how does best buy stay in business?

[Ravens2006]

Fry's would be wise to open a Baltimore / Washington area store...

That place is the greatest store on earth...

[Jack Dublin]

I always go to Best Buy first. I want to see and feel what I am buying. I suppose when my generation dies out, so will the Best Buys of the world.

[Justthefax]

I always have a few laughs there. Heard one salesperson explaining a LED TV meant liquid emitting display. Another in the camera department told a customer who asked that SLR meant single lens reflector.

I heard a salesman say "L.C.D. means Liquid Cooled Display"

When I asked if I would need a plumber to install he said, "Best Buy does not provide the plumber."

[bmore_ken]

I heard a salesman say "L.C.D. means Liquid Cooled Display"

When I asked if I would need a plumber to install he said, "Best Buy does not provide the plumber."

You've got to be kidding me

[mcorioles]

What cracks me up is the $300 dollar HDMI cable ,when a $15 dollar one will do just fine.

[Eastside Terp]

the online electronics stores really are hard to beat, but ......

I rarely shop at best buy but i will be there tomorrow .......

they have the phone I am buying $50 cheaper than anyone else ......

black friday was the last time i shopped there and got some good deals on line ......

last year around the holidays, radio shack had a phone $100 less than anyone and they are overpriced on everything .......

of course you need to shop the deals and then come home and buy the accessories on line .....

[bmore_ken]

I think the last thing I bought there was a SD memory card that was on sale. I could have bought it a couple of bucks cheaper online, but the price was close enough that I bought it instead of waiting 3 days for it to be shipped

[Eastside Terp]

I bought the samsung galaxy s3 for my wife at best buy last night ........

they have it for $149 .......

I saw one other place on line at $179 and everyone else still has it at $199.......

walked out of the store and bought all the accessories on line because they were really expensive there......

[dogstarman]

A lot of folks still prefer the brick and mortar store experience and actually want to be worked on by a sales associate. Stores like Best Buy aren't done yet and will continue to exist for a long time.

Of course, if you know what you want and are willing and able to filter through reviews and marketing baloney, online is always best for the money and selection.

However there are a small number of brick-and-mortar stores that are actually appealing to nerds. Fry's in the west coast is great (just visiting the burbank location is worth a 1 hour drive if you're in the area, come-on who can resist a UFO crashed into the front of the store!). In the northeast, Micro center is the closest thing, with locations in Rockville, Vienna, and in the Philly suburbs near villanova. I also like The Computer Place in Gaithersburg near NIST, it is a family run operation and is very well stocked with OEM versions of computer parts.

[Ravens2006]

...However there are a small number of brick-and-mortar stores that are actually appealing to nerds. Fry's in the west coast is great (just visiting the burbank location is worth a 1 hour drive if you're in the area, come-on who can resist a UFO crashed into the front of the store!)...

Fry's is like heaven on earth. If the Abingdon Walmart moves up the road, I'm personally lobbying the Fry's board of directors (at their homes) to open up a store there. I like the idea of deciding I want something at 1:30 p.m., and then actually have it in my house by 2:30 p.m. the same day... with the option to return and without worrying about shipping costs. Immediate possession is still important to a lot of people.

[atomic]

I think the last consumer reports mag (not the current one) had electronic stores. BB was at the bottom of brick and mortar AND online stores. they ranked bad in service, price, selection, and on and on...!

Why do people go there? I have not bought anything from there in I guess 2 or more years.

Amazon was at the top. Which makes sense to me! I love amazon.

I needed ink for my printer so I went there and had it in 10 minutes. How long would it take me to get the ink from Amazon? Best Buy stays in business because not everyone wants to provide jobs for outside their community and not everyone wants three days for something to come in the mail. Buy Local. And second I think they make a ton of money off of service plans.

[bmore_ken]

I needed ink for my printer so I went there and had it in 10 minutes. How long would it take me to get the ink from Amazon? Best Buy stays in business because not everyone wants to provide jobs for outside their community and not everyone wants three days for something to come in the mail. Buy Local. And second I think they make a ton of money off of service plans.

I guess it's just me, but unless I have a report due today I'm ok saving money and waiting two days for my ink

[atomic]

I guess it's just me, but unless I have a report due today I'm ok saving money and waiting two days for my ink

Just checked amazon and it was 25 cents more than Best Buy and that doesn't include shipping charges. But I needed to print out tickets that day so either go to best buy or go to kinkos. Simple choice really.