Is there a particular big box retailer that you think would do a
good job selling
TV?
I'm a big fan of big-box retailers that operate like small-box ones. They're usually regional, sometimes a little bigger. Take, for instance, Abt, Tweeter, or American TV. Being in Wisconsin, I'm fairly familiar with American, and I have it on good authority that all of their publications, ads, and audio/video production (which is done in-house) is all done on Macs. The same people in charge of developing training programs are the ones who work on Macs day in and day out. It's these sorts of retail outlets that I feel are going to be players soon.
Because it's only a matter of time before Best Buy's bubble bursts. TV's with 40 points of margin only a year or two ago now have maybe 10, max. High-ticket items like flat-panel HDTVs are now available at every big box, and if you can't make it to your ZIP code's Wal-Mart, just stop at a 7-11. They sell 'em, too.
Computers have zero margin. Everything is in accessories and services.
So where is the money to be made? Well, Best Buy is betting it's in Market Saturation, and services. by having a massively huge number of stores running with a razor-thin NOP, and the largest revenue stream quickly becoming (they think) full-serve, is really the only way Best Buy will survive. But history has shown that the Wal-Mart approach doesn't always work: building more stores than a region is able to support will cause the entire network to collapse, with every store competing for business, and none getting enough to stay alive.
Non commissioned salespeople? Read: "I don't get paid enough to know the answer to that question." And frankly, at $8.50/hr, would you?
No, Apple would be wise to consider its allies in small big-boxes. You'll see them gaining prominence, as Fire Pooch and Circuit City crash and collectively burn, and Best Buy finally alienates its last remaining loyal customer segment: upwardly mobile, hip, urban 20-something males.
