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pmz

macrumors 68000
Nov 18, 2009
1,949
0
NJ
Considering I tried to buy a $1000 HDTV last week from my local Best Buy and they wouldn’t sell it to me because “they were holding all of that model for their Sunday ad,” I think I’ll purchase my iPad from a store whose sales policies make sense.

Maybe I’ll buy from Amazon and enjoy the no sales tax.

LOL. So they tried to save you money (you being a clueless consumer who was about to overpay dramatically), and you criticize them for that? LMAO
 

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
Anyone buying monster cables or any other high priced cables are getting totally ripped off!. Yes for analog (due to signal loss on longer length cables), super big NO for digital (its on or its off, no in between). I bought three Mediabridge ultra cables through Amazon for $9.99 each. Yes they have gold plated ends (whoopie), 6 ft., 1.3 certified, heavy gauge wire, up to 340Mhz and 48 bit color. Used on 2 HDTVs and 1 Blu-Ray player. Perfect:)
It would be better if you didn't mix fact with assumption.

Fact: price means little on cables, expensive ones are pretty much a ripoff
Fiction: any cable is ok for digital

Actually, when HDMI first came out, some of the worst performing cables were $100+ Monster Cables. Some of the best were under $20.
 

spud13

macrumors newbie
Mar 26, 2010
4
0
for anyone bashing the clueless best buy employees and citing that as your reason for not buying at best buy, realize that about half or a little more of the 675 best buy stores with those apple shops have a badged apple employee working.

and also as clarification, i read someone say they have rewardzone and that will get them money off of their ipad. remember that the rewardzone saving are NOT instant, but instead emailed to you 30 days after purchase in the form of best buy gift certificates.
 

jaw04005

macrumors 601
Aug 19, 2003
4,515
403
AR
Ok, I pretty much won't even enter BB anymore, so I'm hardly a proponent. But really? They tell you to come back a few days later when the price will be lower and you find that wrong? Sounds like pretty good customer service to me.

LOL. So they tried to save you money (you being a clueless consumer who was about to overpay dramatically), and you criticize them for that? LMAO

The model didn't go on sale. It was just featured in the ad along with a bunch of others. :rolleyes: And they had at least 10 quantities out on the show floor that I could count --- so there's no telling how many they had in back.

It wasn't a "bait and switch" issue.
 

RMXO

macrumors 6502a
Sep 1, 2009
875
41
ill confirm this, im already slated to work the overnight to set up our displays and the work the next day to sell the ipads themselves.

Is there a way you guys that work at Best Buy's can find out which stores will have them for sale on launch day? It would save me from waking up very early & driving 1.5+ hrs to Richmond, VA for the nearest Apple Store. I live in Charlottesville, VA.

Any info on which stores will carry it would be helpful.

thanks,
 

diabolic

macrumors 68000
Jun 13, 2007
1,572
1
Austin, Texas
Is there a way you guys that work at Best Buy's can find out which stores will have them for sale on launch day? It would save me from waking up very early & driving 1.5+ hrs to Richmond, VA for the nearest Apple Store. I live in Charlottesville, VA.

Any info on which stores will carry it would be helpful.

thanks,

About 15 posts above yours:

Go to bestbuy.com and search for your stores. The term "Apple Shop" is listed as a store feature of stores where they will be selling them. :)
 

talkingnewmedia

macrumors regular
Dec 9, 2009
157
0
Chicago
Is there a way you guys that work at Best Buy's can find out which stores will have them for sale on launch day? It would save me from waking up very early & driving 1.5+ hrs to Richmond, VA for the nearest Apple Store. I live in Charlottesville, VA.

Any info on which stores will carry it would be helpful.

Let's see, goes and opens up Best Buy iPhone app and . . . No matching products found!

Wouldn't that have been a great way to introduce the iPad -- on an iPhone app!
 

daxomni

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2009
457
6
They had at least 10 quantities out on the show floor that I could count so there's no telling how many they had in back.
What "back?" There's a loading dock and an area for holding pre-release items like iPad's and defective products on their way out, but there's no large scale television warehouse in the "back" of any of the Best Buy stores I'm familiar with. Unless they're in the middle of unloading a trailer what you see is what they have.

The model didn't go on sale. It was just featured in the ad along with a bunch of others...It wasn't a "bait and switch" issue.
Around here if it's advertised at all then it's potentially a bait-and-switch issue, discounted or not. Obviously each state has their own rules and guidelines, but you don't sound like the kind of person who has researched any of this as of yet.

I'm no fan of Best Buy myself. I don't think their prices are anywhere close to living up to their name and their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. They also treat their employees worse than they should. And yet even I can understand why they wouldn't sell you a television that is about to be advertised.
 

diabolic

macrumors 68000
Jun 13, 2007
1,572
1
Austin, Texas
Let's see, goes and opens up Best Buy iPhone app and . . . No matching products found!

Wouldn't that have been a great way to introduce the iPad -- on an iPhone app!

Since there are no pre-orders and it will only be available in some of the stores, which don't have any inventory now, they probably wouldn't list it yet.

Around here if it's advertised at all then it's potentially a bait-and-switch issue.

Yes, in most places, if BB lists a product in their ad, they must have a certain number available when the ad period begins.
 

Rondue

macrumors regular
Jul 30, 2008
162
2
PA
Considering I tried to buy a $1000 HDTV last week from my local Best Buy and they wouldn’t sell it to me because “they were holding all of that model for their Sunday ad,” I think I’ll purchase my iPad from a store whose sales policies make sense.

Maybe I’ll buy from Amazon and enjoy the no sales tax.


If the sundays ad says that the store will have 10 units and they sell you one they will have 9 and can be sued. its simple and makes perfect sense stop being a baby.
 

Chupa Chupa

macrumors G5
Jul 16, 2002
14,835
7,396
Is there a way you guys that work at Best Buy's can find out which stores will have them for sale on launch day? It would save me from waking up very early & driving 1.5+ hrs to Richmond, VA for the nearest Apple Store. I live in Charlottesville, VA.

Any info on which stores will carry it would be helpful.

thanks,

If you don't want to drive to Richmond why wouldn't you just pre-order and let FedEx drive to you?
 

jaw04005

macrumors 601
Aug 19, 2003
4,515
403
AR
Around here if it's advertised at all then it's potentially a bait-and-switch issue. Obviously each state has their own rules but you don't sound like the kind of customer who has researched any of this before commenting.

You sure assume a lot don't you?

Neither the Best Buy employee or manager could even explain to me why they're not allowed to sell that particular model of a TV until (in this case) Sunday.

I asked if it was a street date problem? They said no. I already knew it wasn't a street date issue since practically every major electronics Web site had been selling it for weeks online.

I asked if it was going on sale on Sunday? They said they didn't know, but they didn't think so.

I finally asked if they weren't selling this model until they run out of stock on last year's model (they had last year's model in stock also)?

The manager said: "I know this is pretty messed up, but we have to follow our inventory policy."

They also didn't know why it was available at BestBuy.com for in-store pickup immediately, and told me that even if I purchased it through BestBuy.com, once the order hit the store they would "mark it as out of stock" so I couldn't pick it up until Sunday. Even though BestBuy.com would charge me instantly for the purchase and provide a receipt.

Oh yeah, and they jacked the price of the TV up to full MSRP price on Sunday. It didn't go on sale.

So, the entire experience was bizarre to say the least. And people wonder why retail stores are going out of business.
 

daxomni

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2009
457
6
Neither the Best Buy employee or manager could even explain to me why they're not allowed to sell that particular model of a TV until (in this case) Sunday.
There's nothing on a Best Buy application that asks you about the state laws and guidelines on bait-and-switch sales. The computer tells you want to do, you sell what it says is ready to sell and you don't sell what it shows as off-limits. It doesn't send you to the state government site to explain the technicalities to you. It would be nice if they understood the reasons behind the rules but that's not really their job.

They also didn't know why it was available at BestBuy.com for in-store pickup immediately, and told me that even if I purchased it through BestBuy.com, once the order hit the store they would "mark it as out of stock" so I couldn't pick it up until Sunday. Even though BestBuy.com would charge me instantly for the purchase and provide a receipt.
The internet operates in a bit of a gray area that skirts but doesn't actually nullify your local state laws, even though many people who use it are inclined to imagine it does.

Oh yeah, and they jacked the price of the TV up to full MSRP price on Sunday. It didn't go on sale.
That still doesn't change the fact that they will generally require a certain number of units at whatever price and quantity they advertise, MSRP or not.

So, the entire experience was bizarre to say the least.
For people who get most of their information from salespeople and floor managers it's probably very bizarre indeed.
 

Jaro65

macrumors 68040
Mar 27, 2009
3,822
926
Seattle, WA
This does give me a little more incentive to buy one now. I have a bunch of reward zone money saved up and had no idea what to do with it. It would pay for a pretty decent chunk of an iPad. It is likely I'll still hold out for the 3G iPad though..

Tempting, but I'm also holding out for the 3G version.
 

Drag'nGT

macrumors 68000
Sep 20, 2008
1,781
80
I think the problem is that not all Best Buys will be participating -- they have to have Apple store-in-stores. This pretty much prevents any national marketing. (Not to mention that fact that their supply may be limited.)

_________________

Talking New Media

What about the 3G version? The non Apple store-in-stores sell the iPhone. Could this be an exception?
 

jaw04005

macrumors 601
Aug 19, 2003
4,515
403
AR
For people who get all their information from salespeople and floor managers it's probably very bizarre indeed. So either get your information somewhere authoritative or stop repeating complaints you can't be bothered to properly research. I know it must be hard to accept that something you didn't like about a given retailer wasn't due to malicious psychosis on their behalf, but sometimes it's not.

At this point, you're just trolling. But neither you nor I know the actual reason for why they didn't want the sell the item. It could have been number of policies put in place by the local store just as easily as it could be your "bait and switch" law theory.

Either case, someone at the store should have known why and they lost a sale as the result.

It's the responsibility of the store's employees to communicate to the customer the exact reason why. You can't expect the customer to infer based on dubious comments from the store's sales staff and floor manager why the item cannot be sold at that particular time.

Customers don't walk into a retail store and worry about inventory management and state retail laws.

They handled the situation poorly and to suggest otherwise (and try to turn it around on the consumer) is just nonsense. And the experience will keep me from shopping there in the future.
 

oldwatery

macrumors 6502a
Sep 16, 2003
982
654
Maui
"store planograms indicate that two notebooks and an iMac will be displaced from the usual Apple Shop layout to accommodate four iPad demo units and associated accessories for display. "

Sounds like a parallel to what is happening at Cupertino.:mad::mad::mad:
 

KingParty

macrumors newbie
Mar 26, 2010
3
0
Orlando, FL
This is the first mac item that I know I def. will pass on, but I think it will catch on with housewifes and people who read ebooks for sure, but I just have no need for it already having a macbook pro and iphone
 

RMXO

macrumors 6502a
Sep 1, 2009
875
41
About 15 posts above yours:

Thanks, I didn't read the whole thread when I posted.

Let's see, goes and opens up Best Buy iPhone app and . . . No matching products found!

Wouldn't that have been a great way to introduce the iPad -- on an iPhone app!

_________________

Talking New Media

Would of been nice huh? ;)

If you don't want to drive to Richmond why wouldn't you just pre-order and let FedEx drive to you?

Because I originally was going to Richmond to pick up my reserved iPad & to see if I could get a gift for being there. But I'm starting to get lazy & was curious if the nearest BB was selling one. I should just get one delivered to my apartment as you suggested but I wanted to buy one in person. Guess I can't have the cake & eat it too. :D
 

JAT

macrumors 603
Dec 31, 2001
6,473
124
Mpls, MN
At this point, you're just trolling. But neither you nor I know the actual reason for why they didn't want the sell the item. It could have been number of policies put in place by the local store just as easily as it could be your "bait and switch" law theory.
Everything you have posted has pointed to the bait and switch issue being the answer, they couldn't sell them because their inventory level was already at a pre-determined point. It is a part of modern inventory management for retail stores. And you apparently don't know what "trolling" means.

Customers don't walk into a retail store and worry about inventory management and state retail laws.
Smart ones do. And many other issues.

They handled the situation poorly and to suggest otherwise (and try to turn it around on the consumer) is just nonsense. And the experience will keep me from shopping there in the future.
This kind of issue is why everyone responding to you in this thread says they don't shop there. I guess we could have just said, "Then don't shop at Best Buy!", but then you would've yelled at us for that.

Bye.
 

Abyssgh0st

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2009
1,888
8
Colorado
It will be a 14 day, however i know best buy does not charge a restocking fee on any apple products

I'd bet it 30 days just like iPods. And we don't charge a restocking fee on anything, not having one for the iPad isn't a surprise. And BTW, we do get stuff off of Apple products. I got like $14 off of my iPhone 3G dock, I know we get something off of the Apple headphones, and $40-100 off of all Macs.
 

jtgreen86

macrumors member
Mar 26, 2010
55
4
Dumb question: Will BB get the docks and case on the same day? I know when the 5G nano came out it took a month or so before they received cases for it.

My card wasn't charged for the case which is listed on my order as "ship by April 3" so I'm trying to decide if I want to cancel it and grab one at Best Buy or just wait it out.
 

daxomni

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2009
457
6
It could have been number of policies put in place by the local store just as easily as it could be your "bait and switch" law theory.
So what exactly is your own theory again?

Customers don't walk into a retail store and worry about inventory management and state retail laws.
Have you ever worked in retail, because this statement doesn't match what I saw when I did. They may not know the legal terminology but they sure love to claim this or that law is being broken the moment something doesn't go through. Out of stock, card declined, power outage, you name it the store must have broken some sort of law if anything doesn't go smoothly. Ironically in many cases laws are being broken by mainstream retailers, just not the ones customers are likely to notice.

They handled the situation poorly and to suggest otherwise (and try to turn it around on the consumer) is just nonsense. And the experience will keep me from shopping there in the future.
Nobody's telling you shouldn't be upset that you couldn't buy the television you wanted when you wanted or that you should continue to shop there, but if you're going to bash them in public, at least blame them for something they actually have control over.
 
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