Ask a Best Buy employee.

[munx13]

Do you ever make fun of customers behind their backs?

Ever seen anyone trying to return a purposely damaged console/handheld? (like when a guy brakes his DS or something, buys a new one to replace some parts and returns it like it wasn't working when he bought it)

 

[blackshark121]

Do you have secret wars with the other stores? I always imagined a sort of Gangs of New York type situation

With Wal-Mart, yes.

So how is working for Best Buy? Fun till black friday huh?

Its fun, I get to wander the gaming section and help people.

Black friday really wasn't too bad as a cashier last year. It was plenty busy, and the time went quickly.

For my birthday last year, my girlfriend took me to Best Buy and told me to pick out something I wanted, nonetheless I got a graphics card a new 18.5in monitor and an employee informed me to use my Nvidia Geforce 8400 and to go with it I was informed by an employee (who was not a member of GeekSquad) I needed a 400watt power supply which would cost an additional $80.

My question is, have any of your co-workers ever conn-ed anyone into buying something they didnt absouletly need just to make a sale?

We used to. We tried to upsell absolutely everything we could, but now we don't, we try to get the customer what they need, not everything possible. it was only a recent change, so yeah, last year, we hadn't switched.

So do the people in the computer department try to fuck people over with computer support plans? I would never buy a computer from Best Buy but my girl friend did and when her HD was crappin out on her she took it in and they said nothing was wrong and refused to fix it. So do you guys only replace computers on a plan if they are on fire or something?

Again, we used to be a lot more dickish about it, but now we're trying to be more sympathetic, and help the customer more. And with Geek Squad, you have to be persistent, they aren't going to do their services unless they know it is required.

Do you guys actually regularily pull cheap ass moves?

Such as opening up a 360 box, download the updates then charge 50$ for the service?


*coughs* Ask a cop thread is better *coughs cough cough* Ahem...

No. In case you didn't hear, the person who did that got the boot. Of course, nobody ever hears about the fixes to problems, just the problem itself.

do you get a commission for sales, or is it flat rate of pay?

Flat.

Do you believe it is the consumers responsibility to know exactly what they need in a computer before going there, or should they be comfortable with the knowledge level of the employees to get what they need?

This stems from a bad experience I had buying the computer I have now. I specifically told them I wanted to be able to play the latest games on it, I did not want to have to upgrade, and they guaranteed that the computer they sold me would be just fine. I am much more tech savvy now then I was then, but ended up walking away with a Gateway GT5674 which can't play a damn thing. I was quite pissed, and would never trust those people again, they were obviously just trying to make the sale and get me out of the store.

So you then went back, spoke to a manager, explained the situation, got that employee fired, and found a compromise, right?

We like out customers to know as much as possible about our products, but even if they don't, we'll explain what they need. If we do a bad job, we get written up/the boot.

do you have battletoads ?

http://tinyurl.com/ykxptwy

What the hell is Best Buy?
What the hell is Black Friday?
Is there a Good Mourning the day before Black Friday?

Is working in retail as soul destroying as everyone says?

Best Buy is an electronics store, similar to (the late) circuit city.
Someone answered that.
No.

If you don't put a positive spin on it, and try to have fun, then yes, it will kill you.

Do you ever make fun of customers behind their backs?

Ever seen anyone trying to return a purposely damaged console/handheld? (like when a guy brakes his DS or something, buys a new one to replace some parts and returns it like it wasn't working when he bought it)

Yes. Some customers have their own BBY-names. We've got a Napoleon, there's an anime kid, we've got loads.

That scenario I haven't seen, but we get people trying to return purposely damaged handhelds plenty. If it was an accidental damage, they need to have purchased the advanced protection plan. The basic covers only manufacturer defect and normal wear and tear. Advanced covers accidental damage from handling.

 

[chronobreak]

So you then went back, spoke to a manager, explained the situation, got that employee fired, and found a compromise, right?

We like out customers to know as much as possible about our products, but even if they don't, we'll explain what they need. If we do a bad job, we get written up/the boot.

I went back to the store, but the thing was I bought the computer as I was moving, and did not open it up and try it out for a couple months. I got it with my tax returns. When I went back to the store and complained, that employee was not working there anymore, apparantly he transferred to another store, so I have no idea what happened to him. Next time, I'm gonna build my own I guess.

 

[cathou]

i know it's blackshark's thread, but i think i can give a few hints too. For the record i was working as supervisor for best buy for 2 years when we opened the first stores in Quebec, so a few thing may be differents than in the US stores.

do you get a commission for sales, or is it flat rate of pay?

Supervisor and above ranks have a quarter bonus if the whole store have done above objectives.

So how is working for Best Buy? Fun till black friday huh?

Black friday doesnt exist in canada, but i've done 2 boxing days (december 26th). In Quebec the stores opened at 1pm. People get in line around 4 am to be the first to get the doors crashers. I was working in the back of the store, and when they opened the doors, actually it was like... a human wave running toward the end of the store. My manager told me : it's the only day in they year where you sale pitch doesnt have to be perfect because they will not even listen to you...

Do you have secret wars with the other stores? I always imagined a sort of Gangs of New York type situation

in canada we have a war with Future Shop. which is own by... best buy. But for a reason that i didnt really understand best buy people dont like future shop people and the other way around...

i've had a lot of great times at best buy. lots of shitty days too, but overall i guess it was more good than bad...


one facepalm moment ; a young boy (he was 8 or 9) was checking video games, i happened to walk there and he asked me info on a game. i respond him, but he kept asking question about a train simulator game, comparing twogame in the same genre, asking me for every details of the game. I stayed with him for 10 minutes, and when he seems to be short of questions i asked him : "so which one will you buy ?" He looked at me and said : "Neither, i already own them both." and leaved.

one wtf moment : a kid about 10 years old is shopping for a computer, i answer his question, and he was interrested by a demo we had in sale. i propose him a deal : 700$. He said :"ok, i'll take it." Since he was alone, i was assuming his parents were somewhere in the store, but he gave me 700$ in cash from his pockets...

and one funny moment was a girl that came in the computer departement. She was wearing a... very short and sexy outfit (thing jeans short with a very tight t-shirt) and she have lots of... attributes... anyway the guys were in the departement looking at her and i decided that it would be best if i go see her myself. so i go see her, talk a bit. then i ask what she needed : "oh, i need a powerfull computer. one that have a lot of capacity for videoconferencing. i also need a very fast internet access. oh, and a remote controled webcam if you have that" i never asked her but i think i can guess she was doing with that...

 

[blackshark121]

So you then went back, spoke to a manager, explained the situation, got that employee fired, and found a compromise, right?

We like out customers to know as much as possible about our products, but even if they don't, we'll explain what they need. If we do a bad job, we get written up/the boot.

I went back to the store, but the thing was I bought the computer as I was moving, and did not open it up and try it out for a couple months. I got it with my tax returns. When I went back to the store and complained, that employee was not working there anymore, apparantly he transferred to another store, so I have no idea what happened to him. Next time, I'm gonna build my own I guess.

Usually, "transferred to another store" means sacked. Tough luck on the computer though. Feel free to buy the parts for the next one at Best Buy, you'll get good deals on computer parts, and a manager may be willing to give you a discount if you buy it all. No guarantees, though.