Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon

Ordered online, chose to pick up in store.

Drive 35 min to store

Pickup process takes 10-15 min

Drive 35 min home.

Left after dinner, was watching it that evening.

The only condition that would have prevented me from using this model would be traffic, as it could extend the trip by 60-90 minutes and would also increase my stress significantly.

Whereas Amazon would take 2-3 days (maybe more) and I'd be shitting bricks worrying about it getting damaged and being forced through the horrors of shipping a return.

I remember when I got my first job, at age 14, in 1998. I cut, baled, loaded, hauled, and stacked hay in a barn for a local farmer. It was extremely hot and tiring work for an overweight geek, but it paid better than anything else I could have gotten at that age - I was paid by the bale and I want to say it worked out to about $6 / hour. I saved all summer with nothing in mind other than "I want to buy a cool tech gadget!"

At the end of that summer I convinced my grandfather to drive me ~90 miles to the nearest Best Buy, and walking in that day was the best feeling in the world - a whole store full of cool toys that I didn't have! I walked out that day with one of the first MP3 players, a Diamond Rio PMP300, and a 32MB SmartMedia card. I spent about $350 on them, which my family thought was absurd.

I proceeded to go home and fill it with songs I downloaded from UseNet, and took it to school. I went to a rural school, and I don't think anyone had a clue what it was - several people asked me if it was a MiniDisc player. I explained to them what an "MP3" was.

I wish I could recapture the feeling of walking into Best Buy in the 90s. These days I have pretty much every tech item I want, and there are very few things there that can hold my interest. It makes me a little bit sad to walk through the doors and not be excited about what I'll find. It's pretty much the very definition of a First World Problem, but it is what it is.

Back then, I wasn't really wanting "toys" as much as I was thirsting for knowledge and fields to explore. That little MP3 player introduced me to UseNet, then Napster, and finally Gnutella. It ended up being a pretty big part of what got me interested in technology in general and development in particular - I went from "Hey, this is cool, free music!" to "Hmm... LimeWire is open source, I wonder if I can figure out how to fix this bug..." over the few years following.

Ultimately, it led me to my career. I wouldn't quite go so far as to credit Best Buy with that, but it's fair to say that the store contributed a great deal to building my interest in a technology.

Recently purchased a MBP from Bestbuy. The first one I received had noticeable back light bleeding near a screen corner. Walked back in the store the next day to return. The process from an online retailer would have taken weeks.

I was surprised by how clean, well-organized, and well-staffed it was. When I asked where such cables were (not having yet left the front of the store because, not having a lock with me, I needed to stow my bicycle up front), the associate on the floor came over and directed me precisely and accurately to where the cables were.

I hope Best Buy figures out how to stick around because the cable I bought is actually pretty nice (braided cable) and I like having the option to buy quality electronic accessories from a clean storefront when I'm on the road (i.e. urgent electronics need and I don't want a low-quality no-name throw-it-away-after-5-uses knock-off).

- Same price (or sometimes less)

- No waiting on delivery

- High confidence that I'm getting a genuine product

For me, it's the last point that's most important...especially with more expensive electronics purchases.

I left after 8 months. Several of my friends stayed on and noticed how different it was when Joly came on. Several years on, things have gotten significantly better. They've modernized a lot of their apps (even through their website is still clunky and old) and are in the process of revamping their site to a far more modern stack. Joly cleaned house and brought in people who want to modernize their software, and from what I know now, the people who stayed on are a lot happier nowadays.

They lost me with "not really two day shipping." Today, two-day shipping means "two days from when we ship it, not counting weekends, and not counting however long it takes for us to actually process the order, and then not even actually two days." 'Free two-day shipping' often comes in about a week for me. My constant state of consumption was interrupted by going days thinking, 'where is that thingamajig I needed to finish that project?' - often manifesting by ordering something on Mon/Tues assuming it would be here for a weekend, only to have it not show up in time, forcing me to run to the local hardware store (or whatever) and then return my Amazon item.

I still buy some stuff on Amazon - mostly things that I don't really care about when it comes as long as it comes. I've gotten into the habit of compiling lists at home of stuff that I absolutely need at a certain time and then making trips to local stores when needed, including Best Buy.

I ended up leaving and buying what I needed on Amazon though. I had limited time in the store and didn't feel knowledgeable enough to choose between a handful of products, so I went home to do some research before ordering.

I wonder if Best Buy would benefit from a lounge, where you can sit down in peace, read product reviews, and browse online to make an informed purchase. Or maybe they could have tablets on stands next to groups of products with reviews. For example, you go to the printer section, and there's a tablet that shows all the printers and their user reviews. Then you can quickly compare options, sort by price, and see what printers are best reviewed.

Sometimes I try to check reviews in a store with my phone, but I usually feel out of place standing in an aisle for 15 minutes looking at my phone. So, it would be cool if they had a place where you could actually sit down for a while to educate yourself and make a decision.

I still buy most of my stuff of Amazon but the nearby Best Buy stores are good enough that I see them almost as a premium shopping experience. Not at the level of Apple of course, but good enough that I’m happy to spend money there. I think the turnaround moment was a few years ago when I noticed a premium wireless mouse going for an incredibly low $20. When I tried to checkout, the cashier said that according to the system, it appeared the mouse was labeled wrong on the shelf, to the tube of $40 off. But without hesitation he gave me the discount anyway.

I would’ve predicted back when Amazon released its Price Check app that Best Buy would be decimated. I don’t use their tech support/consulting so I still am surprised they are surviving. Ironically, I now take advantage of Amazon in order to buy at BB. When I see something I like on the shelf, I check to see if the Amazon reviews are good. If so, I can buy it without the same level of nagging doubt about the product’s authenticity.

For big ticket items like TVs, Amazon usually isn't much cheaper if they are at all like it seemed to be a few years ago. Being able to see them in person and take them home same day is also nice.

Amazon's listings are mess. Sometimes the listing are just skeevy looking and have missing or wrong information. Even when the listing looks good, I'm not always sure I'll get quite what I ordered. I've already started to basically not use 3rd party sellers, but even when Amazon is listed as the seller, I've gotten items that were clearly used(when they were supposed to be new) or just not the right item, once being a counterfeit of what I was ordering.

I also noticed that for "gravy" items like cables and stuff, where Amazon was often 3 or 4 times cheaper, Best Buy is at least not as bad as they were in the past. They've still got some very overpriced options, but they also have some more reasonably priced options. So now its a decision to spend $3 or $4 more on that HDMI cable at Best Buy when I get the TV rather than $15 more. The decision to to spend the couple more dollars at Best Buy for the cable isn't just convenience, but is bolstered by cheaper items on Amazon being even more of a crapshoot than they were in the past.

* Local Inventory with Google Shopping - if I search for almost any product on Google, Best Buy is usually the only major retailer that shows me local inventory for that product. I can't believe how few major retailers do this. If I search for an external hard drive on Google, I can see right away if I'm able to go down the street and pick it up.

* In Store Pick Up - this is almost as seamless as picking up an order at the Apple Store. Just yesterday I placed an order for in-store pick up at my local Best Buy. 20 minutes later I received a confirmation email that my order was ready, and all I had to do was show my ID when I showed up to the store. No signing a receipt, or making sure I had the credit card I placed the order with. The whole process took less than 3 minutes, and I could even add additional name(s) of people who were authorized to pick it up for me.

* Open-box items - I know these can be hit or miss, but at least with Best Buy you can inspect open box items before deciding to take them home (as opposed to Amazon Warehouse, where you have to go through the process of shipping it back if it's not what you expected). They even have these "outlet items" highlighted on both their app and website, so I can see which Best Buys around me have a specific open box item I'm looking for.

* Geek Squad Protection - this isn't perfect, and it can be expensive, but it's nice to know that if something goes wrong with a large item (such as a TV or appliance), someone will actually come to my house to check it out. They are also very willing to give you a brand new replacement if the repair is going to be expensive or labor intensive. I know I probably sound like an old fogey, but dealing with factory warranties directly through the manufacturer is always such a pain, and they almost never offer a full replacement.

* Best Buy APP - their app is great! It keeps track of all of my orders, and even tells me when something I've bought has an open recall. I think Target is the only company that does a better job combing both the in-store and e-commerce aspects into a single app.

They've also IMO done a good job keeping the in-store experience consistent between locations. I'm sure there are still some locations that have less helpful employees, or less reliable inventory, but this is happening less often for me.

I bought an 85" 4K tv a few years ago and it was not a cheap item. Do you really think someone would just buy something for $10k on Amazon and hope it is ok? I also paid them to have a team of 3 people come and install it on my wall. This is a case where the local store beat the online store.

I had found a product on the Best Buy website, a $79 55-65 inch LCD/Plasma corner wall mount. So I drove to the store and looked for it. This was roughly 2 months after Christmas.

The store had about 300 units of a $199.99 version and 0 units of any thing the below $150...

I spent about 15 minutes looking for somebody to tell me what I already expected, they only carry the expensive one in store.

I bought the same brand (slightly different model number off Amazon.com [likely to prevent price matching]) while in the Best Buy for $69, shipped to my house.

It was $10 cheaper, I didn't need to leave my house, I didn't need to talk to anyone...

Best Buy completely lost my sale because they didn't have inventory and pushed a more expensive and way higher margin unit ...

I was so disappointed because I really, really tried to _not_ buy from Amazon.

It's no wonder Amazon is eating the world while only being mediocre... Retailers are simply botching any advantage they have (being local) for the last 15 years...

(disclosure: I worked for Sears Electronics department part time for about 3 years while going to college [sears no longer sells electronics like Televisions or radios])

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/us/politics/charges-cia-b...

All you need into let one of these guys into your house and some child porn magically ends up on your hard drive.

I'd pay a local IT a bit more knowing that I am supporting a local business while at the same time not supporting corporate Orwellian culture(TM).

Do I need to spend 25 minutes going out to pick a new phone charger for $10? My time is valued more highly than that. But for a $800 TV, the % of costs in the time/effort slice become proportionally much less. It will take me slightly longer to pick a TV out, but still, an hour of my labor at $35 is not even 5% of an $800 dollar TV, whereas the time/labor for me to get the phone charger in person is going to be much closer to 50% of the total cost.

So I really want to support local, European companies, but there is no competition to Amazon here. I'd even consider Taobao before I purposefully would go to a store here.

Here's why. A few years ago I bought a big-ticket item (TV) and obviously wanted to see it before I bought it. They were able to provide generous no-interest financing via their co-branded Citi credit card. They have a policy of offering 12-month no-interest financing on many products and split up over that much time it's easy to talk yourself into buying things you probably don't need.

Also the Gamer's Club Unlocked is better than Amazon's game discount system because it works anytime, not just up until release. I've heard that they have ended the program though which would just send me back to Amazon.

For a tech city Austin only has 1 Fry's and 1 Altex for serious electronic / computer stores.

I wish MicroCenter would open a location here.

I'm not surprised they're doing okay, especially since a lot of their retail competitors in the electronics, appliance, and movie businesses have closed up shop. Physical retail will always have a certain draw, when the market for it is reducing, you just need to outlast your competitors.

I can't say the same about the snob at the Apple Store.

What I prefer about Amazon are the reviews and selection. Even when I'm in Best buy, I'm on my phone reading Amazon reviews for the products I'm considering and exploring alternatives.

They provide a discovery layer Amazon can't, including a hands on exposure, as well as Same-day ownership.

It might get interesting if Amazon opens their own electronics stores carrying their wider selection, though.

I'd also much rather go to Best Buy to upgrade my phone. I absolutely detest going to the Verizon store.

I still like the breadth of options on Amazon and being able to get a lot of items to my door in 2 days. It actually happened yesterday where I went to a local shop and they didn't have what I wanted in stock, either wait 2 weeks for them to place the order and have it delivered or just get it off Amazon and have it on my doorstep on Saturday.

Then, after getting the product, no worries about it being counterfeit - like the pants I bought from Amazon, sold as adult pants but must have been children's pants, as my foot wouldn't fit through the leg.

But what really matters to me is the lock-in, or lack of it. When I order from Best Buy online (I don't go in person anymore) I don't need to pay $100 for just the privledge of shopping there. That kind of anti-consumer practice I simply won't abide.

Their remodels have gone a long way in getting me back there, personally. I had otherwise steered clear and was an Amazon/BH junkie.

I've always enjoyed going to best buy and now that I'm an adult I've spent thousands of dollars there.

Their stores are actually rented out retail space for Apple, Samsung, and other brands.

Their online is still somewhat of a disaster, they were #2 for a while but Jet/Walmart will probably pass them as they attempt to challenge Amazon.

Best buy is making no real attempt to challenge Amazon in online retail, a lot like Target isn't either.

Their IT is divided between dotcom and bricks and hate each other, and their IT will be lead by dinosaurs in brick and mortar for the foreseeable future, so the IT innovation that does exist is constrained by executive politics.

Their CEO is just punching the clock and doing what is necessary to trigger stock options.

So, again, treading water and not floundering, but "thriving"? That's like saying you're in the guillotine and there's a really nice breeze, and the blade hasn't been dropped.

I'm also not happy with their price match... I had a BB gift card so went there with Costco headphone deal to price match, which they did with shipping of 3 weeks from order day... If you'd have to guess it... yes... shipping after the Costco deal would expire... I wanted to give benefit of doubt but when they canceled my order after 3 weeks... it kind of felt like a trap...

The thing that makes me usually go to Amazon or elsewhere compared to Best Buy is the return policy. Best Buy will give you only 15 days to do a return with refund. Many times 15 minutes is not enough to install the product, test it and go to the store to return it.

However, I am not really who they want in their store. They want older people who only want basic stuff and don't know how to use it.

It's a smart play to cater to people who don't know how to do much. There is a massive market for older people who hate learning how to use their devices on their own.