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Some things are also better to buy in person. I've bought TV's online and had perfectly fine experiences, but then I bought one for my homebound mom that didn't work and had to deal with her poo poo for the next 3 days as I went back and forth with the manufacturer, who didn't want to accept the return and was certain updating the firmware for a 3rd time would finally fix it. Since then I've bought all my TV's from Best Buy in-store. I think Best Buy also started having manufacturers open up "stores within stores". So if you wanted an Apple laptop, you could go to Best Buy and buy one from someone who worked for Apple and knew all about their products.
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Dec 20, 2020 14:52
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I’m in Canada so some of this might not translate to the states, but Best Buy also has manufacturers pay for a lot of the prime spots in the store. Like HP has their own table where you cannot put any other computer on because HP pays for those spots, Microsoft has their own table and Apple has their own section. All of those has been paid for. Price matching has helped a ton, having a good return policy works great too. BB also has a pretty decent online infrastructure so if an item is out of stock you can order it right then and there and pay how you were originally going to pay and if there’s an issue you just return right to store. The final thing is, a lot of people just don’t understand stuff and just want to talk to someone that knows about the product to make a recommendation. You aren’t going to get a super nerd who could point out all the benefits but most people hired know enough to generally point people in the right direction. You also don’t get bottom of the barrel staff because for a retail store, Best Buy actually does treat employees pretty decently. Paid vacation if full time, good benefits, amazing employee discounts on cables. There’s a lot of stupid poo poo Best Buy does that could make things a lot better, but they do a lot right.
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Dec 20, 2020 16:01
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I’ve also heard they are basically the de facto option for people when they are traveling for work and something breaks or they need something extra. Same also goes if you need something ASAP and don’t or can’t wait a day or two for Amazon or whomever to ship something. For those situations, there are good an option as anything, and in large parts of the U.S. they are basically the only large scale electronics place.
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Dec 20, 2020 16:30
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Appreciate the replies. I guess a follow up question is what differentiates BB from Fry's? I have never been in a Fry's, as I don't think we have them. Or is Fry's more like microcenter?
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Dec 20, 2020 16:40
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Appreciate the replies. I guess a follow up question is what differentiates BB from Fry's? I have never been in a Fry's, as I don't think we have them. Or is Fry's more like microcenter? Way more Best Buy’s than Fry’s or Microcenters in the US for one thing. Also, unlike Fry’s (going by the pictures, I have never been to run) , Best Buy at least runs a competent business. Their pay is ok for US retailers last I checked , but wouldn’t call it good until you get to probably the one person under the store manager level or maybe just store manager. Not sure if it has changed, they used to work the full time department people on salary and they basically always worked 50ish hours a week for $40k , which isn’t great.
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Dec 20, 2020 16:44
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Duckman2008 posted:Not sure if it has changed, they used to work the full time department people on salary and they basically always worked 50ish hours a week for $40k , which isn’t great. This applies for probably 99% of retail jobs in the U.S., and $40K a year would put it on the higher paying side compared to similar (Usually hourly) jobs at other chains, sadly.
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Dec 20, 2020 16:50
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That's not a fancy cologne section. Those are actually rip off colognes, they cost like five to $10. It's basically for somebody's wife to stay occupied by smelling things.
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Dec 20, 2020 16:52
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Appreciate the replies. I guess a follow up question is what differentiates BB from Fry's? It used to be that you had Radio Shack for all your electronics needs (like actual resistors or parts or solder) but that was kind of scary for regular consumers to navigate. So the Best Buy/Good Guys/Circuit City shops pushed a more accessible selection with home theater, entertainment, etc. BB developed a rep on selling you their protection plans and services. Frys kind of bridged the gap between the two. It was a place where you could get a video game system, CCTV cameras, spools of Cat5 cable and crimpers, computer parts or a fridge. They also had random-rear end poo poo like As Seen on TV crap and toys. Microcenter, in comparison, is more focused on tech and feels like you're walking into a requisition section at work or comisserating with the IT department. There's almost an assumption that you already know what you want and you're just looking for a good price.
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Dec 20, 2020 17:56
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Appreciate the replies. I guess a follow up question is what differentiates BB from Fry's? I have never been in a Fry's, as I don't think we have them. Or is Fry's more like microcenter? Fry's (before they went down their current path) was pretty much a mix of the two. They had a lot of computer parts and things you used to find at Radio Shack in their heyday like Microcenter. Plus, they had TVs, appliances, phones, car electronics, video games, etc like Best Buy. When I used to visit Fry's, I could easily spend 2 hours just in their computer parts because there was nothing like that anywhere remotely where I lived. It was just like having old school Newegg in a physical store.
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Dec 20, 2020 18:02
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Pick posted:That's not a fancy cologne section. Those are actually rip off colognes, they cost like five to $10. It's basically for somebody's wife to stay occupied by smelling things. Don't know about that last sentence but the knockoff part is correct. Not my photo, but exactly what I saw at a Fry's a while back: 
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Dec 20, 2020 18:20
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Edit: nevermind
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Dec 20, 2020 18:29
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FilthyImp posted:What others said covered the BB turnaround (mainly it was leasing floors pace to brands and then using that to recoup some good will). BB itself was kind of like a Target or Department Store dedicated to tech -- a Toys R Us for button-pushing middle class America. Best Buy also no longer shits on their customers during checkout by doing a speech about credit cards or rewards cards or extended warranties etc etc etc etc. That was one of the biggest turn offs for me, and they've gone from "ugh I guess I have to go there since I need this today and can't wait" to "I'll just go to best buy to pick it up", which doesn't sound like a lot but it's making them the physical tech destination of first, not last, resort in my immediate area. The microcenter near me is fantastic for when I don't really know what I want, or just want to browse. It's a decent drive away which means I can't just go there for something small (unless best buy doesn't have it), but there are turbo nerd autists there along with (and sometimes as) the sales people, so I'm actually comfortable asking for recommendations, suggestions, etc. They're also the only place I'm aware of since Radio Shack died where I can just get electronic components, doodads and knickknacks, filament spools, power supplies, etc.
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Dec 20, 2020 18:38
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The last time I was in a Best Buy the thing that struck me was the movie section being a tiny space in the back next to the appliances. Back around 2004 the entire center of the store was DVDs. Now it's cell phone stuff and "smart" home automation. Even the video game section seemed trimmed down.
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Dec 20, 2020 19:06
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EDIT:wrong thread.
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Dec 20, 2020 19:08
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McCracAttack posted:The last time I was in a Best Buy the thing that struck me was the movie section being a tiny space in the back next to the appliances. Back around 2004 the entire center of the store was DVDs. Now it's cell phone stuff and "smart" home automation. Even the video game section seemed trimmed down. Video game sections got trimmed a bit, maybe a lot depending on where you live. But yeah, movies/tv shows got a HUGE axing a couple years back. There’s slim profit in it (way more in home automation stuff) and you’d end up returning half the section to the vendor because the one guy who wanted “The Legend of the Lone Ranger” already bought it so why do we have 4 more copies? Now movies is just the most popular stuff and some smaller niche stuff that has a small chance of moving some units or the distributor was willing to take a game they’ll sell and won’t get returned Edit: If you’re in Canada and have a Sunrise Records nearby. They’re the ones to hit up for a decent selection of movies and TV shows. You’ll pay a small premium though (I paid 5$ more to buy Tenet on 4K there. BB didn’t have it in stock and I didn’t feel like waiting for Amazon)
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Dec 20, 2020 19:31
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BB had a pretty decent Anime section of the dvds in the 00s and I imagine the collapse of that niche also caused them to reassess their physical media holdings.
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Dec 20, 2020 20:24
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I thought part of the success was that once streaming picked up and they saw that physical media was dwindling, they very quickly shunted it for Cell Phones and laptop/PC accesories and support, as well as expanded the home theater options, and most importantly, also expanded the appliance section. Basically focusing on things that Amazon or Netflix couldn't help you with.
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Dec 20, 2020 20:40
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Best buy was where we bought my wife's fitbit, because she wanted to try it on and didn't want to bother with shipping. Also, we bought a cordless vacuum because we wanted to see how heavy it was.
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Dec 20, 2020 20:51
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Yeah, BestBuy was a solid option for video, music, and definitely PC games for a long time. In the store nearest me, the PC games section was the first to be drastically scaled back and converted to cell phones and other stuff, with the video, music, and console games sections all getting shrunk down to one degree or another. Movies and music are maybe an aisle or three, the console games still have some sections to them but it’s still a lot smaller than it was 5 years ago, never mind going further back. If they still have a section for computer games, I don’t think it’d all that different than what you’d now find in Walmart or Target with a few feet of cards with Steam or Origin download keys.FilthyImp posted:BB had a pretty decent Anime section of the dvds in the 00s and I imagine the collapse of that niche also caused them to reassess their physical media holdings. Yeah, they were a good option for that for a while, along with bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Noble, the latter of which is still semi-decent for movies and music depending on location.
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Dec 20, 2020 20:55
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FilthyImp posted:BB had a pretty decent Anime section of the dvds in the 00s and I imagine the collapse of that niche also caused them to reassess their physical media holdings. They still have a surprising amount of anime there. Best Buy has the largest selection of Blu Rays and the like out of any of the remaining big box places.
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Dec 20, 2020 20:59
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They also did moves w discarding stuff like standalone Best Buy Mobile stores. Streamlined a lot of their operations. They went subscription with the Geek Squad sometime around 2011-2012. And then around 2018 they introduced a version that covers stuff like in-home automation, etc. I think that really helps reduce returns and whatnot related to people unable to plug things in right. But yeah, ever since I left the company, I’ve really gotten into using BestBuy.com. V functional, decent chance for good daily deals, and just a notch or two less evil than Amazon.
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Dec 20, 2020 21:19
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Ghost Leviathan posted:A combination of record labels being, probably to no one's surprise, absurdly greedy, spiteful and short-sighted, and no one seeing DVDs coming. Hell, took a while for TV stations to realise people might want to watch a thing more than once. ‘Top of the Pops’, a popular British music chart show running since 1964, has been showing full repeats from the 1970s onwards over the past few years. I think they are currently at 1990. However from about the 1982 episodes onwards a number of performances are randomly skipped over due to the rise of concert VHS tapes at that time and presumably a band’s lawyer impelling them to keep hold of the broadcast rights (and then breaking up and the rights becoming a bit nebulous). I saw a 1985 repeat that looked like it had been edited with a can opener.
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Dec 21, 2020 00:09
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knife_of_justice posted:‘Top of the Pops’, a popular British music chart show running since 1964, has been showing full repeats from the 1970s onwards over the past few years. I think they are currently at 1990. Wasn't that the show hosted by an incredibly prolific sexual predator?
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Dec 21, 2020 00:43
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Blue Footed Booby posted:Wasn't that the show hosted by an incredibly prolific sexual predator? I think there were two of them but yes. Jimmy Saville. One of the worst people. No expansion on that just one of the most awful people to exist.
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Dec 21, 2020 01:13
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After a month or two of having it, I either noticed or my tv developed a block of dead pixels that I couldn't ignore. I was able to take it back to the store, without a box, and exchange it for a new one without any additional fuss. The complete death of physical stores would be a huge pain in the rear end.
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Dec 21, 2020 05:27
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fartknocker posted:I’ve also heard they are basically the de facto option for people when they are traveling for work and something breaks or they need something extra. Same also goes if you need something ASAP and don’t or can’t wait a day or two for Amazon or whomever to ship something. For those situations, there are good an option as anything, and in large parts of the U.S. they are basically the only large scale electronics place. Yeah when I was in Yuma and needed an emergency router my options were "Best Buy" or "drive three to four hours back to Tucson."
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Dec 21, 2020 05:37
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Beachcomber posted:Also, we bought a cordless vacuum because we wanted to see how heavy it was. Couldn't you have just picked it up in the store instead of buying it? Maybe brought a scale with you?
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Dec 21, 2020 15:22
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Alhazred posted:Someone at the BBC called Jones and gave him a head's up, Jones then had to smuggle the tapes out. It waa Terry Gilliam, and he bought them as the tapes were going to be reused, but yeah he was given a heads up, there's a documentary on Python on Netflix were they interview him about it
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Dec 21, 2020 21:52
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AceOfFlames posted:Those statistics always confuse me because of one thing that I can never figure out (and probably no one can): how much "real" (i.e. liquid) money does Bezos have? Even if he sold enough stock to pay that amount of money wouldn't that also trigger some economic aftershock? Quoting myself to just let everyone know I found a decent source explaining why this isn't an excuse for them not paying their share in case you're curious and/or need to argue with someone. (I believe Krispy Wafer touched on this but this also goes into more detail): https://github.com/MKorostoff/1-pixel-wealth/blob/master/THE_PAPER_BILLIONAIRE.md If you're wondering why it's on GitHub of all places, its because it's linked in this sobering infographic: https://mkorostoff.github.io/1-pixel-wealth/ AceOfFlames has a new favorite as of 00:47 on Dec 25, 2020 |
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Dec 24, 2020 11:17
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AceOfFlames posted:If you're wondering why it's on GitHub of all places,nits because it's linked in this sobering infographic:  
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Dec 24, 2020 18:36
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AceOfFlames posted:
Holy gently caress
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Dec 25, 2020 05:47
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gently caress the entire species, my number go up.
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Dec 25, 2020 05:53
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AceOfFlames posted:
When all you have is a hammer... A lot of nerds are familiar with github so they use it for completely inappropriate thing.
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Dec 25, 2020 06:01
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MisterOblivious posted:When all you have is a hammer... I think it’s more because GitHub Pages offers free hosting for small static sites. And thanks to modern web frameworks, you can do stuff like that as a “small static site”
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Dec 25, 2020 09:24
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2021/01/06/family-video-a-video-rental-company-with-hugely-valuable-real-estate-shutters-its-stores/ Family Video is closing every single location. I haven't rented a video in approx. 10 years but this sucks. Other than Red Box, there are literally no other places within a hundred miles of me since all the locally owned shops went out of business about 15 years ago.
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Jan 7, 2021 20:41
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Basticle posted:https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2021/01/06/family-video-a-video-rental-company-with-hugely-valuable-real-estate-shutters-its-stores/ You can't have a local business for a thing no one is going to do anymore. I don't even remember the last time I saw a blu-ray or dvd.
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Jan 7, 2021 21:44
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You're forgetting about poor people. This prompted me to text my small town family because I thought they still had one. Turns out it's already a Dollar General, so they're ahead of the curve on how this will likely play out across the nation in the types of places that still have Family Videos.
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Jan 7, 2021 22:20
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How likely are poor people to pay for video rentals instead of pirating stuff or using streaming accounts that they & 5 other people share? The target market for physical media rentals is basically only people who insist on physical media but can't/won't buy one to keep forever(which is why it's extinct).
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Jan 8, 2021 00:04
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Haifisch posted:How likely are poor people to pay for video rentals instead of pirating stuff or using streaming accounts that they & 5 other people share? The target market for physical media rentals is basically only people who insist on physical media but can't/won't buy one to keep forever(which is why it's extinct). There are plenty of poor people who don't have smart phones, computers or other means to obtain  or sketchy streams but might have a few extra dollars on Friday night for a movie night with their spouse or kids.
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Jan 8, 2021 00:50
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I still miss local rental places. Zoning out and flipping through Netflix has nothing on absentmindedly wandering around one of those. And usually when you’re wandering around one of those you’d actually end up picking something instead of just having choice paralysis.
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Jan 8, 2021 00:52
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