Retail Computer Purchasing Experiences @ [H] Consumer

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Chris_Morley

Former [H] Consumer Managing Ed.
Joined
Jul 5, 2000
Messages
3,609
We look at the customer experience while purchasing computers from Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, and Fry’s Electronics. If you are shopping for a computer or someone relies on your advice, this article is for you.

Check it out here!
 
Despite living in Canada, I read the entire article -- and was pretty surprised that more places didn't try to force their product service plans on you.

Here in Canada, I know Future Shop would do whatever they could to pressure the buyer into getting an extended warranty (and even when I worked at Office Depot, PSP's are the biggest thing managers tred to get me to sell).

i will admit Best Buy has earned points in my book though, as when I went to buy my Creative MP3 player a few months ago, the rep was quite knowledgeable, and showed me the options (rule #1 -- I did not want an iPod). The rep steered me towards the Zen MicroPhoto, indicating it had the best sound quality out of the players they carried. When I expressed interest in buying it, I actually had to inquire about the extended warranty (something useful to me since I had problems with a Creative player in the past).

Bottom line: If I need computer equipment from one of the big retailers, Best Buy is where I'm going.
 
To start off: a great guide

Those nuts at Best Buy need to be reprimanded or retrained. I worked in PC Sales at a Best Buy in College Station, TX (about 2 hours away from Austin) and we ALWAYS approached the customer within 2 minutes and ALWAYS pushed the warranty. That was the only place the store made money. The markups on PCs are too small to not sell any add-ons. The guy trying to get you to get a parallel to USB converter was trying to add to the sale and up his margin.

That is not a typical experience for Best Buy. I hated working there, so don't call me a BB crazed fool, so don't get me wrong.

Overall - that was a great guide!
 
I used to work at Fry's electronics. When I worked there, they have no real training, they have a weekly company meeting to discuss new products but they don't push details. They may as well say that 64-bit is shinier than 32-bit and some of the reps would say so. Everything anyone working there knows is from personal knowledge as it isn't required for the actual job.

Also, they get a 'spiff' not commission. It really isn't based on profit per system. Just because of the 'spiff', the rep will skip over certain systems.

Also, if you look at the bottom left-center of their POS (point of sale) system when they are entering in the product information the profit margin is listed in code.

CHARLESTON = 0123456789

So HC.CC = 10.00 and -EN.NN = -59.99

Every Best Buy I have ever gone into, they have had horrible customer service.

I will say the guide is spot on.
 
Good article. I had some experiance with this sort of thing while shopping for a laptop. I ended up getting one online, but just wanted to get a hands on look at a few stores. I found both good and bad information, but that is to be expected. If anything, it is always fun to pretend like you know nothing and see what people will say.

As for the warranty, it seems like they are easing up on that. Last few items I bought they didn't even mention it until I asked about it. A few years back they would be telling you how quickly the item would break and what not. Another thing to consider, it used to be that you could hold out on the warranty and they would drop the price, until it was much lower. That always bothered me. I could never imagine a warranty on a computer. Maybe an LCD, a PSP, an Ipod, or a used car, but never a computer. If it breaks, time for a new one.
 
I could never imagine a warranty on a computer. Maybe an LCD, a PSP, an Ipod, or a used car, but never a computer. If it breaks, time for a new one.
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At Circuit City, if you have the protection plan, you get a gift card for the amount you purchased your computer if it breaks.

So, say you spend $1,000 on the computer at the proctection plan is $200. If your computer breaks within the protection plan time period, you're only out $200 as opposed to $1,000.

That's why I never really understand when people say 'If it breaks, time for a new one. I don't need the protection plan.' Yeah, if it breaks you need a new one, but atleast you'll have $800 towards a new computer as opposed to none.
 
As an employee of Best Buy I had to see what was to be said here. I'm not even sure if I can even state my full opinion here on this without it coming back to haunt me. Not that I have a crapton of slander (or is it libel with it being an internet forum?) to throw out, but let's just say my opinion of the company, or at least the store I work for, is not very positive right now, for reasons I'd rather not disclose on a public forum.

But on the topic of the shopping experience itself, one thing is for sure - your mileage may vary, and the experience at the store I work at is going to depend on what you really like. Most of the salespeople are very friendly from what I've seen, and naturally will talk about various options, attachments, and of course the service plans and financing options via the BB card. If you feel like getting all this information from one person, you can definitely expect to get that. The store as a whole seems to cater towards the newbie, which can be awesome or annoying, depending on your position on that. As far as tech knowledge, it depends on who you plan on talking to. The computers department is very knowledgeable from what I have seen. Maybe not as in-depth as the folks here, but for most answers I would like to believe that they have the answers or know who you can talk to for those answers if they don't have them.

As for why I don't shop more there...well...one only needs to look at my work schedule for the last 4 months. The other reason would be that I don't think BB even carries half of what I want, which I can find primarily at the Egg or another online retailer.

Either way, I'm very glad to see the [H] is taking their reviews one step further and doing a bit of mystery shops to see how things pan out from retailer to retailer. Hopefully someone who can make a difference in each can see this and will see how this can benefit them and relay this information to their own sales teams, so that hopefully more customers will have a better shopping experience all around. I say more because it's just a fact that you can't satisfy everyone who comes walking through your door.
 
I too work at best buy, thats just downright disappointing to see the [H] get such a bad experience. Oh well, I know some of the customer spec's (sales people) arent too technical, but to be honest we just dont have the resources to stay trained with this stuff 100% like we should. Probably a corporate thing though, heh.
 
Me three. Working @ Best Buy #349 in Elk Grove, CA (near Sacramento), we always try for that 10 second, 30 feet rule. However, we recently got BOTH our supervisor and manager fired (due to poor dept performance), so enforcing and reiterating the ideals that BBY is built upon has faded. However, we are still doing pretty well, despite our lack of management. We are hitting our budgets and doing exceptionally well number-wise. I too wish that [H] had a better experience, I would have definately tried my best to help them. However, again, we do have to remember that the average age of a BBY employee is 22... ;)
 
One thing that I noticed when I went along with Jennifer is that those positions that pays commission, or provides some sort of profit sharing; tend to have representatives that are more professional. Most people would think that these people would be pushy in areas of sticker tags and warranties, but that was not the case in our experience.
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Who is Jennifer? A girl geek now employed by [H]? :eek: :D
 
did u guys try an apple store or one of those specialty booth/kiosk in the malls?
 
Must second everyone's comments here: thanks [h] for taking the review to the next level. was disappointed to see that the experience at Best Buy wasn't better. My experience with Best Buy has alway been really solid. But then again retail is always hit or miss.

just out of curiosity - why did you choose to go so low end? i think retailers have tons of that sub $500 stuff in stock, but trying to go up to a mid-grade mainstream is probably a little more challenging. I would imagine too that your questions probably threw them off - most folks buying $500 pcs don't ask about 64 bit and PCI-e.
 
lovemyPC said:
Must second everyone's comments here: thanks [h] for taking the review to the next level. was disappointed to see that the experience at Best Buy wasn't better. My experience with Best Buy has alway been really solid. But then again retail is always hit or miss.

just out of curiosity - why did you choose to go so low end? i think retailers have tons of that sub $500 stuff in stock, but trying to go up to a mid-grade mainstream is probably a little more challenging. I would imagine too that your questions probably threw them off - most folks buying $500 pcs don't ask about 64 bit and PCI-e.
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My guess at the reason they chose and did what they did was to try to emulate what your average layperson (noob) would want and experience.

What do they typically want in a computer? Something to do email, write their christmas cards on, and "do digital photos".

How much do they want to spend? As little as possible.

Why would they ask about 64-bit and what not? It's advertised on all the stickers that are on the front of those things. I can see every one of those questions coming from merely reading those stickers and asking "What does that mean? What does that do? Do I need more?"

Not trying to pick on you personally, it's just that I've been the friendly geek that they mention on several occasions and I have answered pretty much all those same questions in the process.

Good article, BTW. Really surprised at the lack of push on the warranty.

 
Chris_Morley said:
Yes, I hired her, and she is extremely well qualified.
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useless.gif
 
I used to work at a Fry's Electronics (earlier this year and most of last year) and their computer Department was fucking horrible. I worked in Electronic Components, and I was Non-sales for a good part of my time there, in that time most of the sales people came to know me as "the one to go to if you didn't know" cause I was the only one who knew alot and could easily explain something. Then I went to sales and became top sales, but with the way they treated their employees, I simply hated Fry's. So now I work for a Boutique system builder (I got so freaking lucky) and <3 my job.

In short, Fry's sales associates fail at life.
 
Really nice.As always.

Great job at relaying the buyer perspective, excellent questions.
I was also surprised there wasnt more zeal to sell you the extended warranties. :eek:
 
I used to work at the Circuit City you visited (selling computers, cell phones, and digital cameras), and I had friends who worked at that Best Buy.

Neither of the above stores work on commission. Circuit City used to, several years ago, but now they're straight hourly. That said, the managers really get after the Circuit City employees to push warranties and extras. That you didn't get a high-pressure sales pitch probably means the tech met his numbers for the day/week/month.

Also, the Circuit City 'technician' probably spends the vast majority of his time selling computers. At least, that's how it was when I was there. I was a salesperson and I filled in a couple times on technician jobs. There's not as much of a divide as you'd think. And the technology sales force (computers, cell phones, and cameras) was required to know and sell all tech products. We were trained on all three, though the training wouldn't be enough to answer all the questions you asked. So you could end up with a cell phone expert selling you a computer, or a computer expert selling you a cell phone. The people who focused on computers tended to know enough stuff to fairly accurately answer computer questions while I was there, but the camera people (who also had to sell them) usually didn't (although they were much better at cameras than I was).

Best Buy everywhere sucks if you're looking for knowledgeable people. I know a couple of people in the S. Austin store who know their stuff, but other than them I wouldn't approach a Best Buy person asking for advice. Best Buy is for knowing what you want and getting out of the store.

Try to keep in mind that none of these places hire people for the long haul and so you're not going to get brilliant, knowledgeable salesmen. Best Buy and Circuit City pay in the range of what you'd expect a high school or early college student would make and turn people over all the time. I don't know what the others pay, but they seem to hire the same types of people. Expecting these huge discounters to match the right video card for FEAR and Oblivion to your system and price range every time is a bit much. Expecting them to know the differences between 64-bit architecture and 32-bit architecture beyond "64-bit can be faster if programs are written for it" is definitely too much. If you need that much information, pay extra to get a computer from a boutique manufacturer.
 
I worked at BB for a couple months, moonlighting wile i was in the Air Force for some extra cash and some "civilian experience"... if you could call it that... before i left the military to go back to school. I was a geek squad tech and it never failed to amaze me how incompetant the computer sales folks were, minus the few guys from base (who were actually in the same squadron as i was) who were also moonlighting there. the geek squad/computer sales team concept was great, but the implimentation was piss poor in my experience. i never felt like BB had the idea in their head that they had a vested interest in their computer department/geek squad folks, and with all the talk about margins i can see why. geek squad servicing and service plans are their bread and butter, the rest computer department always felt more like a hook to get people in the door. i can't count the times i came behind a computer sales person in order to cool down a returning customer who felt like they were lied to for a sale in order to show them how to use something they were assured would "just work" by the sales floor. kicker of it was, i could only do it when the geek squad manager wasn't around, otherwise i'd be hasseled more than i wished to deal with for spending time and effort that didn't result in additional income. customer centric my ass.

that being said, fry's computer department is always a dissapointing experience. if you've ever been to a fry's, there seems to be a common layout where computers and peripherals are sold on one side of the software, and hard drives, motherboards, ram and cpu's, cases and networking hardware (along with all the other cool stuff like HAM radio and soldering equipment) are on the other side of the software. the software section is like the great divide to segregate the computer enthusiests from mom and dad and jr shopping for upgrades. on the enthusiest side, those people know the inventory and have answers for you in a second, along with reccomendations on items on sale or comperable to what you're looking for that you may not know they have in stock (when i went to pick up a 2GB kit of pc3200 OCZ platinum, the guy knew they had the 500MHz version in stock and that it wasn't listed ont heir web site without even needing to look it up). fry's as an awesome store, but definitely filling the niche market of people who know their technology. i never reccomend fry's to anyone looking to deal with sales people, and usually reccomend compUSA.

i'd say this article pretty much matched up to my experiences.
 
bigforearms said:
I know a couple of people in the S. Austin store who know their stuff,...
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haha, 2 of them are in one of my CS classes! they tell me their store is the only good one in town, and that i should go apply there. unfortunately, my sanity is worth more than the extra cash i know i'd be making at this point.
 
I also hate Best Buy comp sales department. Me and my friend went there to pick him out one and in like 1 minute a sales guy approach us. So he told him what he wanted the computer to do, which was basically a computer for Rome Total War, the upcoming Medievil Total War 2 and video capiblities(yes it means that). The idiot had no idea what to do, so he brought us to some emachine with with a celeron processor with 256 Ram and Intel GMA 900 Graphics. Right next to it for 200 more, there was a Pentium 630, 1 gig of ram and Geforce 6200 graphics :rolleyes: I was there a couple days ago, getting some blank media and overheard this sales guy selling a computer and saying things about dual core processor that are not true..
 
Correction:
(LightScribe is a program that can burn text and pictures onto the tops of your DVD/CDs instead of having to use paper labels.
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From:
http://consumer.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTAzOSw0LCxoY29uc3VtZXI=

Lightscribe is a technology to do that. It requires a specific dvd burner series of drives.
Official page: http://www.lightscribe.com/
In other words its hardware, not software :)
It also requires special cd/dvd media for the Lightscribe burning (at least on the upper label side, If I remember correctly, you can sometimes do designs on the data side with a normal CDR DVDR) . You can't use a normal CDR or DVDR for the full Lightscribe stuff.


Certain versions of nero support Lightscribe, but only if the drive is capable of it.
 
I expected worse experiences. You sure will get them here in CA.
 
give me a break... these people at best buy and the like usually get paid a hair above minimum wage, have no training, yelled at by their managers on a daily basis about sales numbers, and are barely out of high school. you really expect to get concrete advice about computer technology purchasing decisions? you must be hallucinating. the problem is not with the employees it is with the business practices of the employer who hires these drones to cut down on overhead for themselves and for the customer, which translates to cheaper product.

no offense meant to the more educated working in retail, just stating the rule, there are exceptions.
 
CopyCat said:
I expected worse experiences. You sure will get them here in CA.
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If they want humor, the should evalute the Geek Squad :rolleyes:

I know they probably do get payed like shit and have no training, and that is where they should stop. They need to get people who know at least something about computers. You know maybe when they apply, like a small 20 question sheet asking them basics on computers.
 
Reading this reatil review makes me kinda mad I dont have a job right now. :p Its also why I hate going into retail stores, They dont know jack and try to sell you stuff you dont want or need. When I do buy stuff in stores it will be frys, since they some times have great deals, other than that it is all online for me. :)
 
One benefit that Best Buy does have over many retail chains is that there are Agents in every store is that you can always walk up to and ask for help. Before all of the ignorant Geek Squad bashing begins, I understand that they may not have the competency level of an MIT honer student, but I can guaranty that they understand the technology more than most of the sales people in ANY retail chain.
 
Lazy_Moron said:
If they want humor, the should evalute the Geek Squad :rolleyes:

I know they probably do get payed like shit and have no training, and that is where they should stop. They need to get people who know at least something about computers. You know maybe when they apply, like a small 20 question sheet asking them basics on computers.
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I heard at Best Buy they do take a test. Unfortunately it isn't a computer basics test... Its a personality test...
 
While its disappointing not to see the current company I work for (Staples) reviewed I suppose its understandable since they're not generally seen as a "giant" in the computer retail world like BestBuy, Circuit City or the like. However, your experiences with BestBuy both match mine when shopping there, and most importantly, when working there.

I'm a geek, quite knowledgeable, friendly, etc. but I absolutely hated working for BestBuy and walked out after a month. The other sales reps were barely technically knowledageable and the managers were constantly pushing you to sell customers crap that they didnt need and "services" (is installing anti-virus that they're buying really a service?) for ridiculus sums.

Right now, Im working at Staples while taking a break from school. I have worked for them in the past and during both periods, at different stores, all the associates in Business Machines (or Office Equipment depending on where you shop) are knowledgeable about computers. Why? Cause most of us do it in our spare time. Also, Staples seems to pay a bit better than BB, CC, etc. so it seems to draw in more professional/knowledgeable employees. Only downside is we often can't quite match the other companies pricings, just economics of scale.

I'd love to see [H] expand this out to the office supply stores as well. Would be interesting :)
 
synergyo1 said:
I heard at Best Buy they do take a test. Unfortunately it isn't a computer basics test... Its a personality test...
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Thats true for most of the retailers. They figure their "education" programs (aka, we sell this. its cool. next product) will make up for any previous lack of experience.

It doesnt
 
He stated that to get your system fixed under the eMachines warranty alone, you must mail your computer to eMachines and pay for shipping out of your own pocket.
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I got a kick out of this line about CompUSA. I worked for CompUSA for 7+ years and heard this line many times. Ironically, though, is that CompUSA will perform manufacturer warranty repairs even without purchasing the extended warranty coverage.
 
Let me start by stating that this was a great article! I really had to double-take your evaluation of Best Buy because I could swear you were evaluating store 259 in Lexington Kentucky. As an employee at 259, I can attest without a doubt that your summary of the Best Buy "experience" was spot on, but allow me to add my opinion on the matter.

During my tenure as a sales associate, I've had the privilege / misfortune to work with many types of people. As a customer, you're usually in and out in a matter of minutes and walk away general opinion about the experience. As an employee, you get the total package, complete with highs and lows. Having worked at 259 for about a year, I feel like I can accurately describe the personalities a customer is likely to encounter during an average Best Buy excursion:

1) The Knowledgeable, Friendly Associate - he or she is what I like to refer to as the model employee. Bright eyes, big smile and always courteous. This person is generally very approachable and makes you feel comfortable when engaged in conversation. Everyone strives to be like this, but not everyone has the right combo of personality / experience. The main focus of the "Knowledgeable, Friendly Associate" is to inform (maybe even educate), offer services in non offensive manner and to generally make the Best Buy experience pleasant.

2) The Aged (Experienced), Not-So-Friendly Associate - he or she may have started as a "Knowledgeable, Friendly Associate," but after working for Best Buy for many months, their personality becomes eroded by the constant hassles from lower management and the monotony of selling the same $199 e-Machine package to Joe or Jill Sixpack. This person has been with the company long enough to realize that Best Buy is just a Wal-Mart the sells plasma televisions and service plans. Usually when an associate reaches this stage they quit. The main focus of an "Aged (Experienced), Not-So-Friendly Associate" is to inform you only when approached, avoid contact with customer if at all possible and to do just enough work to not get fired.

3) The Salesman - he or she can easily be described as a sleazy sales person. This person knows nothing about technology, but will mimic anything technical overheard from a more knowledgeable associate. This person will do anything to take your money including scaring you in to buying merchandise and services you don't need and will probably never use. This person has no scruples and is usually an asshole to customers and other associates. The main focus of the "Salesman" is to generate as much revenue as possible, get noticed by lower management and brag as much as possible about making big sales.

4) The Uber-Jerk Associate - he or she once changed the vcore settings for their CPU in SoftMenu and now thinks that their "the shit." You know this person well because he or she is in every group of computer geeks. Chances are you probably have one in your clique. This person is as large an ass as the "Salesman," but rarely makes any sales because he is too busy insulting the customers intelligence to really cater to their needs. This person is totally clueless, but still throws around technical jargon to make themselves appear "in the know." The main focus of the "Uber-Jerk" is to look cool, never do any real work and try desperately to get on the Geek Squad.

5) The "I Just Work Here" Associate - he or she "just works here" and thats about it. Usually a college student with no interest in computers or technology in general, but somehow still managed to get placed in Home Office sales. He or she is usually kind to customers and generally tries to do well, but most often times will have to "go check" on certain inquiries. There is usually a high turnover rate for this type of person because they can't handle the stress associated with retail sales. The main focus of the "I Just Work Here" is to avoid customers as not to answer any questions, follow around other associates as a safefall and to pass the time as quickly as possible.

In your article, it appears you got alot of the "I Just Work Here" type, which is common for any retail environment. At 259, we have about 50% "Aged (Experienced), Not-So-Friendly Associate" , 25% "Knowledgeable, Friendly Associate" and an even blend of the other descriptors for the remaining 25%. I am very surprised you didn't encounter at least one Uber-Jerk or Salesman. It seems like every hiring phase we get a few of those, but they rarely stick around.

One more thing I wish to add is that most services offered by Bust Buy are a joke. I often refer to Geek Squad agents as software installation experts because thats pretty much all the job entails. Best Buy charges a vulgar amount of money for installing antivirus software, spyware remove tools and turning on Windows Firewall (yes, they charge for that). This is something that most people can do on their own, but lower management acts like you shit in their cornflakes if you don't at least offer some security "service" with every sale.

Oh, and to the person ( "ralio" ) who stated that Geek Squad agents know more than floor associates just because they're Geek Squad; you're full of shit. Store 259 hires agents right off the street with no competency follow-up.

To sum it up, Best Buy as a company does not impress me. Now that I have had the opprtunity to be on both sides of the fence I can honestly say that a person's best bet for not getting screwed is to read some reviews on a reputable site (insert shameless [H] plug here) and order from NewEgg.
 
As always great read. I have also stopped shopping at BB for the most part. I have had some bad Customer Service experiences. That is to be expected though from the Big Box guys. Keep up the great work.
 
kickstand said:
One more thing I wish to add is that most services offered by Bust Buy are a joke. I often refer to Geek Squad agents as software installation experts because thats pretty much all the job entails. Best Buy charges a vulgar amount of money for installing antivirus software, spyware remove tools and turning on Windows Firewall (yes, they charge for that). This is something that most people can do on their own, but lower management acts like you shit in their cornflakes if you don't at least offer some security "service" with every sale.

Oh, and to the person ( "ralio" ) who stated that Geek Squad agents know more than floor associates just because they're Geek Squad; you're full of shit. Store 259 hires agents right off the street with no competency follow-up.

To sum it up, Best Buy as a company does not impress me. Now that I have had the opprtunity to be on both sides of the fence I can honestly say that a person's best bet for not getting screwed is to read some reviews on a reputable site (insert shameless [H] plug here) and order from NewEgg.
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He He.. Woah there buddy. That was a little uncalled for. If you read my post, I stated that Agents know more than MOST sales people; not all. I am also the DCI of 392 in moreno valley in southern california and know full well what goes on at Best Buy. Let me explain. If you could perform the duties required of a GS Agent, would you rather sell computers for x amount of dollars, or fix them for x plus three or four dollars? You are correct in one aspect. There are no current certification requirements for becoming a GS Agent. However, judging the talent level of 750+ stores based upon the experiences of visiting 1-5 stores is quite ignorant.
It is usually the DCI's job to asess the technichal ability of the agents before they are hired. Therefore, if your DCI is not technically adept, then the ability of your agents will also probably be pretty low. I can size up most peoples technical ability in a short interview. I will admit that most of our agents are uncertified, and do come off the streets. What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. What degree or certification shows that a person is able to remove Gaobot or SpyAxe? None that I'm aware of and if they do exist not many people who have them want to work for the wages that we pay our entry level technicians. I have an excellent team of agents. The important word there is TEAM. Not any one of my guys knows everything, but between us all, we can fix almost any computer problem. I actually find it quite amusing when I read online "Geek Squad is pirating winternals software." Followed by "They are a bunch of restore whores!". Since when do you use ERD commander to do a restore???? Anyways, to get back to my original point, if you ever want to run another test, come on in to Best Buy Moreno Valley and ask for Jason. I can teach you about anything in our computer department.
 
well being in retail for the past 8 years with 2 at Circuit City and 6 at Best Buy I can easily give you some hands on opinions of whats going on.


1. When I was at CC this was the period in which the company was still #1 in consumer electronics but best buy was on its heels and I soon left as at that time it was commision sales and I didnt really care for that and the service was what you can typically get with commisoned sales.

2. Now when I left to best buy the company was on the rise and was paying well and trying to get the best qualified people for the positions. the computer dept in which I was in, in fact had more knowledgable people then the tech bench which was pretty funny, but as time went on Best Buy was the top dawg and felt it needed to focus on other ideas. This leads to the fact that the company in my opinion is higher less qualified people for less pay to try and cut corners, this is a bad idea and can and will hurt the company in the long wrong. I am not suprised in how Hardocp's experience trully was.

3. Now CC is not the top dawg any more and for the most part is mimicing Best Buy as Best Buy did to CC in the 90's but with CC they are using tactics that Best Buy used around 99-01 and its starting to work out as they are innovating on different ideas and highering ex BB management.


thats my .02 cents on this and honestly the next couple of years will be a time in which we will trully see who is going to stay on top against the evil empire we call Wal Mart.
 
I really enjoyed this article. I know several sales people who work at Best Buy who should defintley be techs, and compared to their counterparts they are Einsteins.

While I was living in Dallas my experience with retail outlets was that all of the sales people had absoultely no idea what they were talking about, and since most of them worked on commision they simply pointed at the most expensive thing and spouted a line of bullshit about how it was the end-all and be-all of computing.
 
Personally I think this thread is becoming a little off-topic and out of control. I am seeing lots of bashing on Best Buy mainly. Again, dont get me wrong, bbysux.org is a great site, and I myself am more of the "I Just Work Here" employee at my store, but again, I think we're supposed to be giving USEFUL criticism, not just bashing. There's bbysux.org for that.

In hindsight, I understand everybody in how a lot of BBY employees aren't educated enough. To tell you the truth, we DO NOT GET ANY TRAINING. At least, for our specific department. We are forced to watch a useless DVD talking about certain values and how the store runs. As to what LightScribe is, VoIP, etc etc., they are relying on us to know. I try to let everyone that I work with know about these, and usually it helps a lot. A majority of us in our department are tech savvy, so we know our computers. However, again I can understand how other stores are mainly people that generally dont know anything.
 
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