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Best Buy selling Apple Products

Best Buy and Apple

Heres the deal guys...I am a Best Buy insider...I run the computer department @ certain best buy that will not be revealed for my job security :) The story is that Apple is going on test pilot for best buy in bout 20-35 stores the chicagoland area , phoenix Az area , and I believe houston texas area are going up first.. the product selection will cover all macs (ibooks imacs powerbooks and powermacs) not for sure on the G5 yet but pretty sure its gonna be there. Software wise I can confirm Apple brand big titles like OSX , Final Cut, iLife, etc... as for the rest its a toss up. Employees @ these selected stores go up for training soon and the Expected drop date is 8.3.03 anything sooner is just bits and pieces. Best Buy will provide the interest free fiancing and also the service plans..which mean we will repair or replace instore (thank god i personally got burned by Apple !!! ) so look out and check your local best buy between now and 8.3.03
 
Apple has to get the product to the market, having mac stuff in only apple stores is not getting the job done. They need to sell at least the consumer line in Sears,Wal-Mart,Best Buy and etc. This is the core of apple's problems.What the hell is apple thinking?? As long as you walk into these stores and see no apple stuff how the heck can apple ever increase market & sales??? They have to have a common presence everywhere and they dont. Walk into a staples and its a joke, they dont even know what a mac is. If apple is ever to get back to 10 per cent or more they HAVE to have shelf space in all major stores. Well they dont so i guess they are very happy with that 3% market share. Probably the same clowns that came up with the switch campaign. pretty hard to switch when you dont see the product.
 
I remember when Macs were in Sears and Best Buy and Circuit City but they were not selling well at all. I wouldn't have bought one at the time, but they were running and you could play with them (at least around here.) However this was pre-OSX, and the OS just seemed dated. If I had seen OSX on them I probably would have bought one. (I never used OS9, even now.) Apple really needs to stress OSX and how good it is. I first bought a Mac when I visited the Apple store in Tampa and got to use OSX. (I don't know anyone with a Mac around here.)

Another thing; I work all day at my family's restaurant, and they watch tv in the kitchen. I swear I've seen the G5 commercial 50 times the past 3 day. (And about 25 buymusic crap commercials as well.) My brother who is completely computer illiterate keeps on asking me about an iPod, he wants one (I did tell him he needs a computer first, so he points out the G5 commercial.) They need those in BestBuy with all this advertising. Apple also seems to advertise like crazy during southpark, which my brother watches all the time. I think they are really trying to go after the non-computer type people in their advertising, which in my brother's case is working. However he thinks buymusiccrap is Apple too because of the copycat commercial.
 
I am assuming they won't, for instance, put an Apple sales team in a best buy across the street from a mall or CompUSA where Apple products are sold.

But branching out is good! There was a best buy where I used to live that carried Mac software (don't know if they still do). That, to me, is the big benefit. Right now I can only buy Mac software online. It would be nice to be able to walk into a store and buy some!
 
Originally posted by Powerbook G5
I hope it works better than CompUSA...when I go to the Apple section at the CompUSA in Jacksonville it basically goes as follows: "Uh...where is the Apple tech? I have a question" "Umm...I don't know, he should be there" "I've been waiting for him for 35 minutes, he's been paged 3 times, do you know where he could be?" "Uh...I don't know, what do you need? "I need help with a question on using this printer with OS X" "Um...I don't know...you should really ask the Apple tech guy that, he'd know" "I know, that's why I have been waiting for 40 minutes for him" "Oh...we'll page him then..."
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That's why I gave up "computer shopping" a long time ago.:eek:

The only time you see me in a compu store is, when it's absolutely impossible to buy a product through the web.
 
But you have ...

Originally posted by P-Worm
I wonder if my Best Buy will get them. The cosest Apple store to me is about a 6 hour drive. :eek:

P-Worm
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But you have lots of great resellers near you. Expercom said they are about to open a really cool store near you.

This is a given, market source reps have already been hired for our local Best Buy for the tax free holiday coming up soon AND they have several displays sitting in the back ... a friend of a friend is a stockboy there.
 
I just hope they get the same agressive financing options that the PCs get. Buying a $5000 G5 (with 23" Monitor of coruse) for 12, 18, or 24 mo no interest would be perfect.
 
yay! This is an exciting day. Apple needs to get their products in as many retail electronics branches as they can. I sure hope that my best buy will be selling Apple products on Monday. I'll have to call and ask. Hopefully this time Apple and Best Buy will have a lasting relationship, or atleast get along for a while. Anyways, I wonder if the previous rumors were true about them not having the 17" Powerbook or the G5 Powermac. If they don't, that would still be okay, but I sure hope they do.
 
Re: Tax Free Holiday?

Originally posted by jzieske
What?
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some states pick holiday weekends, or just some random week, a few times a year and eliminate tax for new computers and any accessories bought at the same time.

they do it here in PA. this has to help in the Philadelphia regional area since we are so close to Delaware (the land of tax free shopping).
 
Not a good idea...

I just don't know if this is a good idea. I work at a Costco Wholesale (in the electronics), and everytime I go to BestBuy and ask them questions, I get uneducated answers. Don't even get me started on my digital camera purchase there. They've got a bunch of college kids working for them, that only seem to know about big/loud car stereos. I can just see someone buying a Mac there, and coming back with questions that no one can answer. This is what Apple does not need. The nice thing about Apple stores, and the local guys to, is that they are Mac enthusiasts as well... So they are more inclined to know the product.

Hell, I have members that I send to TD Curran (our local Mac store) just because I know the only reason they're looking at a PC is because Joe Blow has one.

I really wish Apple would sell to Costco... I'd have those things flying out the door!
 
Well.... I hope Apple will be stocking Best Buy with their employees, they should know something about Apple products. They shouldn't train PC lovers to talk good stuff about macs. That would be bad.
 
Re: Not a good idea...

Originally posted by fstmtsngs
I just don't know if this is a good idea. I work at a Costco Wholesale (in the electronics), and everytime I go to BestBuy and ask them questions, I get uneducated answers.
Hell, I have members that I send to TD Curran (our local Mac store) just because I know the only reason they're looking at a PC is because Joe Blow has one.

I really wish Apple would sell to Costco... I'd have those things flying out the door!
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We went through this before in another thread. Actually I'm the one who got b-slapped about it :eek: Apple is providing the CSRs. In which case this should work well.
 
YES IT IS

I work at best buy to pay for college. Soooo, YES they are, from what i heard 2 towers ( G5 and iMac, and 23 laptops, gee I wonder) whould be seeing them instore around 8-2:D :D :D

I sure hope to hell the have a killer accomidation program, since the "student" pricing is a joke.
 
Re: Re: Not a good idea...

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
Apple is providing the CSRs. In which case this should work well.
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Yes, that's absolutely critical. The store employees will spend most of their time worrying about selling whatever they're getting spiffs on, and -- although one must learn never to say "Never," because who of us realistically thought Macs would return to Best Buy? -- that's not likely to be Apple.

(And if any Best Buy employees respond with "We don't sell according to spiffs," I'd have to say that this policy obviously hasn't yet reached the Dallas area.)

For a look back at how spiffs affected Mac sales in the bad old Performa days :), see:
http://www.tidbits.com/tb-issues/TidBITS-367.html#lnk2
 
CompUSA: excellent Apple store

I hear reports of bad CompUSA experiences, and I don't know if people are just remembering things that happened years ago or if certain stores need to be reported to Apple, but...

MY CompUSA experience has always been great. The non-Apple employees all know right where the Apple stuff is and are up on the latest events--presumable because the Apple reps keep the other informed in some simple way. Weekly memo?

More importantly, the Apple section itself is well-staffed, and LOADED with the latest Macs running the latest stuff. All screens are busy doing something cool--but you are encouraged to stop the demo and play around. They' quietly re-start the demo (or DVD or whatever) after you leave.

They also have a good selection of third-party stuff.

I certainly have no complaint about the many times I have been to CompUSA for Mac stuff.

Now do the same for Best Buy! (I see iPods are already there.)
 
yay!

Well this makes me happy, I would love to work at BestBuy and be an Apple Guy, that would be pure fun! :) Since the nearest Bust Buy is like 5 minutes away from me and the Apple Store is like 45 minutes away from me I would liek to work at best buy. I would help people buy thier macs, that would make me happy. I hope they have chairs at Best Buy, the apple employees always seem to be standing, I couldn't do that all day :eek:

Well, we'll see what happens, I hope to work at a Apple Store or some other computer store when I get my new PowerBook, discounts baby! whoo! :rolleyes: :cool: :D
 
SLC doesn't have one yet?

Originally posted by P-Worm
I wonder if my Best Buy will get them. The closest Apple store to me is about a 6 hour drive. :eek:

P-Worm
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So, SLC doesn't have an Apple Store yet? I'm all for the Apple Stores, but they really need to distribute them a little better than shoving several in a few select, large cities. The Chicago are now has 3 stores. For me to get to any of them would still take about the same amount of time. I used to live in Montana, and I think the closest Apple Store was in Denver, which was at least a 12 hour drive. Not something meant for an afternoon trip. But if one lives in SF or LA, there are quite a few stores one can go to.
 
Re: CompUSA: excellent Apple store

Originally posted by nagromme

MY CompUSA experience has always been great. The non-Apple employees all know right where the Apple stuff is and are up on the latest events--presumable because the Apple reps keep the other informed in some simple way. Weekly memo?
Click to expand...

I would recommend to anyone, that if they are having such great experiences, to let the managers of the store know that you appreciate how well they are doing.

But if you are getting no decent support, also let the managers know that they need to clean up their act. I don't know if it will help, but if you don't voice your opinion, how will they know if something is wrong? But still, even if you do submit a complaint, it may not help. I once was at a Staples, and they had a nice, dusty copy of OS 10.0 (10.1 was already out). I kindly took the box to the front and indicated to them that they should get an updated version of the OS on the shelves since no one should be stuck buying OS 10.0. However, that was the last time I saw a Mac product on the shelves (that wasn't a hybrid disk, at least).
 
I think its good that consumers are going to be seeing more of Apple's products around.

This could definitley get more switchers, since most of Best Buy's customers are probably PC users.
 
Unpleasant Experience at Best Buy

About a year ago I went into a Best Buy store to buy a digital camera, a photo quality printer, and some relevant supplies. The total amount came to $1200 which I was prepared to pay with cash. As the clerk was entering information into his computer he started to describe a "protection plan." I stated that I was not interested in such. He started over with the descriptiion. Again I stated that I was not interested as I had my own insurance program and that my experience had been that the manufacturer's warranties on such products were sufficient for my needs. He then stated that he couldn't complete the sale until he had completed his presentation about the plan. I again stated that I was not interested and that if he proceeded I would cancel the purchase. Yet again he started into the presentation and I put my money back in my billfold and started to leave the store. Before I was able to reach the exit I was approached by both the salesperson and the store manager who started blathering about how beneficial the protection plan was and that I was foolish to not buy it. I responded by stating that although I had made numerous purchases at Best Buy stores that this was the first time that I was so treated and that it would likely be a long time before I again purchased anything at Best Buy. After leaving the store I drove the short distance to Circuit City where I was able to complete my purchase (actually somewhat of a better buy as a free carrying case for the printer was thrown in) without any hassle regarding a protection plan.
 
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