Best Buy Cuts 650 Geek Squad Techies

tripleevenfall writes "Best Buy has cut approximately 650 jobs from its Geek Squad division, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. The cut represents about 4% of Geek Squad's total workforce. The consumer electronics giant said the workers primarily service televisions and appliances in consumers' homes. Best Buy's performance has struggled to keep up with changes in consumer electronics, as the weight of its big-box format inhibits it from fending off competitive pressure of online retailers."

Comments

Beginning of the End

[ackthpt]

When you cut support you begin to cut your own throat.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Glothar]

Good thing they only cut Geek Squad people, then.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Samantha Wright]

I bring you an image with a relevant sentiment attached.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jeng]

I thought charging for support accounted for around 90% of their profit?

If they are losing money on support they are totally fucked.

Re:Beginning of the End

[night_flyer]

I wouldn't call Geek Squad "support"

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

When you cut support you begin to cut your own throat.

The beginning of Best Buy's end started with the end of Circuit City. Best Buy thought that they were now free of competition, so they reduced the variety of the products they stocked and focused only on high-margin stuff (for example, Monster Cable and in-house brands). They thought that their customers no longer had a choice and so they tried to stick it to us.

Now you hear them whine about being "the internet's showroom" - they think people come in to look and then go buy online instead. That's almost a complete fallacy because almost all of their products are commodities, you gain basically nothing from a hands-on experience with just about everything they sell. Even things like TV's, AVR's and speakers don't really give up much useful information from the show-room experience because performance in your own home is always different from in the show-room. You are almost always better off reading a variety of reviews than trying to make subjective judgements yourself in the store.

Re:Beginning of the End

[drinkypoo]

It's more like their throat is being cut for them, so they got rid of some throat.

The Geek Squad isn't about support, it's about selling you services you don't need that slow down your computer to produce additional business.

It's been said before that consumers of today are actually savvy and well-educated. Well, I think that's a load of horseshit; some of us are, but most people are as ignorant as ever about things that matter. Most people are merely better educated than ever before on what celebrities are doing and on what corporations want them to purchase. I would like to think that the Geek Squad is failing because consumers are wising up, but I suspect it has more to do with people having less computer problems because they're abandoning antiquated systems that can't reasonably be maintained or secured.

Re:Beginning of the End

[b4dc0d3r]

You sound like an informed consumer, not their target market. People do walk around and then buy online, or at least comparison shop. Some people do it by sending teams to different stores, and the lowest price feature compatible item gets bought.

People don't want a hands-on experience - they do want to window shop, though. And it helps to stay organized if you have a limited selection, and maybe tiered pricing in several physically separate locations. Once you narrow it down, you find something similar online and buy it. Not that item, just something like it.

It started with people checking out specials on their website while in the store, and noticing price mismatches. Now word has gotten around that you don't buy without checking the price first - and while you're at it, why not check someone else's store too?

They did cut inventory and act like they were the only choice, and people started window shopping there and buying online, and it was entirely their own fault.

Re:Beginning of the End

[pavon]

Now you hear them whine about being "the internet's showroom" - they think people come in to look and then go buy online instead.

Not to mention that they hardly showroom any real hardware anymore. When I bought my mp3 player 7 years ago I bought it in a retail store because I wanted to interact with it first to see how I liked the interface, and if the hardware felt flimsy. Now I walk into a retail store, and the "display units" all have cardboard screens.

Re:Beginning of the End

[PRMan]

Exactly this. It's now pointless to try out some gadgets at Best Buy. I couldn't even try a phone the last time I was there. I knew it ran Android and I liked the physical keyboard, but the screen was a plastic image.

Re:Beginning of the End

[PRMan]

This time I just bought the Samsung Galaxy SII directly from Sprint because it was the highest-rated.

Re:Beginning of the End

[drinkypoo]

Can you name one service that Geek Squad performs that "slows down" its clients' computers?

Loading crapware in the name of security. If you had google'd for "geek squad slows down computer" the top hit would probably have been this article on the geek squad optimization service slowing down computers and then you wouldn't have had to ask this question.

Re:Beginning of the End

[slaker]

Installing most well known consumer Antivirus products or especially security suites.

Re:Beginning of the End

[HawaiianToast]

Well, the last time I went to Best Buy was to try out a Kindle Fire. I quickly found out, from use in their store, that it's far too crippled for me to purchase as a general Android tablet device. I had no intention of buying it there had I liked it. I may even have placed the order for one at amazon.com from my phone while still standing in their showroom. Sorry?

Re:Beginning of the End

[kiwimate]

Now you hear them whine about being "the internet's showroom" - they think people come in to look and then go buy online instead. That's almost a complete fallacy because almost all of their products are commodities, you gain basically nothing from a hands-on experience with just about everything they sell

Err...what? Go back over the past couple of years on Slashdot and find any one of several stories about Best Buy. You'll find piles of comments from people all saying this is the only reason they go to Best Buy. I realize that Slashdot is not the majority opinion, but still...

Re:Beginning of the End

[pLnCrZy]

Now you hear them whine about being "the internet's showroom" - they think people come in to look and then go buy online instead. That's almost a complete fallacy because almost all of their products are commodities, you gain basically nothing from a hands-on experience with just about everything they sell. Even things like TV's, AVR's and speakers don't really give up much useful information from the show-room experience because performance in your own home is always different from in the show-room. You are almost always better off reading a variety of reviews than trying to make subjective judgements yourself in the store.

Yes, but not entirely. I still wander through Magnolia when I'm shopping for something. If they have it for me to demo (speakers, TVs, etc.) then I will give them an audition.

Where they are really shooting themselves in the foot is that they won't price match. I gave them numerous opportunities to make a sale, but they wouldn't price match online prices from Frys.com, Amazon, or other online stores. They claim it's because those prices can't be verified or validated. In one case (an Onkyo receiver that BB wanted 899.99 for and I found it on Amazon for 549.99 with free shipping and no tax) they claimed that selling it to me for that price would actually be less than they paid for it, and would violate their contract with Onkyo -- which I doubt in both cases. But they were arrogant, and the manager thought he was going to bully me around and I would do what he said, and he was wrong. He told me I was a fool to trust online markets. So I went and bought the receiver from Amazon, and the next weekend I needed to go to another store in the same center as the BB, so I brought my receipt with me. I asked to speak to the GM of the store, explained what had transpired the week before with the Home Theater dept. manager, and showed him my receipt, and told him that I was glad to be a fool who saved $400. He was fairly irritated with his manager.

THIS is why Best Buy has failed. Not "is failing" -- "has failed." Being the Internet's showroom would be fine if they would price match and keep the people IN THEIR STORE -- that's when the added opportunity for impulse purchases kicks in. If I buy a Blu-ray player in the BB store because they price matched it and I didn't have to wait for shipping, as I'm walking toward the check-out line I'll pass by the Blu-rays and maybe I'll let my judgement lapse for a short time and pick up a couple overpriced titles for the sheer convenience of "I can go watch this RIGHT NOW." Hell, they could even con the masses into upgrading their HDMI cables while they're at it. No, the informed consumer won't bite, but they don't need EVERY ONE to bite, they only need a few of the dumber ones to bite, and that's who their target is anyway.

Re:Beginning of the End

[nighthawk243]

Well... I go to Best Buy to just laugh at their plight and make snide comments about how anything above 5 dollars is retarded for a HDMI cable.

Re:Beginning of the End

[PopeRatzo]

When you cut support you begin to cut your own throat.

That happens to be a national problem, not just at Best Buy.

Re:Beginning of the End

[jafo]

Many of the receivers I have looked at say that they won't honor the warranty if it is not purchased through an authorized reseller, and the authorized resellers all seem to have the same price for the units, including online and brick-and-mortar...

If you want to save a ton of money, it seems like buying last years higher end model, which likely has very similar features to this years lower-end model, can be a huge price savings.

Sean

Re:Beginning of the End

[kiwimate]

Well... I go to Best Buy to just laugh at their plight and make snide comments about how anything above 5 dollars is retarded for a HDMI cable.

You know, that probably makes you more mature than 90% of the other Slashdotters posting on a Best Buy story.

Re:Beginning of the End

[datavirtue]

TV sales are down and they are restructuring aggressively. They are trying to survive amidst a bitch-slapping from Amazon. Management has been slow to react, it will be interesting to see their progress. They are testing new store layouts and an Apple style of store/support using Geek Squad personnel to assist customers. Employees are going to get intense training for several straight weeks to bolster the transition. Best Buy is a good gamble for people with a little money to burn as their stock is a selling pretty low and they're making a serious effort to keep it going.

Re:Beginning of the End

[blackraven14250]

It's not like there's a whole lot of choice of carrier there. You could go with T-Mobile or a more local carrier, but that's only viable in very limited areas.

Re:Beginning of the End

[similar_name]

I didn't even have to go to Best Buy. I read online that the Kindle Fire is too crippled as a general Android tablet.

Re:Beginning of the End

[EdIII]

I'm an informed consumer and I sometimes walk into a shop when I am looking for type of product I need, but just want to get a feel for what it out there.

Granted, most times I already have a product in mind and know that Best Buy carries it.

You hit on something with the price checking. That is why I don't think Best Buy is being honest when they say they dislike being the "Internet showroom". What they dislike more than anything is the fact they have to price match so often, and are forced to lower their margins in order to get people to come to the store. If they didn't do it, they would go to Office Depot, etc. instead.

When you have a consumer walking around with a device that scan barcodes and look up the competition's price in a few moments it makes it really difficult to maintain high retail prices and practically requires an ongoing price war.

Best Buy will not match the price of an online store, but I have noticed that the lowest brick-and-mortar store price is not really that much higher than the cheapest *legitimate* online price.

My last experience was a price match against Staple's for $15 dollars off a keyboard. That's what pisses them off. How easy it was for me to find a lower price.

Re:Beginning of the End

[The Snowman]

Best Buy will not match the price of an online store, but I have noticed that the lowest brick-and-mortar store price is not really that much higher than the cheapest *legitimate* online price.

I think we need to place a line between accessories and everything else. When I need an HDMI cable, I buy online. The vast majority all just work, and two seconds looking at comments and reviews reveal the one or two subpar cables that don't. I can buy a cable for a couple dollars online, or $100 at retail. That's a no-brainer. FYI: I did buy a 15 foot HDMI cable for $9 that was $125 at retail. This is not exaggeration.

When I wanted to buy a point-and-shoot camera, the difference was much less. Sure, I could save $5 off a $125 purchase online. Factor shipping and taxes, and retail still loses. But the opportunity cost of walking out of the store and not waiting a week is priceless when I need pictures that day and my previous camera was smashed on accident. How many minutes does it take me to earn $5? Many fewer than the minutes it takes to arrive at my house.

However, retailers don't make money on low-margin big-ticket items such as HDTVs, cameras, and other stuff. They make their money on high-margin small-ticket items such as cables, music, and movies. That business model needs to shift if they are going to survive. I think "big box" needs to become "small box" as they stock less and less, and offer competitive prices on the items that matter. Focus on the online presence, and the ability to ship to store to free on any item (Wal-Mart has this one nailed).

Re:Beginning of the End

[The Snowman]

...anything above 5 dollars is retarded for a HDMI cable.

Bullshit. I spent $9 on a 15 footer and it was clearly NOT retarded. I can sit on the couch and have my laptop display on my HDTV without tripping over the cable. Also, my wife and I can watch... movies... in bed on the HDTV in the bedroom.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Focus on the online presence, and the ability to ship to store to free on any item (Wal-Mart has this one nailed).

Almost nailed. They let you pay cash now too - you order online, you come into the store and pay cash, then they ship it to your house or to the store for you to pick up.

When I say "almost" the problem is that when you pay cash, they still ask for photo ID on pick-up so you have to have photo-ID (a lot of the people who don't have debit/credit cards don't have photo id either).

So far I've been able to bluff the kid manning the pick-up counter. But one day I might not, and then I'm stuck unable to pick up an order placed with a fake name nor can I get a refund either for basically the same reason. So that makes me reluctant to buy anything big-ticket that way.

Re:Beginning of the End

[LordLimecat]

I certainly go in there if I happen to be stopped near a best buy and its been a while. Sometimes its nice to browse cameras or whatever, and hands on sometimes does tell you more than just the specs. That TV may be 1080, and may have 3 hdmi inputs, but are they well placed? How big is the trim on the screen? Etc etc, some things pics just arent as good as actually being there.

That said, I dont believe Ive actually purchased anything there in over 10 years.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

Just buy from the unauthorized dealer and spend a couple of bucks on a 3rd party warranty like Square Trade. You still come out way, way ahead.

Re:Beginning of the End

[pLnCrZy]

I've never, not once, ever, had a receiver quit on me.

I've had Sony, Yamaha, Denon, Onkyo...

A couple things -- the store that I actually bought the Onkyo receiver from (through Amazon) is listed as an Onkyo authorized reseller. No problems there. Also, manufacturer's warranties are essentially useless, they'll find *any* excuse not to honor them, it's just the way it is. And third-party warranties? No thanks. Really, with the money I save by buying smart, if the thing craps out on me, I'll buy another one. I'll still come out ahead in the long run. A calculated risk.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

So what about shipping to home then? Ie. pay cash in person, have it shipped home.

Sure, but you link all purchases to the same address which is only a hop and a skip away from linking it to your name.

Re:Beginning of the End

[cerberusti]

If you had been reading financial news, you would already know that they are likely to go out of business soon.

This has been known for several months.

Re:Beginning of the End

[tapspace]

"Daaamn, they had to call backup. Must have been the printer. " Lol

Re:Beginning of the End

[AK Marc]

Business folk who get to their positions via the accounting stack (too many damn CEOs are accountants who worked their way up cutting costs) always focus on what they know, cutting costs. They never see the other way to grow a business, increase value. Best Buy was so focused on Circuit Shitty for so long, they forgot they had customers. They assumed customers, and so the "value" of Best Buy is gone. I shopped at the first CompUSA back when there was only one. I shopped at one of the last opened before they closed so many in the liquidation. Why their problems? The same reason. They used to hire technically-oriented people. By the end, no worker there would be able to tell a video card from a RAID card by sight (let alone being able to answer questions about EISA, as I seem to vaguely recall hearing in the first store), and when I wanted a good laugh, I'd talk cameras with someone in the camera department.

All the stores like that went from places you could see, touch, and learn about the tech, to ignorant wholesalers who happen to wholesale in quantity 1. It's not a coincidence their profitability peaked before their downfall. Trying to be profitable at all costs broke them.

Sadly, Frys is the best of what's left. Occassionally, you'll run into someone that knows how many pins are on an LGA 1366 in the MB/CPU section, and if you don't like it, they'll take almost anything back (but beware buying, as you may end up with someone else's reject).

Re:Beginning of the End

[blackest_k]

Is it necessary to price match exactly? Maybe if they could be say $30 dearer it would be worth the premium of being able to buy right now. There is a value in being able to buy now and also be able to bring something back if it develops a fault.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

How do you know the Walmart isn't using ANPR and facial recognition on their ubiquitous CCTV cameras?

ANPR does not connect you to the purchase, just with everybody else in the parking lot, it is even less useful if you use a unique name for each order. Facial recognition is unreliable and requires a database of face to name matches which are few and expensive. But mailing address databases are everywhere since any commercial transaction is likely to get logged into one.

Sure it is diminishing returns, but your examples are a lot further down the line of risk/return trade-offs.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

So, why aren't you just giving a fictitious name when you're having something shipped to your home? The USPS, et al, is fairly plug and play when it comes to adding "new" people to a domicile.

Because all it takes is one shipment with your name on it and the jig is up. You may not even have control over it, a relative could decide to send you a birthday present.

Re:Beginning of the End

[Jah-Wren Ryel]

As for your own house, have you considered removing your mailbox / stopping USPS service?

Tried it, doesn't go over well with the local postal carrier.

home ownership is a matter of public record, so unless your home is owned by a trust or a corporate entity

Done that.

None of this may be relevant to you (perhaps you rent),

Renting from a private landlord (versus a property manager) with all utilities included works well.

First Post

[CompMD]

Brought to you by Monster Cable.

Re:First Post

[Jeng]

Can I get a one year replacement warranty on that for more than the product is worth?

Re:First Post

[Rinnon]

Yes! But don't worry, your replacement warranty may cost more than the product is WORTH, but you can rest assured it'll still be a small fraction of what you'll actually be paying for the product!

Cool!

[Anonymous Coward]

well-qualified McDonald's workers ready for the job market!

Headline incomplete

[Anonymous Coward]

The headline is incomplete. It should read, "Best Buy Cuts 650 Geek Squad Techies. Nothing of Value Lost."

Very Shortsighted

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, the customers' porn isn't gonna watch itself.

Which technicians were cut?

[Rone]

Which technicians were cut?

The ones with the lowest technical aptitude, or the ones who pushed the least amount of unnecessary service on their customers?

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[ThatsMyNick]

Actually, like most other job cuts, it was random.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[afidel]

The ones that had been there the longest and thus cost the most for the company. Just like Circuit City when they were circling the drain, cut your best people because they are "expensive".

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[cluedweasel]

I'm assuming this is a rhetorical question................

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[tripleevenfall]

Correction: most job cut decisions are geographical, either on the earth or on an org chart.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[Jeng]

Which technicians were cut?

The ones with low agility, the others moved out of the way fast enough.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[Anonymous Coward]

Single skilled in home appliance and TV techs were cut (I being one of them). Dual trained (as in repair both TV and Appliances) were not impacted as much

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[Billly Gates]

Then GeekSquad is like the rest of the IT field.

Remember back in the good old days when a System Administrator who had 7 years experience pulled in $120,000 a year? Now if you make over $40,000 you are eyed to be axed. After $45,000 you have to walk in water and know everything to justify to keep your job. They can find some guy with 1 year experience in help desk to always replace them for $32,000 a year to manage their mult million dollar IT infrastructure ... rolls eyes.

I guess cost centers are always treated like crap even if they generate revenue and actually hurt the company when cut

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[TheGratefulNet]

"no animals were harmed during the making of this movie. we tried, but that monkey was just too darned fast."

(colbert, I think).

((not the monkey. I don't think...))

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[Billly Gates]

Most are certainly not random.

My guess is those that sold the least amount of protection plans. All BestBuy is based is upon sales metrics like 80% of the rest of retail. Credit card sales and protection plans are YOU OUT OF THERE.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[Chas]

Which technicians were cut?

The most emo ones. They volunteered to do it themselves.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[Billly Gates]

Uh, thanks for the offensive reply.

  I do contracting and I am not a sys admin. I have seen all too many times some young 28 year old who was help desk do sys admin for 1200 computers with outdated domain controllers with stale OUs all over the place because the senior guys who made 70k were let go due to economic times etc.

I have not seen any respectable sys admin make more than 55k in years which is shocking since having a crappy help desk costs little compared to having the network down!

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[JimCanuck]

None, because Geek Squad has nobody worth calling a technician.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[DigiShaman]

That's ok by me. Because it takes someone like me making 60+k a year to come in and cleanup the mess left over by the 32K guys fresh out of college. It breaks my heart having to cleanup after epic failure... Ehh, not really.

Lesson learned. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[techno-vampire]

...you have to walk in water...

What's so hard about that? Even a little child can walk in the water. Now walking on the water, that's a whole different kettle of fish. Of course, back when I was working in IT, I preferred to part the waters and cross on dry land. Maybe that's why it kept getting harder and harder to get new jobs as time went on. Interesting.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[JWSmythe]

I couldn't find a video clip, so the text will have to do.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[aaarrrgggh]

Actually the lesson learned from the good old days is that the service provided just isn't worth $120k per year. Our company of 30 can get by fine with a monthly visit by a consultant for 8 hours. He can still make $120k or so, but we pay about $13k. Our total support costs, including my time and another guy that spends a few hours a month settin guy new computers and rotating backups adds less than $20k fully burdened to the equation. We could scale to 80 people in one location before our total IT labor outlay would exceed $45k per year.

That isn't to say there isn't more we could do with IT.. Just that it is diminishing returns.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[JWSmythe]

    Walking on water, and wielding a magic wand that fixes any sort of technical or mechanical issue, doesn't help much any more.

    As one CEO said, "Why should we keep paying him $50k/yr, when I can hire a kid from McDonalds at $16k/yr to to keep the same chair warm?" The mention of "Well, the guy making $50k knows how to do the job. The minimum wage kid doesn't have a clue" is answered by "He'll learn."

    Companies would prefer to cycle through people working for the least possible money, regardless if they can do the job or not. They'll eventually get lucky, and get some kid who has learned something on the topic on his own, and be able to struggle with the job. Of course, by the time the kid hits 25, he'll either have a nervous breakdown, or a serious case of hypertension. I've seen both of those happen, to those who didn't bail when they were in over their heads.

    The boss never cares that they got quality work from the more expensive skilled employee. They care that there's more money to go towards their own salary.

Re:Which technicians were cut?

[drkstr1]

Sorry for your loss. I hope things turn out for the better.

Geek Squad?

[TWX]

*spits drink*

Heather Number One just looked right at me!

Geek Squad is where what we are threatened with

[sandytaru]

My boss often joked that if we screw up too much at our office, we can always find a job with Geek Squad. (A few of the fired part timers had, in the past.) Perhaps not, any more.

Re:Geek Squad is where what we are threatened with

[sandytaru]

Urgh, just noticed the double pronoun in that title. I'm on my second rum and coke in anticipation of a final exam this evening. Good for programming, bad for English!

Re:Geek Squad is where what we are threatened with

[bored_engineer]

. . .what where we. . .

. . .in anticipation of a final exam this evening.

. . .bad for English!

I really hope that after two drinks, that this evening's final exam isn't in English. :-)

Re:Geek Squad is where what we are threatened with

[McGuirk]

". . .in anticipation of a final exam this evening."

I see the problem in with the other two, but not this one. Enlighten me.

Re:Geek Squad is where what we are threatened with

[bored_engineer]

It would seem that I may have been in error, if it's not obvious. I assumed that you meant the evening as the time for your rum and coke, rather than the exam. I thought, surely, that nobody would drink before an exam, but I just realized that you may have been taking a C exam or some such. Sorry if my assumption was a bad one.

Re:Geek Squad is where what we are threatened with

[AK Marc]

Nobody reads subjects anyway.

As an expert in business

[Anonymous Coward]

I concur with the other posters that should never *ever* cut any part of a business, and especially never fire large number of employees.

This is based on the two principals of economics that (A) there is an infinite amount of capital available so a business should continually invest in and expand every part of itself, and (B) there are no other opportunities for shareholders to invest their money, and all money should be re-invested in a business, no matter how small the return.

Re:As an expert in business

[ThatsMyNick]

May I ask which "other posters" you are talking about? I mean real ones, not imaginary ones.

No Faith

[milbournosphere]

The soon-to-be former chairman just resigned and is looking to sell off his 20% stake in the company. If the rest of the board adopts a similar attitude, this company will end up going the way of Circuit City.

"Best Buy Cuts 650 Geek Squad Techies..."

[idontgno]

Arrested for Multiple Counts of Assault with a Deadly Weapon. PNGs at 11.

wait, what?

[Anonymous Coward]

Geek Squad are "techies" now?

Re:wait, what?

[sandytaru]

Technicians. There really isn't a better term for "lowest rung of the totem pole in a technology company that isn't a retail associate" in English.

Re:wait, what?

[Osgeld]

flunky comes to mind

Re:What to do with the space...

[CompMD]

" built-in superconducting magnets in the souls"

I believe Massive Dynamic has a patent on these actually.

Re:What to do with the space...

[busyqth]

built-in superconducting magnets in the souls

Is that how ghosts are made?

Oh NO!

[Billly Gates]

Where else can I find these all so valued IT professionals? They are the only ones who know about these gold plated MONSTER grade $120 HDMI cables and those $60 power outlet extenders for superior computer performance and TV picture quality.

Re:oh no!

[DigiShaman]

A priest with holy water? Stand back, it could get ugly!

Re:oh no!

[gallondr00nk]

great. who am I going to get to exorcise the virus from my power supply unit now?

For $30 an hour I will, just wire me your bank details and I'll do the required rituals remotely, I've got the pentagram and candles already.

Re:Oh NO!

[AK Marc]

That's gold plated optical cables and directional Ethernet cables for you (and yes, both exist and have been linked to many times on slashdot) (and yes, I'm too lazy to link to either right now) (but no, I can't recall that they were specifically at Best Buy).

It's not like there's any competition

[speedlaw]

Things have gotten really bad. Back in the day, I worked in a stereo store. We had products that could be demoed, Salesfolk who knew something about those products, and within the rules of salesmanship, could oft match a customer with the right gadget. Fast forward to today. Retail electronics sales is dead. When Circuit City died/fired the old timers, that was the last gasp of mass market audio sales. I now go to BB, and they have mass market crap in audio, while the Magnolia side has Meh audio for big audio prices. You either have to go to a top end audio retailer, of which there are few, or buy blind off the net. I bought a HSU subwoofer, which is lovely, but it was the first item I'd bought "UN-auditoned". BB is the last one standing. The rest of us have to read internet forums and buy based on that.....it's crowdsourcing, but for audio, everyone's ears are different. There's nowhere to go to audition mid to low high end audio anymore.

Re:It's not like there's any competition

[Belial6]

Magnolia. Were they supposed to be anything more than a scam? There was one around here that last for about 2 years. I went into it when it first opened. It was when HD screens had just started to come down in price, but before mainstream adoption. I had noticed that most of the Wide screen TVs did not yet offer keyholing of 4:3 pictures. They just stretched everything out to look like Mario Bros. characters. I asked the sales person if they had any models that didn't stretch strand format pictures to fill the screen. They guy looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I would want that and explained the wide screen was a better picture. That pretty well told me everything I needed to know about that place.

Re:It's not like there's any competition

[Man On Pink Corner]

Before Best Buy bought them, Magnolia Hi-Fi was actually a pretty well-regarded retail chain. It was not a high-end audio boutique by any means, but they had knowledgeable sales people with a choice of numerous premium brands. If you were in the market for a $4000 Pioneer Elite RPTV or a Yamaha Natural Sound amp, Magnolia was a good place to look.

It was not considered good news among home-theater enthusiasts when Best Buy bought the company, put it that way.

Re:It's not like there's any competition

[tapspace]

I have never been to Magnolia, and I don't really know what it is. But, I'm not sure I know of ANY electronics store with knowledgeable employees. I always have tester questions to see what the people say, like a job interview. I am generally blown away by the outright lies so many employees put up. They just outright make stuff up.

Re:It's not like there's any competition

[Man On Pink Corner]

Magnolia was originally a local Seattle chain, with only a few stores. I don't know if they had expanded much beyond the Seattle market before BB sunk their claws into them.

But yes... grilling the salesdroids carefully before giving them your money, as their employer should have done but probably didn't, is a smart tactic.

This should come as no surprise...

[Ichijo]

...because Best Buy has demonstrated a lack of respect for this particular group of employees by giving them a derogatory title.

I think Best Buy and the author missed the point

[bobstreo]

"the weight of its big-box format inhibits it from fending off competitive pressure of online retailers."

If I'm in the mood to save money, or be patient, I find it hard to save less then about 40-60% off of the price at Best Buy. Amazon/Walmart/Meritline...

The layout/pricing/(lack of)knowledge of the stores make me cringe.

I don't know how companies like Fry's can possibly compete...

And

[rhook]

Nothing of value was lost.

Do you suppose...

[bschorr]

...they'll be able to get their old jobs back at Foot Locker?

Sorry...that was mean. There probably are some Geeks that know what they're doing and I'm sure they're brilliant at getting Grandma on Facebook. I just get the call when one of them has screwed up somebody's server or line of business application because they had no idea what they were doing. Which happens way too often.

Who cares?

[neptune612]

If the Geek Squad kid did anything of value, I would say this is significant, but they are hired lackeys to do nothing but be a face for an overpriced and underperforming scam operation! When Best Buy bought the original Minneapolis-based Geek Squad, it was the beginning of the end of their integrity and reputation. This is just Best Buy trimming the fat. To many of these kids behind the counter aren't any better than if your neighborhood lemonade stand did computer repairs too.

Re:Who cares?

[DarkOx]

Right I lived in MPLS when Geek Squad was an independent entity. I never used them because I never had a need, but I know plenty of people who did.

They actually were staffing people who knew how to do things like run mem maker and configure emm386 to get your kids DOS game running properly. I know people who did have them do things like recover files of corrupt FAT floppies with hex editors. I am sure most of older slashdot'ers have been their done that and got the t-shirt but it really was a valuable service to lots people. Then Best Buy bought the company and turned it into a complete joke.

Likely to become 3rd party contractors

[Joe_Dragon]

Likely to become 3rd party contractors doing the in home stuff. Like the cable CO's and staples.

yes staples does farm out some of there in home stuff to 3rd party contractors.

wonder what kind of knofe they used

[sixsixtysix]

oh..they just let them go. /pout

Re:wonder what kind of knofe they used

[sixsixtysix]

knife, even....

oh no!

[bitt3n]

great. who am I going to get to exorcise the virus from my power supply unit now?

Re:I think Best Buy and the author missed the poin

[PRMan]

Because Fry's, unlike Best Buy, has low prices and a great layout. Their support is horrible to non-existent, but as long as you know what you want, it's a great place.

Re:I think Best Buy and the author missed the poin

[SirTicksAlot]

Fry's is amazing. If they ever expanded out of the West and to the New York area I would probably go bankrupt. ICGAC about Best Buy.

Article is extremely misleading...

[Anonymous Coward]

Best Buy is announcing a restructure of its Geek Squad precincts tomorrow. Part of this is hiring MORE Geek Squad agents. The entire purpose is to refocus on improving the client experience. Some positions, especially for in-home/field agents, were eliminated, and those employees were offered severance or given the option to drop down to a lesser role. But personally at my store I was given a promotion, we are changing our labor model to give our agents more hours, and we are hiring more agents. All this article does is bash Best Buy but doesn't explain ANYTHING that's ACTUALLY going on. Yes, the company is in a terrible position right now and it would be difficult to make an argument that it hasn't dug its own grave. But come on, at least make this discussion interesting instead of a bash-fest.

Re:Article is extremely misleading...

[aaarrrgggh]

In-home service is about the only place they can provide value though. My mom paid $500 to get her TV installed (cheaper than me doing it!), and I wouldn't think twice about paying $150 for someone that would put on the wedge anchors, mount the wiremold, and make it look pretty, short of carpentry or painting. They could have gotten an extra $100 from me for the hardware (50% margin) as well!

But, I would want the job done right-- none of the using a 5-20P where it should be a 5-20C, etc.

Double teamed

[Anonymous Coward]

Double teamed ouch!

And they probably didn't even give the poor bastard a reach around.

The Best Buy Conundrum

[bratwiz]

Best Buy is the only company who can lay off 650 of its technical support staff and have its IT competence remain exactly the same.

Re:I think Best Buy and the author missed the poin

[JWSmythe]

    Everyone who's ever been to a Fry's, but now lives in an area without one, wishes they'd expand to their area. The nearest one to me is 470 miles.

    On a work sponsored road trip (transporting servers), We stopped at 5 different Fry's locations, just because we could. I picked up all kinds of crap that I didn't "really" need, but I wasn't going to find elsewhere for the same price. :)

buy more?

[Goraek]

Nerd-Herd... NOOOOOoooooooo......

Here's why Best Buy is failing...

[erp_consultant]

It's failing for a few simple reasons...reason one is the refusal to offer competitive prices matches (as mentioned in previous posts). Reason two is the HDMI cable rip off pricing. Study after study has shown that there is no discernible difference between an HDMI cable priced at $50 and one at $5 in terms of audio/video quality. Reason three is the outrageously priced warranties that they try to push on you. And push aggressively. Warranties are fine - but not at 1/3 to 1/2 the price of the item I am buying. Case in point...I bought a Kindle there for $79 and the sales guy tried to sell me a warranty for it for $39. I resisted the temptation to laugh in his face and merely toyed with him for a minute or two before leaving the store - without the warranty. Reason four is the clueless sales staff. The only way BB can survive, in my view, is for them to completely revamp their business model. Aggressively match prices from any vendor, online or brick and mortar. Stop trying to rip off your customers by selling them $50 HDMI cables. Sell the cables for $10 and watch them leap off the showroom floor. Bring the warranty prices back down to earth. Invest in some training for your sales staff. Revamp the atmosphere so that going there is a hip and fun experience (like the Apple store) and not a place where you feel like you got fleeced. Sell quality products at fair prices and don't treat your customer like they are an idiot. Simple really.

Re:Here's why Best Buy is failing...

[rally2xs]

Wire is wire, unless the wire has to hold up to some unusual environmental conditions like mechanical abuse or something. If there is some "higher quality" wire out there, you probably won't be able to tell the difference if you can just plug it in and it sits there, and isn't abused. I always buy the online cables for $5, and BB is out of their gourds if they think I'm paying $50 for a cable I can get for $5.

And, I gave up on "rebates" years ago. Don't tell me about a rebate, just give me a good price. Don't want to play? I can go somewhere else with a better price.

That said, I love to shop BB and can spend some decent time just looking around. I've gotten a couple computers there, & my latest TV after the 25 year old 25" console picture-tube-type TV gave up suddenly last summer. And I like that when I need something NOW, I can go and usually find it NOW, not a week later thru the mail. Unfortunately, you can only find some rare items, like a dashcam for the car, online, without enough info to make sure that it will work for you. The dashcam I got on ebay did not work for me - I needed to be able to play back the recorded material like a DVR, but it wouldn't do that, and no info in the features said one way or the other. Fortunately it was only $65. Came directly from China. Tried to send it back - mailed it back OK, but they claimed they never got it, so I was out $65 for the item and about $20 for the mailing. Much better to buy things over the counter when it's available...

650?

[Mathness]

So 640 wasn't enough for everybody. :P

Re:I think Best Buy and the author missed the poin

[penguinchris]

I'm not sure about the "great layout" part - I love Fry's as much as the next slashdotter but the way the stores are organized is ridiculous. For many categories of things there will be at least two separate places in the store with a selection of said things (not the same selection, a different selection). You can't just go to one aisle and expect to see everything in that category.

I mean, that does make it fun, because you have to hunt around the store meaning you'll see all kinds of other neat stuff - avoiding the salespeople as best you can along the way :)

Re:The Situation is Worse Than it Appears

[bwintx]

Mod this guy up, AC though he may be (and, as he says, AC "for obvious reasons"). And for the ones with "tl;dr" knee-jerk responses ready to go, this post is long but very much worth reading. Too bad one of the most informative posts in the whole thread is so far down, since many therefore won't take the time to read it.

Best Buy sells nothing exclusively

[jsepeta]

So there's no reason to go to Best Buy. To get a better deal on a TV, check Amazon or Walmart. To get a better deal on an appliance, go to Lowe's or Menards or Sam's Club. Want a better selection of movies, games, or music? Amazon.

Screw Best Buy, with their overpriced products and ripoff "services". Plus, the Geek Squad is mostly known for screwing up customer's machines and stealing software.
https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ie=UTF-8&ion=1#hl=en&safe=off&sclient=psy-ab&q=geek%20squad%20screwed%20me&oq=&gs_l=&pbx=1&fp=54147a6c24560a3&ion=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_cp.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1599&bih=963
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2007/05/geek_squad_caug/