel XT). I asked a few more questions like "how hard is it to make a website for my photos" and got no Mac love. Infact, we got nowhere near the Macs. After, I went to look at them alone - MY salesman never approached me, one did though.

He told me "You know, Macs now run on intel processors so they're a little better now." Except the one I was on (PowerMac), he mentioned, "it has their old processor." He did act excited to share his knowledge. I asked a few more questions but was quickly bored with his lack of knowledge. The way I figure, anyone who is in the Best Buy computer dept now is there because they may know a little about windows PCs. There was no Mac section when they were hiring them and I doubt if any have been taught to use a Mac.

So first we have the MacBook with no Dock. Seriously, you can't see it unless you are looking straight down the surface of the screen. If I didn't know better, I'd think the bar across the top was a misplaced Windows taskbar. Their anti-theft device ruins the experience.

See - 0606062033.jpg

The next best thing was the number of error messages I received. I tried to start aperture on their PowerMac. I received an error message - 1000MB of Memory not available. Sure enough the memory was 512 - Maybe I'll get in trouble someday... but I removed Aperture from the dock.

See - 0606062031.jpg

Another message read "no video device" for Photo Booth on a MacBook Pro, which was also set to Magnify and White on Black in the universal settings. I fixed the universal settings but I have no clue how to disable/enable the built-in isight. Someone did. None of the software was updated with system update so you received a message to upgrade each one as they were opened. I really felt like I was back on a Windows PC - everything I did invoked a system message. Their 23" screen required me to lift and slide the mouse three times to get from top to bottom - it felt so awkward. I increased the tracking speed just enough so that one movement would cover the desktop.

Good points: A large sign you almost run into as you walk in the store mentioned checking out the Macs and pointed to the Mac section. Also, it was a big and I'd say very nice display before you even reached the computers.

Also attached is a blurry pic of display for those who want to see...

[fblack]

I apologize for the sarcasm (and the camera phone pics). I went to the Best Buy in Mission Valley, San Diego, CA and told them I needed a computer because I just got a digital camera for my birthday. I want to use the internet, email, listen to music, watch movies, store my photos, put together slide shows and movies of my vacations with music, burn dvds and other fun stuff. After we decided I wanted a notebook and wanted to spend under $1500, I was shown a Toshiba. Next I was shown a Sony Vaio, because you can stick your camera's memory card in it... not mine by the way (Digital Rebel XT). I asked a few more questions like "how hard is it to make a website for my photos" and got no Mac love. Infact, we got nowhere near the Macs. After, I went to look at them alone - MY salesman never approached me, one did though.

He told me "You know, Macs now run on intel processors so they're a little better now." Except the one I was on (PowerMac), he mentioned, "it has their old processor." He did act excited to share his knowledge. I asked a few more questions but was quickly bored with his lack of knowledge. The way I figure, anyone who is in the Best Buy computer dept now is there because they may know a little about windows PCs. There was no Mac section when they were hiring them and I doubt if any have been taught to use a Mac.

So first we have the MacBook with no Dock. Seriously, you can't see it unless you are looking straight down the surface of the screen. If I didn't know better, I'd think the bar across the top was a misplaced Windows taskbar. Their anti-theft device ruins the experience.

See - 0606062033.jpg

The next best thing was the number of error messages I received. I tried to start aperture on their PowerMac. I received an error message - 1000MB of Memory not available. Sure enough the memory was 512 - Maybe I'll get in trouble someday... but I removed Aperture from the dock.

See - 0606062031.jpg

Another message read "no video device" for Photo Booth on a MacBook Pro, which was also set to Magnify and White on Black in the universal settings. I fixed the universal settings but I have no clue how to disable/enable the built-in isight. Someone did. None of the software was updated with system update so you received a message to upgrade each one as they were opened. I really felt like I was back on a Windows PC - everything I did invoked a system message. Their 23" screen required me to lift and slide the mouse three times to get from top to bottom - it felt so awkward. I increased the tracking speed just enough so that one movement would cover the desktop.

Good points: A large sign you almost run into as you walk in the store mentioned checking out the Macs and pointed to the Mac section. Also, it was a big and I'd say very nice display before you even reached the computers.

Also attached is a blurry pic of display for those who want to see...

Great post! Apple should hire you as a troubleshooter to go around and check how the pilot program is running.:D

If this is how its running they are going to need some work, someone has to learn how to get the macs running again after they've been screwed with. I never see the PCs screwed up. Its probably the work of some lone dweeb holed up in the mountains with a grudge against all things apple.;)

On the positive side that apple sign looked pretty good.

[whoooaaahhhh]

Can everyone just please for one second pretend to have some kind of unbiased view?

I worked for Best Buy this past summer, and while it wasn't a fantastic job it really wasn't that bad either. Best Buy educates their staff quite well and there are store wide meetings every month. Best Buy doesn't sell on commission, they sell to meet storewide sales goals. Because of this it doesn't matter what you sell a customer, you are taught to sell the customer the item that they want, not the one that they SHOULD HAVE, you're not sold, BBY is about the customer relationship. I know many of you have had bad experiences but GIVE ME A BREAK! Best Buy is the number one electronics retailer in the country for a reason, they're a lot better than the rest.

THE APPLE STORE CANNOT BE COMPARED TO A BEST BUY STORE!

Apple only sells their products, and they don't have very many, so it's easy to know like 5-7 computers, sometimes only 2 or 3 depending on what store you work at. When I worked at Best Buy selling cameras I had to know about over 50 cameras and the PC people had to know about selling 25+ Laptops and 20 something desktops.


PEOPLE NOT KNOWING ABOUT APPLE'S PRODUCTS IS APPLE'S FAULT ALONE!

Any real business person will tell you that the creator of a product has FULL RESPONSIBILITY for their product's survival in the market. Quality, Price, and PR are all the responsibility of the creator. THEY ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE!

MARKET YOUR PRODUCT BETTER, APPLE!
DON'T APPEAR SO PRETENTIOUS!
TRY TO MAKE REAL BUSINESS SOLUTIONS!

Then you'll hear about Macs in an electronics store, when people have something to talk about.

[jaydub]

Can everyone just please for one second pretend to have some kind of unbiased view?

I worked for Best Buy this past summer

So much for an unbiased view...

[whoooaaahhhh]

So much for an unbiased view...

Ok, maybe I should have rephrased that, haha. I meant not Apple biased. Definitely not the same.

[jaydub]

Ok, maybe I should have rephrased that, haha. I meant not Apple biased. Definitely not the same.
Not necessarily. Bias is bias, regardless of which side of the fence you're on. I posted an outsider's account of what I experienced at the Best Buy here in town, and my opinion was that Apple's showing there was poor (at best) and it was a terrible way to highlight the products. Regardless of whether Apple Stores only sell their own products, they also ensure that their employees know as much technical information as is necessary to sell the products. It's hard to be impressed when the Best Buy experience forces you to work around their security devices and disabled software, when the Apple store invites you to try anything you can think of on their machines. It's about the experience.

Best Buy may be the #1 selling electronics store in the nation, but they were in poor shape only a few years ago. My experience has been that the staff is always discourteous, ill-equipped for even the most simple customer service tasks, and make no attempts to answer technical questions without referring you to their computer support desk. Even though they are usually the cheapest place in town to buy DVD's, I'll pay more for a better buying experience.

Finally, I hate that I have to show my stupid receipt to some guy at the front of the store before I exit. That's just a personal pet peeve, but one day I'm going to run out the door with a product I've purchased just to see them stop short of the parking lot (since they can't chase me there!). That is all.

[interlaced]

I spent a lot of time driving around today listening to the radio. On one of the most popular stations, KIIS FM, I heard the Best Buy/Apple commercial about 9 times. Apparently a lot of Best Buys here are holding events over the weekend and giving away iTunes gift cards and an iMac. They also encourage people to come by and test out the Macbooks [Pro]. Awesome. I might just go.

[djerati]

Just why does Best Buy matter? Meh! It doesnt! There are so many other (better) ways to buy Apple computer products, and that's no "rumor".:confused:

[poppe]

I spent a lot of time driving around today listening to the radio. On one of the most popular stations, KIIS FM, I heard the Best Buy/Apple commercial about 9 times. Apparently a lot of Best Buys here are holding events over the weekend and giving away iTunes gift cards and an iMac. They also encourage people to come by and test out the Macbooks [Pro]. Awesome. I might just go.

Where are you located at? Perhaps by me so I can try to win those things?

[poppe]

I apologize for the sarcasm (and the camera phone pics). I went to the Best Buy in Mission Valley, San Diego, CA and told them I needed a computer because I just got a digital camera for my birthday. I want to use the internet, email, listen to music, watch movies, store my photos, put together slide shows and movies of my vacations with music, burn dvds and other fun stuff. After we decided I wanted a notebook and wanted to spend under $1500, I was shown a Toshiba. Next I was shown a Sony Vaio, because you can stick your camera's memory card in it... not mine by the way (Digital Rebel XT). I asked a few more questions like "how hard is it to make a website for my photos" and got no Mac love. Infact, we got nowhere near the Macs. After, I went to look at them alone - MY salesman never approached me, one did though.

He told me "You know, Macs now run on intel processors so they're a little better now." Except the one I was on (PowerMac), he mentioned, "it has their old processor." He did act excited to share his knowledge. I asked a few more questions but was quickly bored with his lack of knowledge. The way I figure, anyone who is in the Best Buy computer dept now is there because they may know a little about windows PCs. There was no Mac section when they were hiring them and I doubt if any have been taught to use a Mac.

So first we have the MacBook with no Dock. Seriously, you can't see it unless you are looking straight down the surface of the screen. If I didn't know better, I'd think the bar across the top was a misplaced Windows taskbar. Their anti-theft device ruins the experience.

See - 0606062033.jpg

The next best thing was the number of error messages I received. I tried to start aperture on their PowerMac. I received an error message - 1000MB of Memory not available. Sure enough the memory was 512 - Maybe I'll get in trouble someday... but I removed Aperture from the dock.

See - 0606062031.jpg

Another message read "no video device" for Photo Booth on a MacBook Pro, which was also set to Magnify and White on Black in the universal settings. I fixed the universal settings but I have no clue how to disable/enable the built-in isight. Someone did. None of the software was updated with system update so you received a message to upgrade each one as they were opened. I really felt like I was back on a Windows PC - everything I did invoked a system message. Their 23" screen required me to lift and slide the mouse three times to get from top to bottom - it felt so awkward. I increased the tracking speed just enough so that one movement would cover the desktop.

Good points: A large sign you almost run into as you walk in the store mentioned checking out the Macs and pointed to the Mac section. Also, it was a big and I'd say very nice display before you even reached the computers.

Also attached is a blurry pic of display for those who want to see...

I was just at the best buy here near Dallas. They only have Mac Mini's but I was really confused. It was a 1.5 core solo, but it was running like a dog... It stuttered when I moved the cursor. It felt like the mouse was loosing connection as I tried to mac it from the dock to the finder...

Oh and everyhthing was very very very very very pixelated. I looked at the finder/HDD picture and it was all squared shapped. Why in the world was this like this?

I was going to show the group I was with, but I almost threw up in my mouth so I thought I shouldn't expose them also...

[balamw]

Where are you located at? Perhaps by me so I can try to win those things?
KIIS is a Los Angeles station, and the selected 7 stores are all in Southern CA/NV, so it's not so close to TX. ;)

The $150 coupons posted in another thread http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=208694 almost make it worthwhile to stop by and see... (I'm ~30 minutes from one of the stores...)

B

[dummptyhummpty]

I don't have time to read up on all the comments but I work at one of the Best Buy stores (I thought all of them were getting macs but I guess not) that have the macs. We actually have a position that is called Apple Specialist (or something like that) and the one guy who was doing it for a while knows his stuff. The girl schedualed for this week knows her stuff too. They also know that I know a bit and call me over to help out. I actually sold my first mac today and it was sweet. I'll try to read up on this thread after work tomorrow. Oh and I work at store 116 in Woodland Hills (Ask for Josh).

I just read some more and alot of you guys are right. There are alot of people in the store who don't know **** about what they are selling (I was never given a formal training luckly I know my computer ****) but then there are a few people who know alot and others who are willing to learn from us. There are the three mac people in my computer department and the rest of the people know that if someone needs help they should see us. Also about the PSPs, well we really push them because they tell us too. On the laptops they are actually a good idea since anything accidental is covered, I use that as my selling point.

Oh and how do I try to sell macs? Well for one they just work: try to drag somthing on to somthing else and it usually does what you want. Also I mention the no virus/spyware thing so you can just buy the mac and don't have to buy 118 bucks worth of other ****. I happen to notice we now have little signs around the macs saying the same ****. If you happen to live by my store come in and talk to me if you'd like. The people to see for macs are Dave Paul, me or Heather.

Lastly, who ever mentioned that he was never shown a mac...the reason for that is alot of our customers are cheap and they come in to buy our POS $550 notebooks. I try to mention the Macs but alot of the customers can't justify spending the moeny when they can get a same (Spec wise) computer for less. I'm open to ideas on how to sell macs if any one want's to give me some.

Any way i'm exhausted from work and probably not making sence. L8.

[JoeB4ever]

Nice to see fellow best buy employees take part on this discussion

I agree that there are BB employees that won't know squat on mac. And how can you expect all of them to without having the correct training, plus all of the other worthless crap they have to know. Luckily when we actually carry them in the stores, they will have the correct training to sell them efficiently.

In most best buy stores, we can order macs, but we're not supposed to carry them in the store. Well One of the macs we ordered for a customer was returned(he thought apple was gonna teach him how to use his imac), so this imac he had returned we put on display, then set it up with bootcamp. It is probably now our most popular computer. And we LOVE IT. My next computer will probably be a mac with the great experience I've had with just B.S.ing with it when I'm bored at work.

Plus I'm all for switching PC users over to Mac... It just makes sence