from the same link, it would show that 80% are dead.
"As of 2005, the dead Beatles are John Lennon (murdered outside the Dakota building in New York City in December 1980), George Harrison (died of brain cancer in November 2001), and Stuart Sutcliffe (died of a brain haemorrhage in April 1962)."
along with Paul. thanks for the link, btw, never knew about the whole "Paul is dead" thing, as well as the "fifth" (or sixth if you count the other guy, sorry forget his name) beatle.
Errr, so? Linux has all that and costs $0 per device. It's also rock-solid stable, which is more than you can say about any Windows release.
and who exactly is going to customize linux for these shopping carts? benevolent computer hackers? oh yes, definetely! we all know they'd surely love to do all the work for free on such a "i-did-it-because-i-can" type of project.
even though linux source code is out there for all to see and customize, someone still has to maintain the code. don't want to maintain the code for yourself? then go buy it from someone else (this case, microsoft).
been using firefox on my PC since it was called phoenix, then firebird (bloated mozilla before that.. ). and you've just backed up my point. Firefox is a standards compliant browser, just like KHTML (Safari's base).
since they are both standard compliant, they both should work with W3C compliant websites. what's the point of switching mac os x users from Safari to Firefox if Firefox doesn't support the user interface natively? Safari works just like any regular Mac app and has a whole company backing it. Camino (mozilla derivative) is also Mac OS X native, but then again, the lead programmer for that application works for Apple ( read: Safari!).
ultimately, i don't want websites saying "Best under Internet Explorer / Mozilla / Firefox / Safari/ Windows XP/ Linux / Mac OS X" . it should just be standards compliant and have the actual applications/platforms using those guidelines.
the parent post argued that people are:
1) ignorant about the existence of "alternative" browsers
2) habitually addicted to their fave browser
isn't safari an "alternative" browser in the context that internet explorer is the dominant application and sets it's own "standards". at the same time, saying people are "habitually addicted to their favorite browser" is quite ironic when the parent tries to convince people to switch from a browser that is already standards compliant and much better supported on Mac OS X (safari), to a browser that isn't up to par to it's PC sibling as of yet (firefox) .
i'm sorry, but from your post you sound quite arrogant. perhaps your approach is what keeps some of the people you're trying to convert from switching over.
as for mac os x users, what's the benefit of switching over to firefox when Apple provides a piece of software that works well for many users? it's interface is finely polished, based on KHTML, and any updates can be handled completely by system update. it's not like firefox/mozilla is the only soluation. i wouldn't want to see firefox having pure dominance. look what happened with internet explorer. people stopped coding for web standards and started coding specifically for internet explorer. by using safari, mac users in a way make sure websites code for standards, not for browsers.
hate to say it, but it's a business. i don't agree with their business practices, but it's what makes them money *now*. i'm sure it's not mantra for higher management in the company, but when you're giving bonuses and such to the managers who oversee the sales people, they usually feel the ends (making more money, putting food on the table, taking care of family, or simply just moving up in the company) justifies the means (customers getting ripped off, not the best possible service, etc).
would you honestly buy one of their service plans? as a consumer, this is how i always saw it. it's a "bet" between you and Best Buy. you're paying $199-359 betting that something will go wrong with your computer within the next 3 years and the overall costs of repair will outweigh your initial "investment." now, best buy is betting that all repairs and such will not cost anywhere near as much, even if they break even they don't lose money. they've done all the research that shows how much possible money they could make or lose. who do you think the odds are in favor in? and that is why i refuse to buy their PSPs and eventually, stopped working for them.
i made $15/hour. for a mechanical engineering major trying to pay for college, that's pretty decent money.
also, i always wanted to see how a sales job was like. thought it was important to learn how to sell something, and i actually got pretty good at it. you can say there's a social engineering aspect to it all. some guy could come in and expect to pay $400 for an entire computer package he saw in our ad. after i get done with him, he's bought our internet software package (antivirus, firewall, + installation costs for the software, etc), tech "set-up", accessories (over-priced USB cables, 2 sets of ink, wireless card, UPS backup, printer paper, photo paper), in-home networking, d-subs(digital subscriptions - AOL/MSN, Rhapsody, netflix), in-home networking and don't forget our "in-home" (more expensive) "Product Service Plan" ($199-359), the guy's spent over $1800 already. of course, we'll be nice and give him maybe 10-15% off the *accessories* because he bought them during the same transaction as the computer (perceived savings).
or how about the tech department.
virus removal = $60 (even if there isn't one, we charge for the scan)
spyware removal = $60
hardware installation = $30 each
data-backup = $100
new antivirus/spyware removal programs.
i'd average $150-200 on tech labor alone per customer. there were even instances where customers brought in computers that had repairs/upgrades that totalled more than $500-600. i remember whispering to this old lady, telling her i'd get fired for tellin her this, but she should just go to the computer department and buy a brand new computer because a new one would be a lot cheaper. she looked at me in disbelief, but still considered paying for the tech labor.
it was fun getting those type of sales at first, but after a while, i reached my moral boiling point. i felt just as a bad a used car salesman selling someone a lemon. my co-workers would say it's the customer's fault for not doing research for themselves, which in part is true.
many people make careers out of Best Buy, managers making somewhere from $40-60k and general managers making $100,000+ .
i realized something after working retail sales, especially in the computer department. the more you know about the product, the worse off you'll be. i could go on and on about how overall system performance isn't dictated purely by processor speeds, "how big the hard drive is," or how expensive the product is. some people may listen and learn a lot from you. some people are still brainwashed by brand name or perceived speed. but at the end of the day, i can either spend hours upon hours educating people, trying to help them make the "right" choices, or i could sell a computer.
i started off the job with a lot of computer knowledge and experience, but very little sales experience. you soon realize people just want to be told what computer is best for them, whether it is or not. you spout out numbers, figures, and specs that sound attractive to the customer and they'll buy. if i were to start complicating the matters, by explaining bus speed, processor architecture (intel vs amd vs powerpc), the customer would think the product is VERY important and tend to not buy on the spot. they'd consult others first before they buy. mind you, i think that's the smart thing to do, but management wants results at that point. they don't want customers to come back a week from now after "thinking about it." supposedly, they've done studies about this and studies about that and these techniques such as dumbing down everything work for Best Buy's target audience.
it took me a while to learn that i shouldn't get technical with people. i'm sure other sales associates do the same. on the other hand, i've known *many* people that just repeat what people tell them, what managers want them to say, etc to make a sale. my old manager started off as a sales associate himself, not even owning a computer for the first 2 years he worked in the department. he'd always use the line, "yeah, i own this same one," "my mother owns this one," "my sister owns that exact one," etc. he had no real knowledge about computers aside from the fact that it was his job to sell them, along with what ever product he can attach.
think about it, these are sales people. i know some that plan to make it their career and make $20 or more. sales is what they're good at, not computers. and that is exactly the type of employee Best Buy is looking for. i finally quit because i couldn't stand it any more.
PSPs/PRPs range from maybe $9.99 to $500 ("platinum PSPs for laptops.. i'm not sure if they ones for plasma TVs went any higher).
now imagine the products you can attach said plans to - TVs, camcorders, digital cameras, phones, laptops, desktops, mice, keyboards, mp3 players, dvd/vhs (media) players, video game systems, video game accessories, cell phones, regular phones, etc.
the list goes on and on and on. there's an unwritten rule many in the management or top employees go by. the 20-60-20 rule. 20% will buy the service plans regardless. another 20% refuse to buy the plan. the other 60 people you have to work your ass off to convince to buy it.
now consider the profit margins of these service plans. their HUGE. many times people buy the service plan and forget all about it. other times they never get to use it and it expires. when people do use the service plans, guess what. the product also came with a 1 year manufacturer's warrenty. the product is still covered under it and best buy can send it back to manufacturer to fix, while having the customer wait for it to be shipped back to them or simply give them a new product (hence the difference between "service" and "replacement" plans) .
i'm sure accessories factor into the numbers somewhere. USB cables for instance, the Dynex brand (one owned by best buy) sells for $24.99. do you know how much employee price is? $0.67 for a 19 foot cable. we used to have customers buy those all the time because it was cheaper than the belkin cables, yet still produced a higher profit for the company. btw, employee price is 5% actual cost, so the cables cost even less than that price. for actual products sold in the computer department, the printer aisle is the most lucrative.
[better formated for easier reading]
(i just made this at Ars.. but thought it would bring more light into the discussion here)
i worked for best buy for just about a year and quit around the time they were doing this training. instead of just one generalized customer, they've created 5 categories that would best fit their target groups. not all stores have all these categories. some stores may be a Jill or Barry, while others may be more of a Buzz. let me explain.
Barry
- usual income is over $100,000
- wants a "my guy" type of environment (similar to having a specific mechanic you go to, they want to be the epicenter where "Barry"s go for high end products, installation, information, etc).
- time = money, so having a specialized, well trained place (a Barry specific store) to go to grab everything from install to products will be worth the money. they could care less about spending time to bargain shop.
- will pay extra to have product delivered, installed, set-up in house
Jill
- "soccer mom"
- will want a "shopping friend" that will help her pick out all the products with her (a specific Best Buy employee will literally guide her through the store and shop with her)
- a prime target for in-home installations
Buzz
- early adoptor
- wants the latest and greatest and usually doesn't stop to think about the price
- 18-30 age group, college students, disposable income
Ray
- wife, and 2 1/2 kids
- must consult with wife before buying
- tendency to look for bargains
Best Buy for Business
- small business owner
- will have a specific employee assigned to him/her as a conduit for business transactions
- target for Best Buy's Geek Squad (tech department; aside from regular computer problems general customers have, Geek Squad for business users will be more of an "on-call" IT department. small businesses don't need a full-time techie on their pay-roll. so Geek Squad can come in for a "small" fee per hour, or last i heard, Businesses can pre-pay for an alotted amount of time per month)
working for Best Buy gives one a different perspective. as the management says, they must continue growing to avoid Circuit City scenarios, or Walmart/K-Mart power shifts. the main competition they see is Walmart, Dell, Amazon, Ebay, and a fifth that slips my mind. so in order to grow, they're trying ot learn more about their customers. they're catering to specific customer needs of the area. so your local store can be labeled one of the 5 possible categories or a mix of them. employees are trained to identify who best fits what mold so they can pass them off to someone who can better help with your needs. the cynic in me also thinks the best employee to grab every possible penny from the customer, but that's just, argueably, business.
just to give everyone the heads up though about a simple fact. from last i heard from management, if you look at the top ten list of what makes Best Buy profit, #1 is home theatre (big screen TVs, etc). want to know #2-10 ? it's their PRP/PSP (product replacement plan and product service plans). that's the main reason they push customers so hard about them.
also, people sometimes wonder how they measure performance. employees aren't measured by individual performence (and that means non-commision). the deparments must reach given daily monetary amounts and percentages for specific things and that's how management keeps track. they make sure each employee says they are no on comission. what they don't say though is, the sales managers that are hounding each employee about the performance of numbers is given a "bonus" for the sales/rank/etc every month. so in essence, *they* are getting the comission.
that's enough rambling from an ex-employee. hope it gives people a clearer picture. and for those wondering, i was in the computer sales / tech departments.
(i just made this at Ars.. but thought it would bring more light into the discussion here)
i worked for best buy for just about a year and quit around the time they were doing this training. instead of just one generalized customer, they've created 5 categories that would best fit their target groups. not all stores have all these categories. some stores may be a Jill or Barry, while others may be more of a Buzz. let me explain.
Barry
- usual income is over $100,000
- wants a "my guy" type of environment (similar to having a specific mechanic you go to, they want to be the epicenter where "Barry"s go for high end products, installation, information, etc).
- time = money, so having a specialized, well trained place (a Barry specific store) to go to grab everything from install to products will be worth the money. they could care less about spending time to bargain shop.
- will pay extra to have product delivered, installed, set-up in house
Jill
- "soccer mom"
- will want a "shopping friend" that will help her pick out all the products with her (a specific Best Buy employee will literally guide her through the store and shop with her)
- a prime target for in-home installations
Buzz
- early adoptor
- wants the latest and greatest and usually doesn't stop to think about the price
- 18-30 age group, college students, disposable income
Ray
- wife, and 2 1/2 kids
- must consult with wife before buying
- tendency to look for bargains
Best Buy for Business
- small business owner
- will have a specific employee assigned to him/her as a conduit for business transactions
- target for Best Buy's Geek Squad (tech department; aside from regular computer problems general customers have, Geek Squad for business users will be more of an "on-call" IT department. small businesses don't need a full-time techie on their pay-roll. so Geek Squad can come in for a "small" fee per hour, or last i heard, Businesses can pre-pay for an alotted amount of time per month)
working for Best Buy gives one a different perspective. as the management says, they must continue growing to avoid Circuit City scenarios, or Walmart/K-Mart power shifts. the main competition they see is Walmart, Dell, Amazon, Ebay, and a fifth that slips my mind. so in order to grow, they're trying ot learn more about their customers. they're catering to specific customer needs of the area. so your local store can be labeled one of the 5 possible categories or a mix of them. employees are trained to identify who best fits what mold so they can pass them off to someone who can better help with your needs. the cynic in me also thinks the best employee to grab every possible penny from the customer, but that's just, argueably, business.
just to give everyone the heads up though about a simple fact. from last i heard from management, if you look at the top ten list of what makes Best Buy profit, #1 is home theatre (big screen TVs, etc). want to know #2-10 ? it's their PRP/PSP (product replacement plan and product service plans). that's the main reason they push customers so hard about them.
also, people sometimes wonder how they measure performance. employees aren't measured by individual performence (and that means non-commision). the deparments must reach given daily monetary amounts and percentages for specific things and that's how management keeps track. they make sure each employee says they are no on comission. what they don't say though is, the sales managers that are hounding each employee about the performance of numbers is given a "bonus" for the sales/rank/etc every month. so in essence, *they* are getting the comission.
that's enough rambling from an ex-employee. hope it gives people a clearer picture. and for those wondering, i was in the computer sales / tech departments.
Lay low on the mathematics, and go heavy on the computer graphics.
So then what's the point of having such shows? Without the grounding in mathematics, science turns into a fairy tale. Astrology tells its story, science tells its story, and people pick and choose between them. What people need to learn is that science actually affords us real knowledge. There's no way to do that while ignoring the math.
that is where i think you are wrong. the usefulness of a scientific show that concentrates on the lowest common denominator is essential to the acceptance of science. If we have too much mathematics and too little of the "super-cool" computer graphics, we won't be capturing the attention, and in turn, the imaginations of the mass populace. A show that can attract a giant audience, though not very technical, can make a HUGE impact on what people will learn.
How you may ask?
Well, a show filled with math and physics equations can be helpful for those who have a good foundation in the subjects. for those who don't have the understanding or interest, the next channel is probably what they'll be watching.
BUT...
for the shows with the "super-cool" graphics and interesting commentary, though again not very technical, can instill something very important, curiosity. while catering to a bigger audience, it increases the chance of someone being captivated by the special effects and pursue how everything [insert science/math info that the special effects was representing] works. the show might not teach people, but it will be a gateway for them to delve deeper in the subject. this is what I've personally gotten from these shows. can you fully explain something like the space travel in a 30 minute or one hour show? of course not, but we can possibly grab someone's attention long enough for them the get interested in the general topic and find more information on it.
Slashdot Mirror
"As of 2005, the dead Beatles are John Lennon (murdered outside the Dakota building in New York City in December 1980), George Harrison (died of brain cancer in November 2001), and Stuart Sutcliffe (died of a brain haemorrhage in April 1962)."
along with Paul. thanks for the link, btw, never knew about the whole "Paul is dead" thing, as well as the "fifth" (or sixth if you count the other guy, sorry forget his name) beatle.
2*2=4 , 4+1=5 (odd) Nice try though ;)
i believe the epson printer has the printheads built-in. this was after talking to an epson rep about the r300s . the r200s might be the same.
# User interface polishing and porting for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X.
# Full MAC OS X support as guest OS.
you can download a test copy for windows and mac os x here: http://www.freeoszoo.org/download.php
and who exactly is going to customize linux for these shopping carts? benevolent computer hackers? oh yes, definetely! we all know they'd surely love to do all the work for free on such a "i-did-it-because-i-can" type of project.
even though linux source code is out there for all to see and customize, someone still has to maintain the code. don't want to maintain the code for yourself? then go buy it from someone else (this case, microsoft).
Try gifting them to your family, or your heir
hrrrrmmm..
run itunes
->make playlist
->burn-to-cd
->give CD to family member
apple gives me a license to burn music to CD, CD is my property, CD becomes family member's property.
been using firefox on my PC since it was called phoenix, then firebird (bloated mozilla before that.. ). and you've just backed up my point. Firefox is a standards compliant browser, just like KHTML (Safari's base).
since they are both standard compliant, they both should work with W3C compliant websites. what's the point of switching mac os x users from Safari to Firefox if Firefox doesn't support the user interface natively? Safari works just like any regular Mac app and has a whole company backing it. Camino (mozilla derivative) is also Mac OS X native, but then again, the lead programmer for that application works for Apple ( read: Safari!).
ultimately, i don't want websites saying "Best under Internet Explorer / Mozilla / Firefox / Safari/ Windows XP/ Linux / Mac OS X" . it should just be standards compliant and have the actual applications/platforms using those guidelines.
the parent post argued that people are:
1) ignorant about the existence of "alternative" browsers
2) habitually addicted to their fave browser
isn't safari an "alternative" browser in the context that internet explorer is the dominant application and sets it's own "standards". at the same time, saying people are "habitually addicted to their favorite browser" is quite ironic when the parent tries to convince people to switch from a browser that is already standards compliant and much better supported on Mac OS X (safari), to a browser that isn't up to par to it's PC sibling as of yet (firefox) .
i'm sorry, but from your post you sound quite arrogant. perhaps your approach is what keeps some of the people you're trying to convert from switching over.
as for mac os x users, what's the benefit of switching over to firefox when Apple provides a piece of software that works well for many users? it's interface is finely polished, based on KHTML, and any updates can be handled completely by system update. it's not like firefox/mozilla is the only soluation. i wouldn't want to see firefox having pure dominance. look what happened with internet explorer. people stopped coding for web standards and started coding specifically for internet explorer. by using safari, mac users in a way make sure websites code for standards, not for browsers.
i know, but for some reason, still couldn't resist replying.
hate to say it, but it's a business. i don't agree with their business practices, but it's what makes them money *now*. i'm sure it's not mantra for higher management in the company, but when you're giving bonuses and such to the managers who oversee the sales people, they usually feel the ends (making more money, putting food on the table, taking care of family, or simply just moving up in the company) justifies the means (customers getting ripped off, not the best possible service, etc).
would you honestly buy one of their service plans? as a consumer, this is how i always saw it. it's a "bet" between you and Best Buy. you're paying $199-359 betting that something will go wrong with your computer within the next 3 years and the overall costs of repair will outweigh your initial "investment." now, best buy is betting that all repairs and such will not cost anywhere near as much, even if they break even they don't lose money. they've done all the research that shows how much possible money they could make or lose. who do you think the odds are in favor in? and that is why i refuse to buy their PSPs and eventually, stopped working for them.
i made $15/hour. for a mechanical engineering major trying to pay for college, that's pretty decent money.
also, i always wanted to see how a sales job was like. thought it was important to learn how to sell something, and i actually got pretty good at it. you can say there's a social engineering aspect to it all. some guy could come in and expect to pay $400 for an entire computer package he saw in our ad. after i get done with him, he's bought our internet software package (antivirus, firewall, + installation costs for the software, etc), tech "set-up", accessories (over-priced USB cables, 2 sets of ink, wireless card, UPS backup, printer paper, photo paper), in-home networking, d-subs(digital subscriptions - AOL/MSN, Rhapsody, netflix), in-home networking and don't forget our "in-home" (more expensive) "Product Service Plan" ($199-359), the guy's spent over $1800 already. of course, we'll be nice and give him maybe 10-15% off the *accessories* because he bought them during the same transaction as the computer (perceived savings).
or how about the tech department.
virus removal = $60 (even if there isn't one, we charge for the scan)
spyware removal = $60
hardware installation = $30 each
data-backup = $100
new antivirus/spyware removal programs.
i'd average $150-200 on tech labor alone per customer. there were even instances where customers brought in computers that had repairs/upgrades that totalled more than $500-600. i remember whispering to this old lady, telling her i'd get fired for tellin her this, but she should just go to the computer department and buy a brand new computer because a new one would be a lot cheaper. she looked at me in disbelief, but still considered paying for the tech labor.
it was fun getting those type of sales at first, but after a while, i reached my moral boiling point. i felt just as a bad a used car salesman selling someone a lemon. my co-workers would say it's the customer's fault for not doing research for themselves, which in part is true.
many people make careers out of Best Buy, managers making somewhere from $40-60k and general managers making $100,000+ .
i realized something after working retail sales, especially in the computer department. the more you know about the product, the worse off you'll be. i could go on and on about how overall system performance isn't dictated purely by processor speeds, "how big the hard drive is," or how expensive the product is. some people may listen and learn a lot from you. some people are still brainwashed by brand name or perceived speed. but at the end of the day, i can either spend hours upon hours educating people, trying to help them make the "right" choices, or i could sell a computer.
i started off the job with a lot of computer knowledge and experience, but very little sales experience. you soon realize people just want to be told what computer is best for them, whether it is or not. you spout out numbers, figures, and specs that sound attractive to the customer and they'll buy. if i were to start complicating the matters, by explaining bus speed, processor architecture (intel vs amd vs powerpc), the customer would think the product is VERY important and tend to not buy on the spot. they'd consult others first before they buy. mind you, i think that's the smart thing to do, but management wants results at that point. they don't want customers to come back a week from now after "thinking about it." supposedly, they've done studies about this and studies about that and these techniques such as dumbing down everything work for Best Buy's target audience.
it took me a while to learn that i shouldn't get technical with people. i'm sure other sales associates do the same. on the other hand, i've known *many* people that just repeat what people tell them, what managers want them to say, etc to make a sale. my old manager started off as a sales associate himself, not even owning a computer for the first 2 years he worked in the department. he'd always use the line, "yeah, i own this same one," "my mother owns this one," "my sister owns that exact one," etc. he had no real knowledge about computers aside from the fact that it was his job to sell them, along with what ever product he can attach.
think about it, these are sales people. i know some that plan to make it their career and make $20 or more. sales is what they're good at, not computers. and that is exactly the type of employee Best Buy is looking for. i finally quit because i couldn't stand it any more.
consider this...
PSPs/PRPs range from maybe $9.99 to $500 ("platinum PSPs for laptops.. i'm not sure if they ones for plasma TVs went any higher).
now imagine the products you can attach said plans to - TVs, camcorders, digital cameras, phones, laptops, desktops, mice, keyboards, mp3 players, dvd/vhs (media) players, video game systems, video game accessories, cell phones, regular phones, etc.
the list goes on and on and on. there's an unwritten rule many in the management or top employees go by. the 20-60-20 rule. 20% will buy the service plans regardless. another 20% refuse to buy the plan. the other 60 people you have to work your ass off to convince to buy it.
now consider the profit margins of these service plans. their HUGE. many times people buy the service plan and forget all about it. other times they never get to use it and it expires. when people do use the service plans, guess what. the product also came with a 1 year manufacturer's warrenty. the product is still covered under it and best buy can send it back to manufacturer to fix, while having the customer wait for it to be shipped back to them or simply give them a new product (hence the difference between "service" and "replacement" plans) .
i'm sure accessories factor into the numbers somewhere. USB cables for instance, the Dynex brand (one owned by best buy) sells for $24.99. do you know how much employee price is? $0.67 for a 19 foot cable. we used to have customers buy those all the time because it was cheaper than the belkin cables, yet still produced a higher profit for the company. btw, employee price is 5% actual cost, so the cables cost even less than that price. for actual products sold in the computer department, the printer aisle is the most lucrative.
[better formated for easier reading] (i just made this at Ars.. but thought it would bring more light into the discussion here)
i worked for best buy for just about a year and quit around the time they were doing this training. instead of just one generalized customer, they've created 5 categories that would best fit their target groups. not all stores have all these categories. some stores may be a Jill or Barry, while others may be more of a Buzz. let me explain.
Barry - usual income is over $100,000 - wants a "my guy" type of environment (similar to having a specific mechanic you go to, they want to be the epicenter where "Barry"s go for high end products, installation, information, etc). - time = money, so having a specialized, well trained place (a Barry specific store) to go to grab everything from install to products will be worth the money. they could care less about spending time to bargain shop. - will pay extra to have product delivered, installed, set-up in house
Jill - "soccer mom" - will want a "shopping friend" that will help her pick out all the products with her (a specific Best Buy employee will literally guide her through the store and shop with her) - a prime target for in-home installations
Buzz - early adoptor - wants the latest and greatest and usually doesn't stop to think about the price - 18-30 age group, college students, disposable income
Ray - wife, and 2 1/2 kids - must consult with wife before buying - tendency to look for bargains
Best Buy for Business - small business owner - will have a specific employee assigned to him/her as a conduit for business transactions - target for Best Buy's Geek Squad (tech department; aside from regular computer problems general customers have, Geek Squad for business users will be more of an "on-call" IT department. small businesses don't need a full-time techie on their pay-roll. so Geek Squad can come in for a "small" fee per hour, or last i heard, Businesses can pre-pay for an alotted amount of time per month)
working for Best Buy gives one a different perspective. as the management says, they must continue growing to avoid Circuit City scenarios, or Walmart/K-Mart power shifts. the main competition they see is Walmart, Dell, Amazon, Ebay, and a fifth that slips my mind. so in order to grow, they're trying ot learn more about their customers. they're catering to specific customer needs of the area. so your local store can be labeled one of the 5 possible categories or a mix of them. employees are trained to identify who best fits what mold so they can pass them off to someone who can better help with your needs. the cynic in me also thinks the best employee to grab every possible penny from the customer, but that's just, argueably, business.
just to give everyone the heads up though about a simple fact. from last i heard from management, if you look at the top ten list of what makes Best Buy profit, #1 is home theatre (big screen TVs, etc). want to know #2-10 ? it's their PRP/PSP (product replacement plan and product service plans). that's the main reason they push customers so hard about them.
also, people sometimes wonder how they measure performance. employees aren't measured by individual performence (and that means non-commision). the deparments must reach given daily monetary amounts and percentages for specific things and that's how management keeps track. they make sure each employee says they are no on comission. what they don't say though is, the sales managers that are hounding each employee about the performance of numbers is given a "bonus" for the sales/rank/etc every month. so in essence, *they* are getting the comission.
that's enough rambling from an ex-employee. hope it gives people a clearer picture. and for those wondering, i was in the computer sales / tech departments.
(i just made this at Ars.. but thought it would bring more light into the discussion here) i worked for best buy for just about a year and quit around the time they were doing this training. instead of just one generalized customer, they've created 5 categories that would best fit their target groups. not all stores have all these categories. some stores may be a Jill or Barry, while others may be more of a Buzz. let me explain. Barry - usual income is over $100,000 - wants a "my guy" type of environment (similar to having a specific mechanic you go to, they want to be the epicenter where "Barry"s go for high end products, installation, information, etc). - time = money, so having a specialized, well trained place (a Barry specific store) to go to grab everything from install to products will be worth the money. they could care less about spending time to bargain shop. - will pay extra to have product delivered, installed, set-up in house Jill - "soccer mom" - will want a "shopping friend" that will help her pick out all the products with her (a specific Best Buy employee will literally guide her through the store and shop with her) - a prime target for in-home installations Buzz - early adoptor - wants the latest and greatest and usually doesn't stop to think about the price - 18-30 age group, college students, disposable income Ray - wife, and 2 1/2 kids - must consult with wife before buying - tendency to look for bargains Best Buy for Business - small business owner - will have a specific employee assigned to him/her as a conduit for business transactions - target for Best Buy's Geek Squad (tech department; aside from regular computer problems general customers have, Geek Squad for business users will be more of an "on-call" IT department. small businesses don't need a full-time techie on their pay-roll. so Geek Squad can come in for a "small" fee per hour, or last i heard, Businesses can pre-pay for an alotted amount of time per month) working for Best Buy gives one a different perspective. as the management says, they must continue growing to avoid Circuit City scenarios, or Walmart/K-Mart power shifts. the main competition they see is Walmart, Dell, Amazon, Ebay, and a fifth that slips my mind. so in order to grow, they're trying ot learn more about their customers. they're catering to specific customer needs of the area. so your local store can be labeled one of the 5 possible categories or a mix of them. employees are trained to identify who best fits what mold so they can pass them off to someone who can better help with your needs. the cynic in me also thinks the best employee to grab every possible penny from the customer, but that's just, argueably, business. just to give everyone the heads up though about a simple fact. from last i heard from management, if you look at the top ten list of what makes Best Buy profit, #1 is home theatre (big screen TVs, etc). want to know #2-10 ? it's their PRP/PSP (product replacement plan and product service plans). that's the main reason they push customers so hard about them. also, people sometimes wonder how they measure performance. employees aren't measured by individual performence (and that means non-commision). the deparments must reach given daily monetary amounts and percentages for specific things and that's how management keeps track. they make sure each employee says they are no on comission. what they don't say though is, the sales managers that are hounding each employee about the performance of numbers is given a "bonus" for the sales/rank/etc every month. so in essence, *they* are getting the comission. that's enough rambling from an ex-employee. hope it gives people a clearer picture. and for those wondering, i was in the computer sales / tech departments.
So then what's the point of having such shows? Without the grounding in mathematics, science turns into a fairy tale. Astrology tells its story, science tells its story, and people pick and choose between them. What people need to learn is that science actually affords us real knowledge. There's no way to do that while ignoring the math.
that is where i think you are wrong. the usefulness of a scientific show that concentrates on the lowest common denominator is essential to the acceptance of science. If we have too much mathematics and too little of the "super-cool" computer graphics, we won't be capturing the attention, and in turn, the imaginations of the mass populace. A show that can attract a giant audience, though not very technical, can make a HUGE impact on what people will learn.
How you may ask?
Well, a show filled with math and physics equations can be helpful for those who have a good foundation in the subjects. for those who don't have the understanding or interest, the next channel is probably what they'll be watching.
BUT...
for the shows with the "super-cool" graphics and interesting commentary, though again not very technical, can instill something very important, curiosity. while catering to a bigger audience, it increases the chance of someone being captivated by the special effects and pursue how everything [insert science/math info that the special effects was representing] works. the show might not teach people, but it will be a gateway for them to delve deeper in the subject. this is what I've personally gotten from these shows. can you fully explain something like the space travel in a 30 minute or one hour show? of course not, but we can possibly grab someone's attention long enough for them the get interested in the general topic and find more information on it.