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Best Buy and Apple - Together Again?

Best Buy

I was at Best buy last friday and tried to buy an IPod... The products were place in a cabinet, cabinet was 4 feet tall, no visibility at all, impossible to get some information from the sales associates...

If this is the type of service we are going to get from them for the top of the line Apple G5... well don't look there!!!

On top of this, Best Buy would provide the same pricing with much less service than an Apple Store...

What is to gain for Apple... More penetration in Areas where no Apple Store exist... My 2c on this is Apple should seriously think again before letting their products in best Buy hands...


There is no way I will buy a G5 or a flat panel display from Best Buy... I would consider them for software only...


Michel
 
Clever indeed!!!

Originally posted by Atradies
Pretty smart tech if you ask me, considering it can be true. If you have say a 40GB HD and your constantly filling it up and having to dump files and back up files, your files are going to get extremely fragmented, slowing down "the overall performance of your computer", so if you have a larger HD, files don't fragment as easily or nearly as fast. And when they do fragment, its a lot easier to defragment.

Maybe try slamming that keyboard a bit harder next time.
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Very Clever; try to explain to John Doe and his 5 YO kid what is defragmentation... And then he buys a Mac... Clever move... All Best Buy employees: Explain Defragmentation, how windows manage available memory, how to find and install drivers!!! Please do it everytime!!!!!

Michel
 
Re: Best Buy and Apple - Together Again?

Originally posted by Macrumors
As first reported by ThinkSecret, Apple and Best Buy are in talks to bring Apple's products back into the national retailer.



A recent report indicates that the Apple's return to Best Buy could take place as early as August 3rd, 2003. Best Buy has been carrying Apple's iPod. This new deal would presumably include more hardware -- though details are not available at this time.
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This would be really nice. Where I live, the closest Apple store is 2 hours away. No CompUSA's here. We do however have two Best Buys.
 
This is a good move. CompUSA's Mac department used to really suck until they put Apple people in there, now it 100 times better. So as long as they continue that practice with Best Buy, they should be fine.

But here in Huntington Long Island, a brand new Apple store just opened. And now they are finishing up constructing a big Best Buy building about 100 yards away. What are they going to do when it opens next month and they start competing with themselves?
 
Re: Clever indeed!!!

Originally posted by mk_in_mke
Very Clever; try to explain to John Doe and his 5 YO kid what is defragmentation... And then he buys a Mac... Clever move... All Best Buy employees: Explain Defragmentation, how windows manage available memory, how to find and install drivers!!! Please do it everytime!!!!!

Michel
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What's your point? Mac's HFS+ system is just as prone to fragmentation as NTFS or FAT32 on Windows. Besides, BestBuy wants to sell you another hard drive. That's business.

As long as an Apple trained product specialist will be there, I think this is great idea. My best friend needed a new PC a year or so ago and went with a BestBuy, Matrix PC because they had one to those 18 Month 0% interest deals going on. If they had sold iMac's - he'd have bought one.

Also, as much as I think the PSP's BB sell are a rip-off, I will admit that they are a God-send when you actualy need to use them. We bought a Maytag refigerator there and spent the extra $100 or so on the 4 year PSP. In the 3rd year it developed a leak in the coolant system which rendered it completely dead. When we went in to get a replacement, they no longer had a top-mount in any brand with as many cubic feet as our old one so (after a little bit of haggling) they slashed a very nice side-by-side by several hundred dolars to keep us happy.

My general rule is if the item is too big of a pain to bring in or ship to the mfr' for waranty work, I'll think about the PSP. (large appliances, large TV's)

BTW: That friend recently had a lightening strike burn out his modem (among other things) - because he had the PSP they replaced it no questions asked. (Yes, a replacement modem probably would cost less than the PSP - but I'm impressed that they covered an "Act of God".)
 
Originally posted by Gus
You guys must all be too young to remember when Apple had computers in all of the major retail outlets: Best Buy, Circuit City, and yes, even Wal-Mart. Best Buy was the worst place to go. I know there's somebody here who works for BB, but I'm sorry, everyone there is anti-Apple. Not just PC users, but people who do not understand, or care to understand Apple and its products. MANNY times, while strolling through the computer section, looking at iPods there, I had to stop and help somebody get things straight after a BB salesperson pretty much told them the opposite of the truth about the machine they were looking at. In the old partnership, it was VERY common to go there and see Macs that were not even turned on, or had had a system freeze, and just left hung for hours. They just didn't care about learning. Even worse was when I and a friend of mine applied to help sell the Macs, we were turned down because they "didn't care to sell any more Macs". This was in Winston-Salem, NC in 1996. Unless there are some full-time Apple types in the stores, this will fail miserably. Can you imagine grandma going to BestBuy and seeing a screen with a kernel panic on it for hours? Yeah, that would sell a lot of computers.

Regards,
Gus
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Hey I'm from Winston Salem!

I kind of hope they start carying Apple products, but I think I would rather buy everything from my Apple Store that is 1.5 hours away. Just for the experiance...and so that I can get my Pro Card:p
 
Earlier this month, insiders confirmed that the two companies are still considering a plan where Best Buy would sell Apple products, and Apple would staff the stores with its own employees to help boost sales.



did any of you read this? it seems to me that it says apple will be providing the staff to sell its products. its pretty plain non-confusing language
 
For those of us that the nearest apple reseller is an hour and a half away, but do have a Best Buy (or at least will by September), this is a good thing. Lets see here; Drive 100 miles to Technology Associates in Cedar Rapids or drive a mile and a half to Best Buy. First of all, Apple (not Best Buy) employees will staff the Mac area. It's like having an Apple store within a Best Buy. If those guys are anti-mac, they won't have a job for long. Secondly, it gets Apple into the mainstream view. Theres a lot of people who don't but Macs just because they do not see them. People aren't going to drive hours just to see a Mac, you have to bring the Mac to them. If they cannot see it, they'll assume there's no difference between a Mac and a PC.. It will also help push the G5. Let the skeptics try them out for themsleves.
 
this is great

First off, for all of you that are worrying about "the service" Best Buy will give to Apple's products you should try reading the story again as Apple would staff the Best Buy's will Apple staff. With that aside, this would be a great move if done correctly this time around, and I think Apple's product line is much stronger this time so your not going to walk into Best Buy and just see a line of G3iMac's. Personally I would have to travel to another city 2 or more hours away to visit an Apple Store or any Apple retalier so to be able to just go to Best Buy to pick up Mac software, accesories or even an actual computer would be incredible. I can't wait.
 
Re: Re: Bad Idea

Originally posted by wsteineker
Sucks that you've had such a negative experience with my company. Still, I don't think the problem you describe is systemic. It's probably just your store, honestly. Everyone I've encountered with the company has been knowledgeable and friendly. Next time you're down this way be sure to stop in and see me. I'll make sure you're taken care of. :)
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Are you kidding me? Best Buy does have a chain wide problem of hiring sub par employees. I have been to Best Buys in multiple locations in multiple states and have such horrendous service that I have not stepped into a Best Buy in over a year and I will NEVER go back again. I have rarely if ever heard anyone in person or on a message board say anything positive about their "Best Buy experience"
 
Originally posted by Sedulous
I dunno if I like this. Is it likely that Best Buy sales staff know anything about Apple stuff? I guess it is a good development for those not located near an Apple Store.
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Apple will be putting their staff in Best Buy, so I am guessing that they will know something about Apple products. And yes, I do agree that this will be good for people that don't have an Apple Store near them. The nearest one to me is three hours away. It could be a one day trip, but I have other things to do. Maybe Best Buy could fill this Apple void in my life. CompUSA just isn't good enough.
 
I for one am very much looking forward to this move, if for no other reason than to make it easier for me to get pieces and parts for my macs without driving multiple hours to wade thru the crowds at an AppleStore, or order products sight-unseen from a catalog.

I've read through all the posts in the thread so far, and feel that both sides have a valid arguement for and against putting macs in Best Buy. But the bottom line, plain and simple, is that Best Buy has a larger market reach than the Apple Stores, simply because Best Buy already has a large infrastructure of stores scattered about the country in key locations that sell to an incredibly broad audience. Even if by having these stores carry macs the marketshare for Apple goes from 2% Nationally (US) to 2.5% Nationally, then it's a good move. At this point, availability has to play an important roll. And as far as the employees in the store go, Apple will train them first, then supply them to the store. That's how they all work. Whether or not you get someone who paid attention during the training session is another matter, and one that is completely person-dependent.

I saw a post earlier that said the guy (or girl - dunno) had gone to Best Buy, listened to the employee mis-inform a couple, then they went over and explained it correctly. I've seen this multiple times myself. The real point that needs to be pushed is to SHOP before you go shopping. Computers are high-ticket items, and ones that shouldn't be made on a whim. There should be LOTS of attention paid in advertising to get people to research their computer purchases online with the facts laid out in front of them, usually in plain english, long before they ever get to the store. An informed consumer is a wise consumer, and usually a happy consumer to boot.

I'd say this is my 2¢, but I think with the length of the post (sorry about that) it's more like 3¢.

But to you it's free, nonetheless. :D
 
A good idea

In Reno, we have a fairly new independent Apple store, and a CompUSA with both an Apple specialist and an Apple employee south of town. The Best Buy is north of the CompUSA by about half a mile, while a Gateway store is north of Best Buy by another half a mile.

The way I see it, CompUSA caters to mac professionals, who are buying elaborate systems, while Best Buy will probably snag more new computer users/ switchers. One advantage for Best Buy, if they play it right, is that they can also make some home entertainment add on sales to existing mac owners as well.

Either way, I see Best Buy as a real thorn for Gateway's consumer electronic sales strategy. Maybe Gateway would be better off selling Apple products as well...
 
Truth of Best Buy

I worked for BB for three years while saving money to pay for Dental School from '97-'00. For the most part the only people with actual brains are the techs. The rest are basically uninformed lackeys that just repeat whatever the weekly booklets spell out for them. The computer dept. is a joke, yes there are a handful that know something, but the majority just just spout numbers and stats that they have no idea what they truly mean to even less knowledgeable customers. I know cause while I was a tech my brother would sell computers and he only had a basic knowledge on computers. Thank God Apple is hiring its own people, cause otherwise to depend on BB to do the right thing would be a mistake. P.S. some that does work at BB in a previous post said it was just one store that may have a problem, wrong I know for a fact all South Florida stores have this problem so im sure the rest of the chain must this problem as well.
 
Re: Truth of Best Buy

Originally posted by actripxl
I worked for BB for three years while saving money to pay for Dental School from '97-'00. For the most part the only people with actual brains are the techs. The rest are basically uninformed lackeys that just repeat whatever the weekly booklets spell out for them. The computer dept. is a joke, yes there are a handful that know something, but the majority just just spout numbers and stats that they have no idea what they truly mean to even less knowledgeable customers. I know cause while I was a tech my brother would sell computers and he only had a basic knowledge on computers. Thank God Apple is hiring its own people, cause otherwise to depend on BB to do the right thing would be a mistake. P.S. some that does work at BB in a previous post said it was just one store that may have a problem, wrong I know for a fact all South Florida stores have this problem so im sure the rest of the chain must this problem as well.
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theres truth in this, but not completely. many of the people who work there know jack****. i was definitely put in media with no knowledge of SACD v DVD Audio, etc...and expected to help customers. Even more fun was trying to help mothers pick out game systems for their kids. the blind leading the blind....
but i would take umbrage at you saying all bb employees are mindless, and that the only people with knowledge are the techs. because we havea computer nad business oriented school in the next town over from my store, we do have a few very knowledgable computer guys in the computer dept. they may be an exception, but i havent bothered to really look into it.
and i just graduated from brandeis with a degree in philosophy. so i guess to the world of best buy i am useless, but not necessarily brainless. i bet you're in the same boat, having gone to dental school and worked there.
anyway, the reason the employees are usually just following the books instructions is because usually that sthe only guidance bb gives. unless oyur supervisor is smarter than the avg management, you're on your own. and if, like me, you have no desire to learn the difference between an xbox and a ps2 you come across as a moron.
and i sincerely hope apple reps are there, because my best buy would SUCK at selling apples. they suck enough as is at selling pcs....most of the time i end up helping people, and i work for the merchandising dept.
--carly
 
Re: Re: Extended Warrenties on CD's

Originally posted by wsteineker
Worst case scenario is that Apple gets more exposure to middle America, and there's not a damn thing wrong with that.
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No, the worst case scenario is that Apple gets NEGATIVE exposure to middle America, and there is something wrong with that.
That being said, I do hope that they start carrying Apple products, and more importantly, software that works with my Mac. I'm tired of going to CompUSA for my occasional game I purchase for my Mac. There is never a very good selection at this particular store and it isn't conveniently located.
 
This could be a fruitful coupling but I think it really depends on how Best Buy will handle Mac customers. While there may be Apple employees on site to answer questions, I would imagine that purchases are still managed by Best Buy. While I agree that Best Buy has some of the best prices in retail for purchase, I think their customer care is atrocious. If I had to choose buying Apple products by driving 5 miles to Best Buy vs. driving 25 miles to an Apple store, you can bet I'd rather go to the Apple store.

Just my thoughts.
 
Good Thing

I live in Baton Rouge, and the only place within two hours of here to buy any mac products is CompUSA, who I have never been satisfied with. (Possibly because they never update their products -- They're still selling RevB G3 iMacs or because their CSRs don't know squat about PCs, much less macs and the Apple rep is almost never around)
I don't really expect best buy to be any different, but at least it's another option. Stores like BB or CUSA are hit or miss -- some are good, with qualified competent staff, and some are lousy, with poor service. At least theres a better chance of someone having either a good Best Buy or a good CompUSA in town.
In general, I like BB, except that the salespeople are kind of "pushy" with their sales and their service/replacement plans. If you let them know that you know what you're talking about, they can be pretty helpful.
 
good and bad service

Best buy is the only computer store in my home town (well office depot and office max doesnt count), but sometimes people get frustated for the service, i am not saying all of them but most. I have never again ask for help there, and i can remember one time i was looking for a firewire cable and the sales lady ask me do check if my computer has that port, I said is an apple, "I dont know nothing about, and check" so then i found the cable and went were she was standing and show the back of the box were says firewire is a register trademark of Apple.
I have had other experiences when they try to sell the most expensive pda for mothers or students when they just want basic functions.
Now the ipods, all the boxes are on a locked cabinet on the 2 bottom shelfs were all the others mp3 players are on top shelfs, i am sure they dont sell that much ipods because of that you will have to look for somebody for service, then he had to find the one with the keys, then figure out wich one, it takes some time, they at least should have one decent sample with more information.
I see the best buy apple store a good idea as long as they carry most apple products and some compatible software and accesories with apple people in it, this may be the only way it will succed.
 
Best Buy gets a bad rap

While I have seen some completely clueless salespeople at Best Buy (and every other retail store out there), they get a really bad rap. A lot of their employees take the time to actually learn the products they're selling.

The way I see it, even if the employees are clueless, it can NOT be a bad thing to put Macs in more stores. We have no Apple Store here, our one local CompUSA is a long drive away, but there are two Best Buys nearby.

Having OS X running in more stores for people to see and play with will sell machines better than anything else Apple can do.
 
It's nice to see Apple making headway in the retail market. It should translate to higher market share (especially with their declining hardware prices. w00t!).

But I'm really curious as to how they plan to break into the enterprise market. That remains their biggest hurdle.
 
Well the general manager at Laurel, Maryland's Best Buy is very anti-Mac. In fact he chides me about liking the Mac everytime I visited there. I stopped going there. Best Buy at one point did sell iMacs, but wouldn't carry them anymore because they had to carry all five flavors at once. They need to set aside a nice Apple section like CompUSA did, and this time, I sure hope Apple gives it more visibility. The problem with CompUSA the actual store was set in the back corner of each of the stores, and it was Apple's design decision to do so. Luckily the CompUSA in Maryland has an Apple employee manning the store there, and they did actually get the nice poster of the 12" and 17" Powerbooks and Mini Me and the basketball player, and put that poster outside the store in front. Every bit of visibility counts.
 
Originally posted by e-coli
It's nice to see Apple making headway in the retail market. It should translate to higher market share (especially with their declining hardware prices. w00t!).

But I'm really curious as to how they plan to break into the enterprise market. That remains their biggest hurdle.
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yep. they still need a budget mac eMac is still a bit pricey for the general consumer.
 
Originally posted by e-coli
It's nice to see Apple making headway in the retail market. It should translate to higher market share (especially with their declining hardware prices. w00t!).

But I'm really curious as to how they plan to break into the enterprise market. That remains their biggest hurdle.
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They already have...it is called the http://www.apple.com/xserve/

My sysadmin in a Windows 2000 only office took one look at the Xserve RAID and told me to get a Windows 2000 server capable of doing what the Apple RAID can for $13,000 would cost him over $200,000! Why? The normal RAIDs now use SCSI, and Apple is using IDE. Intriguing though, it used to be Apple's cost stigma was because it was all SCSI and the PC industry was all IDE. The PC world of servers shows this has now flipped to Apple's advantage!
 
Re: Re: Extended Warrenties on CD's

Originally posted by wsteineker
Ok, I'll admit that I've been with Best Buy less than a year, but I'm calling bullsh*t. We DO NOT sell service plans on items that cost less than $99. Period. End of story.
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Nope, that's NOT the end of the story - i bought a spare Xbox controller there and they offered me the warranty on that 19$ part (for 4 or 5 bucks).

i don't think there is a limit, i think it depends on the product. either way, I'M calling bullsh*t for BB's high-pressure warranty slant.
 
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