BestBuy Mac Curious?

[Prabz26]

So, I got my weekly flyers today and i was going through
Best Buy and i came across this little blurb (btw this is in Canada or at least Toronto and surrounding areas)

Mac Curious?
come to Best Buy stores on May 9 -May 10th and get all
questions about Macs answered.
An Apple solutions consultant will be doing a 2 day session
and try out new apple products and technology....

so thats most definetley not word for word but close
but im pretty sure im not allowed to post wat bestbuy write in their flyers exactly


but what are your thoughts on this?
i would juss said go to a Apple Store if there one near you

 

[Sky Blue]

im pretty sure im not allowed to post wat bestbuy write in their flyers exactly

Why not?

 

[baypharm]

Apple does this every now and then. I remember them doing retail in-services in Circuit City, Computer City, and others. It's a great way to reach walk-in customers first hand to answer their questions.

 

[itommyboy]

It's a great way to reach walk-in customers first hand to answer their questions.

And to LOL at the Geek Squad and their massive lack of Apple knowledge. It's more or less a public workshop like the Apple Stores have every week (or more depending on the store/location). There is a couple of Apple reps at our local Best Buy at least quarterly.

 

[dsnort]

The Apple section at my local Best Buy is pathetic. I see people sit there and play with the Macs, looking around for someone answer questions, no one ever comes. Mean while over in the PC section, you can't walk past without a sales rep tackling you.

I really don't know if this Best Buy experiment is in Apples best interest.

 

[Bubba Satori]

And to LOL at the Geek Squad and their massive lack of Apple knowledge.

What do you base that statement on ? An experience at one store or many stores ?

The Apple section at my local Best Buy is pathetic. I see people sit there and play with the Macs, looking around for someone answer questions, no one ever comes. Mean while over in the PC section, you can't walk past without a sales rep tackling you.

I really don't know if this Best Buy experiment is in Apples best interest.

If you tell the manager at that store about that lack of attention they will do something about it. Apple's are BB's highest margin computers.

It's not an experiment. I would imagine that selling lots of Apple computers is in Apple's best interest. We sell about 50 a week at my location.

 

[IWantItThatWay]

The Apple section at my local Best Buy is pathetic. I see people sit there and play with the Macs, looking around for someone answer questions, no one ever comes. Mean while over in the PC section, you can't walk past without a sales rep tackling you.

I really don't know if this Best Buy experiment is in Apples best interest.

Same here, but I do see a lot of Macs being sold. In fact I went to Best Buy tonight (which the situation described actually happened to me) and they sold like 3 MacBooks...

 

[baypharm]

The Apple section at my local Best Buy is pathetic. I see people sit there and play with the Macs, looking around for someone answer questions, no one ever comes. Mean while over in the PC section, you can't walk past without a sales rep tackling you.

I really don't know if this Best Buy experiment is in Apples best interest.

I was in one the other day and a couple came up as I was looking at the Mac display. A salesman walked over and she told him she wanted to buy a Macbook Pro. It was her very first computer. So instead of going to get one for her, he starts asking her all kinds of useless questions and she was getting annoyed. Finally she turned and they walked out of the store.

 

[iLog.Genius]

Personal experience I find is that sales reps at both Future Shop and Best Buy (my area, Mississauga) don't know very much about Mac's. Sure they can answer basic questions (basic knowledge that can be applied to both Mac's and PC's) but anything past that, they'll give you nonsense answers. So I think it's good that Apple has arranged a rep to answer questions about Mac's because Geek Squad or whoever works in the computer section don't know jacks---!

 

[dontwalkhand]

The thing that Best Buy has the upperhand on buying a Mac from them rather than the Apple store is that, you can use your RewardZone card, and get points.

 

[designgeek]

The Apple section at my local Best Buy is pathetic. I see people sit there and play with the Macs, looking around for someone answer questions, no one ever comes. Mean while over in the PC section, you can't walk past without a sales rep tackling you.

I really don't know if this Best Buy experiment is in Apples best interest.

I know, the one near me usually only has one 24" iMac, and a Macbook out at any given time, no Airs, no Pros of any kind and certainly not a mini or ACD. I'm amazed that they sell any.

 

[trevpimp]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 2_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/525.18.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/3.1.1 Mobile/5H11a Safari/525.20)

Personal experience I find is that sales reps at both Future Shop and Best Buy (my area, Mississauga) don't know very much about Mac's. Sure they can answer basic questions (basic knowledge that can be applied to both Mac's and PC's) but anything past that, they'll give you nonsense answers. So I think it's good that Apple has arranged a rep to answer questions about Mac's because Geek Squad or whoever works in the computer section don't know jacks---!

lol I asked why my iPod touch battery dies quick. Some GeekSquad guy said that I just have to fully charge it and that it takes 9 hours to charge. Wow. So he thinks I am stupid to not actually fully charge it to last longer. Not only that he said 9 hours to charge? wtf kind of world is he in?

 

[TwinCities Dan]

I don't mind BestBuy selling Macs but I have a serious problem with GeekSquad.

Before it was "cool" to be a Mac, I tried to get my iBook serviced by them and I was completely blown off. You wouldn't believe how condescending these little *&^$%'s were. "Oh, mac's suck, you shouldn't have bought that", "Figures, mac's suck", "Our mac guy might call you next week"...

They almost forced me to grab the one kid by his face.

 

[itommyboy]

What do you base that statement on ? An experience at one store or many stores ?

Neither one or many. But the few stores in my area (3 within 45 minute drives) are pretty oblivious when it comes to their toys. I travel often around my state for business and will kick into Best Buys to kill time and spend some money. I always like to "test" the Best Buy employee's that come ask me if I need help around the Apple section or any section for that matter. After a short q & a you realize pretty quickly they don't know Apple computers at all.

That being said these 3 stores that I have experience with are all real nice and friendly people and they at least come and try to answer questions - but after a few comments from he/she and then me they usually end up saying something like "well it sounds like you know what you are doing just let me know if you need anything" and slowly scamper off back to the PC area with their shoulders sagging.

 

[tvp]

I can sort of understand Best Buy's lack of knowledge of Mac's. I work for an apple retailer. We're the only one with anything side from iPods in our area and the next closest Apple store is 6 hours away. Our guys don't know much about Mac's either. They aren't really a hot seller, maybe 1 or 2 computers a week. They have to focus on what's selling and the market in our area. They know the basics and can close a sale, but for the most part unless the person comes in requesting a Mac they don't pitch them to the average customer. I don't work in that department, but I get asked questions a lot since I'm the only one in the store that even owns anything Apple aside from an iPod.

Apple doesn't really provide any training for our sales professionals, and the rep only comes up maybe once a year (in contrast to other brands we carry where we see the reps at least once a quarter). We also don't make much money off Apple products, we can't mark them up as they have a fixed MSRP and we can't really put them on sale unless you're buying a model off the floor or Apple tells us they are having a sale. If Best Buy is getting the same support as we do from the manufacturer then obviously it's going to be difficult to really educate their employees on Apple products and get them to want to sell them (commission sucks on Apple stuff).

 

[IWantItThatWay]

I don't mind BestBuy selling Macs but I have a serious problem with GeekSquad.

Before it was "cool" to be a Mac, I tried to get my iBook serviced by them and I was completely blown off. You wouldn't believe how condescending these little *&^$%'s were. "Oh, mac's suck, you shouldn't have bought that", "Figures, mac's suck", "Our mac guy might call you next week"...

They almost forced me to grab the one kid by his face.

Well yeah, only like 3% of people owned Macs back then, what did you expect?

 

[DuFFy]

that best buy by me has an apple specialist who is employed by apple I believe, hes fairly involved in apple from what ive heard him say. hes actually very knowledgeable, it seems. Its always the same guy, wearing his apple polo shirt, hes pretty much there every time i go in. They have a nice little section for apple stuff..guess thats rare.

 

[Fonzijr1964]

yeah my best buy tries to act like they know about apples but they have no idea.

A rep told my friend the iMac came in a 30" option they could order

 

[sn00pie]

The thing that Best Buy has the upperhand on buying a Mac from them rather than the Apple store is that, you can use your RewardZone card, and get points.

Not to mention that you can workout deals if you want their extended warranty coverage (PSP they call it).

Most Best Buy do have a Apple rep who is employed by Apple. HP does the same thing, it's just in my area the nearest Apple store in downtown, so unless you want to travel 40-50 minutes to that store, your best bet to purchase a Mac is visiting a Best Buy.

 

[TwinCities Dan]

Well yeah, only like 3% of people owned Macs back then, what did you expect?

After reviewing your other posts, I am sorry, I am fresh out of "Troll Snacks"

Move along...

 

[JustGretchen]

I was in a bestbuy while visiting my parents house in another state. There was a customer around the age of 55 in looking at iMacs. There was a best buy computer sales person with him trying to tell him the differences between the Mac and a PC, and this guy was completely pathetic.

He was giving out wrong information all over the place. It was insane. From incorrect screen sizes and specs on iMacs to telling the customer that the mac didn't come with any good software at all, to saying that it was "guaranteed to have a higher total cost of ownership than a PC"

As a Mac user who knows his stuff, I had to step in and set it all straight. When I was done with him 10 minutes later, the customer walked out of best buy and drove to the Apple store that was 15 minutes away so that he could get more accurate information and great customer service he deserved.

Furthermore, the best buy sales guy came over and thanked me for my help, and acknowledged that he had no Mac knowledge whatsoever.

Truly sad for Apple and for Best Buy's customers.

 

[iOrlando]

best buy is a joke. not just for macs but for anything electronic.

You dont need any tech knowledge to work there. Thats a fact. I'm sure some workers are into technology but dont count on that.

then you have the whole deal with commissions and stuff...

its just one big sales pitch.

I use to go to best buy every once in a while and would just tell any workers to leave me alone.

now i just stay away completely.

They rip off alot of people each and every day.

Example: if you go in a buy a new large TV...they will then proceed to tell you only satellite will work best on the TV. Land-line cable wont. (found out later they had a deal with DirectTV where they get a certain percentage of new revenue) Then they proceed to tell you you need the very special cables and special power surge protector. Then you need the special audio system because you wont get 5.1 with most of these normal speaker systems. So you walk in trying to buy a TV, walk out with about $450 in other junk and signed up for satellite tv. This has happened quite a few times.

 

[Fonzijr1964]

best buy is a joke. not just for macs but for anything electronic.

for sure

 

[acron1]

Sorry but I disagree with these comments about BB.
It's up to you to do the research BEFORE you go in to look or buy. Places like BB are needed if you want to touch and feel something before you buy it. Make no mistake about it, with profit margins as tight as they are with on-line competition and the general state of the economy, the so called "commissions" BB salespeople are making are negligible at best. It is impossible to train and retain an effective sales force under these conditions. Accept BB for what it is and stop complaining, we need places like BB to be around and it's up to you to do the research before hand. I must agree though that their knowledge of Apple computer hardware is especially poor.

 

[MrENGLISH]

Sorry but I disagree with these comments about BB.
It's up to you to do the research BEFORE you go in to look or buy. Places like BB are needed if you want to touch and feel something before you buy it. Make no mistake about it, with profit margins as tight as they are with on-line competition and the general state of the economy, the so called "commissions" BB salespeople are making are negligible at best. It is impossible to train and retain an effective sales force under these conditions. Accept BB for what it is and stop complaining, we need places like BB to be around and it's up to you to do the research before hand. I must agree though that their knowledge of Apple computer hardware is especially poor.

The problem with your comment is that OPs post is about BB having a Mac Q&A Session... so in that case yeah people should be upset to find out that BB employees don't know anything about the Mac products they sell. I agree with you that you should do research on your own first but not everyone out there is as tech savy as we are. We all know people who rely on places like BB to answer their questions.