By the way, did I mention? Fuck Best Buy.

Thu, February 3, 2005

By the way, did I mention? Fuck Best Buy.

So, as you may know, Wonderfalls came out on DVD this week. Ordinarily, I'd stop at Best Buy on the way home from work to buy it, but I didn't go to work Tuesday on account of the sewer repairs on my street kept me trapped in my driveway by trenches and piles of sewer mud.

So I dropped by tonight, and couldn't find it on the shelf. "Uh oh," I thought to myself. "Here's where the delicate equilibrium is disturbed." You see, continuing to shop at Best Buy has been a risky proposition; it's kind of like driving on your spare tire – everything's fine as long as the road is smooth, but as soon as you hit rough terrain there's very little separating you from certain peril. Now, my life was in the hands of the moronic high-school dropouts who work there.

Approaching the guy at the computer was a waste of time: he couldn't look it up since he hadn't heard of it. (?) He referred me to a young lady who appeared to work in the DVD section, and she had seen the Wonderfalls set, but said that they had only stocked two copies. (So, clearly Best Buy is taking Fox Broadcasting's side on this – that nobody could possibly ever like that show – rather than Fox Home Video's side – that rabid, furious fans had demanded its release on DVD. They're quickly learning, as they sell out of their puny stocks, that we – the viewers – were right all along.)

She looked it up in another computer (a computer which, it should be noted, was having all sorts of problems due to the buggy custom Best Buy intranet running on an ancient version of Windows Internet Explorer – get Firefox, kids!) and found that only one copy of Wonderfalls was still in the system. But she told me that probably meant they didn't have any. (?) Maybe someone had returned it and it hadn't been reshelved, or maybe someone had gotten to it before me and hadn't made it to the registers yet. Tempted as I was to locate and tackle that person, I asked the associate if her 19th century tabulation device could access the inventory at the other store a few blocks away. She found that they also had one in stock, so I got their number from her, and gave them a call while I returned to scour the TV DVDs rack.

After waiting while the phone in the DVD section rang thirty times or so, I spoke with a blue-shirted, sullen high-school dropout a few blocks away who also had never heard of Wonderfalls. I spelled it nine times, and explained that I already had the results of an inventory search – I just wanted him to find out if they actually had it on the shelf and, if so, hold it for me. He said this to me: "Well, one doesn't mean we have it. The computer doesn't update right away when someone buys it." Of course not! Why would selling an item of your store's inventory remove it from the inventory listing? I wanted to tell him that I knew all about Best Buy's ridiculous computer system and its many, many shortcomings, but that was beside the point. All I said was, "That's why I figured I'd call on the phone and ask."

He put me on hold for a minute, then came back and said, "Sorry, we don't have it." And we both pretended he'd actually looked for it, as opposed to putting me on hold for a minute, standing there picking his nose, then saying he didn't have it just to punish me for getting snippy. Fine. Whatever.

I tossed the Ms. Pac-Man game back on the shelf (I'd been craving it since Poppy and Mario let me play theirs over the holidays, but I'd be damned if I was handing money to Best Buy after this!) and stormed out of the store. I was really tempted to throw it in a fridge or clothes dryer or something – find that, computer system! – but if I'd done that, I probably would've opened the door to find both copies of Wonderfalls, a half-eaten Quiznos sub, and a baby in there already, and then I'd be forced to decide whether to abandon my brand new re-boycott and just buy the damn DVD.

It still amazes me that you can have an inventory system in which one of something is indistinguishable from zero of something. I know Best Buy's system is ridiculous, and it appears to be widely known that one and zero are the same thing (two separate people at two stores told me this within ten minutes – and in both cases they seemed to feel that having one in the system made it less likely that they had one on the shelf), but that seems like the sort of thing that would make it hard to do business. I mean, what's the minimum number of something that you have to have in order to be sure you have more than zero? Five? Ten? And – whatever that is – why not order that amount? What's the sense in ordering two of something if you can't tell the difference between two and zero? Might as well order ten; then at least you know you have one. Then again, maybe I've at last discovered the heart of Best Buy's computer system problems. If none of their computers can distinguish one from zero, that would explain a lot. Computers talk in binary code – and in binary code, one and zero are the only numbers!

I got home, called Amoeba Music on Sunset, and their cheery DVD stock girl said she had one pre-owned copy on sale cheap, and she'd set it aside for me. What a sweetheart. If it weren't for the abysmal parking, horrible Hollywood traffic, and the sinking feeling that I'm not cool enough to be there, I'd shop only at Amoeba. (I still feel "in the club" for having frequented Amoeba in Berkeley back before they sold out and went Hollywood, but that feeling fades as soon as I walk through the doors and realize I'm three piercings shy of the average.)

So, this time tomorrow, I'll have Wonderfalls in my hot little hands – and I'll be able to add it to the giant pile of DVDs I can't wait to watch. But, luckily, I can add it right to the top!

90 Comments (Add your comments)

Brandon — Thu, 2/3/05 3:56pm

Remember anecdotes like this, for they will be our generation's version of "When I was your age, I had to _______" grandparent stories. Our future progeny will likely be amazed that we had to deal with incompetent human clerks and occassionally buy our entertainment in stores rather than having it piped right into our home.

However, for future telling, you might want to clean up the language - little Mobil Quiznos Simmons doesn't need to hear that kind of talk.

Joe Mulder — Thu, 2/3/05 5:32pm

However, for future telling, you might want to clean up the language - little Mobil Quiznos Simmons doesn't need to hear that kind of talk.

Oh, we've offended his Highness, Lord Lamenstein of Squaresylvania.

The bitch of it is: Best Buy is the only store anywhere near where I live OR work that has new DVDs for cheaper than sticker price the day they come out. It's also the only store near where I live or work that has any DVDs. So, if I want something, and I don't want to wait for Amazon, I pretty much have to go to Best Buy, and 60% of the time I get what I want (and cheaply, too!), and 40% of the time I just want to kick someone in the nuts.

Joe Mulder — Thu, 2/3/05 5:32pm

Might want to dumb down those formatting tips, by the way.

Brandon — Thu, 2/3/05 5:51pm

Oh, we've offended his Highness, Lord Lamenstein of Squaresylvania.

Wow, Jameson's grandchildren will be royalty?! The future gets more and more interesting with every post!

p.s. The comedy perfectionist in me is distraught. The kid's name really should have more Jameson-riffic corporate references and a file extension in there... something like iPod TiVo Simmons.xpv. Ahhh, much better!

Bee Boy — Thu, 2/3/05 8:31pm

I have to agree with Joe, my kids will not be raised in a household where they're not allowed to say "Fuck Best Buy" whenever they want to. (Although, in this little play, I suppose Mobil is my grandkid, and who can say what kind of squares my kids will be as parents.)

But yeah, obviously I'm hemmed in with the same problem with Best Buy. That's why I was there on Wednesday night, and I'll be there again. The traffic fighting my way north to Amoeba was enough to convince me that it definitely won't be taking over the space at the top of my "frequently shopped" list.

Sorry about the formatting tips – to quote my AP Biology teacher (you haven't met her, but I was in love with her daughter for nine years), "I couldn't conceive of that mistake to tell you not to do it!"

Anonymous Coward — Thu, 4/14/05 12:02am

By the way yeah at best buy one in the system=fuck it im not gonna search for it :) I am working a craphole job that doesnt pay worth a damn and now i have to deal with a bunch of idiots who cant read?

"Best Buy Employee" — Mon, 6/13/05 5:07pm

fuck the stupid bastards that cant look up for shit themselves...

"Another BBY employee" — Mon, 6/20/05 7:22pm

If someone steals that DVD it still says we have it, and people steal shit like it's suppose to be free.

Bee Boy — Tue, 6/21/05 3:40pm

It's nice that Best Buy's representatives do the hard work of making my point for me. Hostility toward the customer and passing the buck. That's pretty much exactly how they treat me in the store, too.

Certainly there are myriad reasons why the inventory might be out of sync with the database. Theft is probably #1 – every time I'm in the Best Buy location where this story took place, its shelves are disorganized and items are all over the floor. The place looks like it's already been ransacked; I can see why thieves might get the idea.

First, it's Best Buy corporate's responsibility to do all it can to keep the database in sync with the items on the shelves. Better tracking, better organization, better inventory upkeep. But the employees at the store are the first line of defense.

Right:

"Ah, the computer system shows we have just one copy in stock. That's not always a reliable indicator, but let's take a look at a few locations where this item might be shelved. Follow me."

Wrong:

"I haven't heard of that. Ask her [points to Employee #2] to look it up."

Employee #2: "The system says we have one. That's the same as none. I guess we don't have it. [walks away]"

Anonymous Coward — Sun, 6/26/05 12:55pm

I work at best buy. And I understand your frustration with not finding your DVD. But you have to understand, when the computer says "one" copy left, it’s pretty hard to find it. Now before you get in a rage, about "why the fuck not", you have to understand we do organize our shelves (people come in everyday at 6am just to do so!), but other customers come in and move everything around. They probably did have you DVD "wonderfalls" in, but it probably was in another department, god knows where.

And I am sorry, but we are not going to search the whole damn store for one DVD. You have to understand, after you, there are another hundred customers looking for something. And for employee #1 telling you to ask #2, that’s because we are assigned places, and I am guessing #2 was in charge of DVDs. But hey I am glad you found your DVD at amoeba. I shop there to for CD’s. :D by the way, what best buy was this?

Anonymous Coward — Sun, 6/26/05 12:58pm

Oh yea, Best Buy is a enormous company, and they have windows because it is the easiest for CNS people to mange. Hey i have Fire-fox to, for my SINGLE computer. Fire-fox would not work for the hundreds of thousands of computers linked up on the networks. So you can shut up about that.

Bee Boy — Sun, 6/26/05 6:08pm

To answer your question, this occurred at store #109 ("West LA"): 11301 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.

I understand that on the enterprise level, Windows is cheaper to install and therefore "easier" to support. I understand that Best Buy would never consider underwriting the massive switch to Linux or Mac. But it's still a very problematic operating system and Best Buy's computers (at least the one I was standing at) are running a very antiquated version – perhaps because Windows is so glitchy and labyrinthine that it's too much of a headache to upgrade. (Firefox vs. IE is a separate debate. Each is used by literally millions of people to connect to the Internet. Both run on Windows. There would be no problem installing Firefox on every Best Buy workstation – and it would be more reliable than IE 5.01 or whatever they're running. Again, I don't expect them to make this switch, but Firefox's ability to work on hundreds of thousands of computers is absolutely not the reason why.) However, an intelligent retail megastore would run its intranet on something more reliable, flexible, and scalable – for example, a Linux infrastructure – from the start. I know Best Buy is not that store; I don't expect Best Buy to be that store. But a store that focuses its attention on making its inventory system more reliable is a store I'd rather shop at – not that such a store exists today. I was mostly just making the point that their choice of supply chain tracking software falls in line with the rest of their choices: it's focused on making things "easier" for Best Buy, not delivering a more useful or reliable experience to its customers. Every complaint I have about shopping at Best Buy can be summed up in the same way.

Most of the employees I encounter at Best Buy are not at all interested in helping the customer or making the shopping experience easier. If our latest anonymous commenter is the notable exception to this rule, kudos to him or her. I'm impressed and very grateful. (And, s/he should probably work someplace else, where that commitment might be appreciated.) S/he's certainly in the minority among Best Buy employees. Hell, s/he's in the minority among Best Buy employees commenting anonymously on this page!

For the most part, working at Best Buy is considered "just a job," and these kids are there to hang out with their friends, offer extended warranties, and collect a paycheck. I can understand; I worked jobs like that at their age. But I still took them seriously – it really didn't take much extra effort to make a customer's experience markedly better. I don't necessarily fault these individual employees for failing to take that initiative – some of them probably did at first, but then realized that it was not recognized/appreciated/rewarded at Best Buy. Still, in my experience very, very few of them offer conscientious, helpful guidance – and I've had plenty of interactions at many different stores. It's the same at Home Depot: until the corporation devotes itself to incentivizing employee excellence, the customer experience will continue to be this frustrating whenever it strays from the comfortable path of walking in the door, retrieving the top disc off the shelf, and checking out. Woe be the customer who has a return, an online pickup, or a simple inventory question like mine. Customers like me can understand that it would be impossible to turn over an entire store looking for one DVD set. If some other customer has stashed it in a dryer or tucked it behind Cutthroat Island, it'll never be seen again. (But hey – just an idea – instead of standing around chatting, why don't the employees walk through and organize the inventory when they have some free time, rather than waiting until the next morning at 6?) Of course, my complaint about "one equals zero" stands, regardless of whether the item might have been lost or moved by customers, or just in the shopping cart of someone on his way to the register ahead of me. Because the inventory system indicated that this Best Buy store had only ordered two of the disc in question. If one disc is so hard to keep track of, what's the point of ordering just two? 50% of your stock is immediately assumed to be lost! Best Buy should be as aware of its inventory problems as its employees are: if it's generally true that having one of something in the system means it's impossible to find on the shelf, so be it – but then Best Buy and its inventory managers should reorder that item when the inventory drops below three. This DVD had only been released that day, so obviously there was no time to reorder. Therefore, the original order should have been larger.

Of course, that didn't happen. There's still a right and wrong way to approach the problem. My experience would've been vastly improved if someone said, "Hm. Only one in the system. That's no guarantee that it's still on the shelf, but I know a few places it might be. Follow me and we'll look there." Sure it won't always be there, but at least I'll feel like we've done all we could. Instead, two Best Buy employees at separate stores both could not be bothered to consider the fact that one might equal one. I'd have settled for someone simply confirming that it would definitely have been shelved in TV or Comedy – and not in some other area (New Releases, Box Sets, etc.) that I might have failed to look. Then I'd feel like the employee is knowledgeable and helpful, so I wouldn't be afraid to ask a question the next time – or just tempted to shop elsewhere. This takes a couple of extra minutes, but pays off huge for Best Buy. And, if there are a hundred customers waiting behind me, they'll be happier to wait because they'll know that their question will also get such thorough consideration. (Not that I've ever seen more than one person ask an inventory question at Best Buy. I'm sure they've all had experiences similar to mine – they've learned to keep a question to themselves if it's more complicated than, "Point me toward the digital cameras.") And don't give me, "Employee 1 probably wasn't assigned to the DVD section; Employee 2 was." My question wasn't about a DVD – it was about inventory. Every employee should be able to pull up the inventory system and see if an item is in stock. That's exactly the question I asked: "I checked in TV and Comedy; can you find out if you have it in stock so I know whether to keep looking?" He was standing at a computer with the inventory system open. He should have been able to tell me if the DVD was in the system. Then he could've referred my question about where to look to another employee if he really wasn't a DVD specialist. (Although I suspect he was, since he was standing in the DVD section using one of their computers.) Just like the "one equals zero" problem, his reaction is unacceptable not because there's no justifiable reason for it – it's unacceptable because of the way it was done. "Never heard of it; ask her" is exactly the sort of apathetic response I get whenever I ask anyone at Best Buy for help. The customer is treated like a nuisance – always.

Sometimes the customer is a nuisance. Many customers are a pain in the ass; I certainly understand that. But I'm really not: I ask questions only when necessary, I approach all employees politely and respectfully, and I ask clear and direct questions. If they're unwilling to help me – or have been defeated by an employment experience that does not reward or encourage them for taking satisfaction in a job well done – then Best Buy has failed.

Anonymous Coward — Sun, 6/26/05 10:20pm

Well I do only work at best buy for a pay check. I attend college, because I dont want to be those "high school drop out" guys that work there forever. But I just like to help people out, and even customers that are a "pain in the ass", you have to respect them. I think, "Hey maybe they are having a bad day, maybe I can make it better, but thats just my feelings. But come to Best Buy West Covina (wireless Dept.) and I will help you out :). Oh ya, im a guy :D -chris

"Bmoney" — Tue, 8/2/05 9:29am

I fucking hate best buy they have the worst customer service and try to ass rape you with a service plans every chance they get. No one in the store knows any thing about there department and the mangment are fucking ass holes. Another thing why push PSP or ( Fucking retarted serivce plans , that dont do a damn thing) if you are not going to even make commission on them. At the end of the day I hope you go home felling great about ripping people off, who can barely afford to buy a computer as it is. I hope all best buys burn down, the mangment is still in there and I get to go piss on the ashes.

Bee Boy — Tue, 8/2/05 9:39am

all best buys burn down, the mangment is still in there and I get to go piss on the ashes

Add some felching, and you've got yourself an Aristocrats joke!

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 8/24/05 2:42pm

I HATE BEST BUY TOO!!!!!!!!! WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE IN THE WORLD!

"Liquiflux" — Sun, 8/28/05 8:23pm

First of all (about the whole buying dvd's thing), just get yourself a NetFlix account (www.netflix.com), order movies, then rip-&-send. Secondly, don't order shit online at bestbuy.com. The second you order it, it starts the shipping process... which can't be undone... ever.... ever ever ever. Even if you wanted to cancel the fucking thing, you couldn't. Trust me. Even if you wanted to simply change the shipping address you can't... ever.... ever ever ever. So I agree. Fuck Best Buy AND their "would you like a squishy" customer service reps.

Bee Boy — Mon, 8/29/05 8:32am

Comments of onebee readers do not reflect the opinions of onebee. onebee does not condone digital piracy. onebee loves Netflix and would never think of using Netflix like a cheap hooker. But, seriously. Fuck Best Buy.

"shutup" — Thu, 11/17/05 12:45pm

shut up you whiny geeks. wa wa wa they didn't have my soap opera on dvd. wa

"Not a Spoiled LA Brat" — Mon, 12/5/05 8:15pm

As an overall comment on this waste of time complaint, I'd have to say WTF! First off I work at Best Buy as well and would have to say that the MAJORITY of people in my store are pretty freindly and gladly help people. Perhaps the store in LA is staffed by tens of other spoiled little brats like you? It is times when worthless complainers come in whining about being able to find ONE DVD out of MILLIONS, make employees care less about helping you. Theres a simple motto you should follow IF ITSNNOT ON THE SHELF WE DON'T HAVE IT! You dont need a fancy computer system or a computer system at all for that matter to tell you that. You act like Best Buy's puprose in life is to piss you off. I can honestly tell you that we don't hide anything in the back with the intention of not selling it. Stupid customers will move things around the store all of the time and theft is always a flaw in the inventory. It is impossible to account for merchandise that is stolen. Do you realy think we ould ask theifs to provide us with a list of everything that they stole. How else would we be able to account for it? You can go into ANY retail store and find the same problems . Trust me I worked at Circuit City and Target before working at Best Buy and Best Buy is by far the best. I could understand why you would be upset if you were purchasing a more substantial product like a camera or TV and they were missing. High value items are inventoried much more frequently than DVD's or CD's. It would be impractical to physically count every single item in the store every night and that seems like you would be asking Best Buy to do? Our store does a monthly inventory of the whole store and that can not even keep quantities accurate 100% of the time. Maybe if you had a job working in retail you could get to experience first hand what Best Buy employees have to put up with. On a final note I will agree that it would not hurt for Best Buy as a corporation to upgrade their operating system. It is as you said a well out dated version of Windows, but that only means the computers are slower. Running firefox or whatever upgrade you suggest would not be able to account for stolen or misplaced product as I already Mentioned. And Honestly I feel sorry for you because your life revolves so heavily around this DVD that you had to throw a tantrum and "boycott". Oh and finally i do give you props for the "throw it in a refrigerator cuz thats so true and I must say funny.

Bee Boy — Mon, 12/5/05 9:22pm

(I have got to get out of the habit of responding to these, but it's so fun!)

Thanks for your comments. I'm glad to hear that you work at the Best Buy with the polite and friendly people. You've certainly represented that group well.

It is times when worthless complainers come in whining about being able to find ONE DVD out of MILLIONS, make employees care less about helping you.

So, Best Buy shoppers, the key to remember is: don't enter the store with your mind set on one product. Asking, "Do you have this DVD?" is whiny and unfair. Be a polite customer and ask, "Do you have any DVDs?" Then the crack staff should be able to satisfy your request.

IF ITSNNOT ON THE SHELF WE DON'T HAVE IT!

Stupid customers will move things around the store all of the time and theft is always a flaw in the inventory.

These statements are contradictory. It's because of the second one that I always ask the staff to check the computer inventory if I'm looking for a brand new DVD that was just released that week. Maybe it's been moved or it's in a "featured" section. It might be filed under "TV" or "Comedy" or "Box Sets." If the computer inventory says Best Buy has a bunch, then I'll spend my time sifting through all the shelves. Better yet, maybe someone in the DVD department might actually know about the new discs out that day and be able to direct me straight to the right section.

It would be impractical to physically count every single item in the store every night and that seems like you would be asking Best Buy to do?

Actually, I'm not asking Best Buy to do anything. I'm saying I'd prefer to shop at a store where the inventory is relatively accurate, and the staff are helpful and knowledgeable, particularly within their section. I'm not saying such a store exists. It may not be possible. But Best Buy is not that store. Best Buy is so accustomed to inaccurate inventory that it's become a given that one of something is the same as zero of that item. Best Buy's floor staff routinely act like I'm putting them out if I ask any question more complicated than "Do you have any DVDs?"

Maybe if you had a job working in retail you could get to experience first hand what Best Buy employees have to put up with.

I consider it one of the few successes of my life that I've managed to avoid such a job. With any luck, the economy will hold up (vote Dem in '08!) and I'll never have to.

But yeah, I'm sure most customers are shitheads. The problem is, if you allow yourself to treat all customers as shitheads, you're just "paying it backward" (as I like to say) and causing more frustration, which breeds angrier customers who are more likely to become shitheads. When I had jobs that forced me to interact with lots of dumb customers, I always tried to be super-sweet to them, to leave them with no reasonable complaint about my service (not that these people are ever reasonable). Nobody's perfect; everyone has a bad day now and then. But I'd enjoy shopping at Best Buy a lot more if the staff were trying to treat everyone like the best-case customer, rather than treating everyone like the worst-case customer.

Honestly I feel sorry for you because your life revolves so heavily around this DVD that you had to throw a tantrum and "boycott".

He he! Point taken. In my defense, I just bought the DVD elsewhere, because someone else had it. As I've stated often, I don't have the energy to boycott Best Buy (or even throw a tantrum). They have the cheap DVDs, so I still occasionally go there when I want cheap DVDs – although Circuit City's new promotional campaign highlights their low price guarantee and their friendly, knowledgeable staff, so I may have to give them a try. It's just a longer drive.

Oh and finally i do give you props for the "throw it in a refrigerator cuz thats so true and I must say funny.

Thanks!

"best buy blows" — Sun, 12/11/05 1:55pm

i went into best buy today ... then as soon as i got home i typed in google "fuck best buy" it turned up many results as you can tell

as soon as i went into best buy ... i came ready to return a digital camera i got for $500 including a bogus $60 service plan ... the audio on the camera gave out along with the thing stopped focusing on the pictures ... so pretty much its a piece of shit now ... i got it 2 months ago so its within manufactures waranty ... i got a new service rep that didnt know shit because he was new ... so he brought out the manager ... he saw the problem and said we have to send it to get it repaired ... if its fixable we will have the camera back "fixed" ... if its not fixable we get a new camera ... So i start reading the service plan now and it says the following: "Products, including those within the manufactors warranty period, may be repaired or replaced with a comparable product, or we will issue a voucher for the original purchase price at our discretion"

So we went to a blonde lady sales rep .. after me and my dad had enough shit that we had to get it returned to have it serviced ... so she says okay i can get you store credit for this camera ... is that okay? ... my dad said yes ... she says one moment i will have to talk to the manager in order to see if you get the manufactor warranty cost included in that store credit card ... my dad says okay thats fine ... she comes back saying im very sorry my manager says we have to take it back to service before we can do anything ... my dad is being a pussy and i dont want to say " I WANT A FUCKIN CAMERA THAT WORKS NOW" in front of him because im trying to be a good kid ... but anyway the manager is being discrimative to me and my dad

See the blonde lady rep was going to give us store credit ... until the manager had his say that means the blonde lady had discretion and her discretion was we can get it returned ... then the manager said no ... that means hes being discrimative towards us which he said himself "we will not allow you to get store credit"

well my dad knows some people at the better business burreau.

So what would be your action in this situation????

"Blake" — Sun, 2/19/06 10:17pm

seriously though, I just left bestbuy, terrible company to work for. I know im preaching to the choir, but that company is fucking ridiculous, its not even the employees as in salespeople who are bad, its the supervisors, sales managers, and general managers who dont give a damn, they think as long as they're number one in their district life is good. but CUSTOMER SERVICE is key not a fucking number on a score sheet! they wont realize that, and I had to leave, I couldn't deal with it any longer. its terrible... but sadly circuit city doesnt carry the product lines I like, but all i've got to say is best buys shit is marked up extremely high... car audio 70%ish, home theater 50%ish, computers only a few dollars, but cables for the computers...$40=$1.23 to me. terrible.

"adam" — Tue, 5/9/06 8:02pm

Blake if you were so concerned with Best Buy not helping customers why didnt you stay to help pave the way for this. I personally think its up to the individual to help the customer not the store or who manages it when they are they. You probably were a employee who wants to blame others for shortcomings you could not fix. Overall Best Buy does care for the customer, but accidently hires associates who are lazy and dont want to help customers, then quit cuase they are to inthralled with themselves and making excuses why they cant help customers due to bad management

"thedude" — Mon, 6/12/06 1:08pm

Honestly, who cares what these Best Buy employees say. Anyone who's ever tried to get a little help there can testify at how terrible it is. I understand that you're busy or a dick or whatever, but Best Buy is the bottom of the barrel. I hope your proud to work there, Heaven knows your family must be.

Anonymous Coward — Mon, 8/14/06 9:36pm

i like ass raping customers

"Luke" — Tue, 3/6/07 10:41am

I can imagine that this is just a very small sampling of the people who have had horrid experiences at Best Buy however; my question to all of you is this - Why do you continue to shop there? If you have such an awful viewpoint of Best Buy all along? If so, why would you go into the store. Go to Circuit City or order online. By ordering items online you know exactly what you're getting as well as the price and delivery options. Beyond that, you would eliminate any sort of interaction with these 'miserable Best Buy employees'. Poor customer service is only half of the problem. People such as yourselves are the other half. Have you made an attempt to contact Best Buy's District or Corporate offices? I can say with the utmost certainty that, presenting problems such as the ones all of you are experiencing to upper level management will get your problems fixed. If you still feel that that would be a waste of your time, then there is an easier solution. Cut your ties with Best Buy! Don't shop there, don't patronize them and don't recommend them to others.

"FUCKBESTBUY" — Mon, 3/12/07 11:03pm

fuck best buy... i worked there the customer service sucks assssss and no employee knows shit about anything!

"idiot" — Wed, 3/14/07 1:24pm

I cant believe that everyone here sides with me when i say FUCK BEST BUY!

"idiot" — Wed, 3/14/07 1:34pm

Youd think that if you spend $2000 on a laptop and spring for the extra service plan that youd get it, even better when you take it back to get work done on it that after 2 months that the fuckin thing would fixed but i must really be an idiot cause wasnt a damn thing fixed, actually they fried the motherboard replaced it then never fixed the actual problem and im the asshole! the fucken counterboy is a dildo infact all of them are and it seems the managers are too. why cant i just get the damn thing workin? at my job i do what i get paid to do, so maybe i should work there where i can fuckoff.

"BBY Employee" — Sun, 4/8/07 4:17am

OK I also work at Best Buy, and yes the company is full of problems. The same problems that all major retailers are full of. My only question to the customers is that when you go food shopping do you ask the employess where they keep bread. No you look up and find the sign that says bread...then you go get your bread. SO as a customer you wanted to find " wonderfalls" take a second and look in the DVD section for the big ass sign that says TELEVISION...and then go look under the W's. If its not there...GO HOME. If one more person asks me where the computers are I am going to snap. They are located under the HUGE SIGN HANGING FROM THE CEILING THAT SAYS COMPUTERS. Yes I get a million legitimite questions a day which i have no problem answering. I enjoy most of my customers, but dealing with all the damn mouth breathers is driving me crazy. As a customer take a second and look for yourself....if you still can't find it , fine ask me. But if I tell you we don't have it...leave it alone. If you ask me a question...accept my answer.

Bee Boy — Mon, 4/9/07 11:45pm

It's a good point with the bread; unfortunately the analogy doesn't hold. All the different types of bread are always together in one place – no guesswork. There's no "New Releases" area of the bread aisle, separated from the other bread the way it is with DVDs at Best Buy. There's no confusion of nomenclature: wheat bread is wheat and white bread is white. Wonderfalls is a comedy and a TV show and a box set. I know I'd put it under "TV," but frankly, given my past experience with Best Buy employees (who may not be representative of every person who's ever worked there, but who are certainly representative of the majority of employees I've encountered) I've learned to be wary.

I was only asking the bakery people for their advice. I knew this particular type of bread was delivered just that very morning. I was surprised not to find it where I expected it to be, but I know there's some variability as far as where it might be shelved. There's a good chance one of the people who work in the department actually shelved this very loaf of bread earlier in the day, so if I can find that person, his or her counsel would really go a long way toward solving my problem. I think it's fair and reasonable to ask politely, which I did.

I hear you with the "Where are the computers?" gripe; I really do. But it doesn't relate to my situation because computers are bigger than DVDs. Much harder for them to be mis-shelved, wrongly categorized, or slipped behind other computers and out of sight. Unless your point is that you're so burned out on answering the computers question for blind idiots that when I come long with my perfectly reasonable question you're not inclined to give it any consideration. Believe me, I do understand that; I hate people, too. So very much. But if that's how you react to having to answer dumb questions from people, you probably shouldn't be in a service industry job. Sad as it is, it comes with the territory.

If its not there...GO HOME.

Well, in essence, that's exactly what I did. (Except I stopped at Amoeba on the way home and gave them my money for the DVD.) But, yeah, that was definitely the vibe I got from the Best Buy employees: "Can't find it yourself...TOUGH LUCK." Which begs the question, why even pay them to roam the floors? All you really need are cash register attendants and people to hold the door open for customers leaving without buying anything.

If you ask me a question...accept my answer.

I gladly will, if it makes any sense. "The computer says we have 1 but that means we have 0," doesn't make sense at all; I feel entirely justified in digging deeper. "If you ask me a question...accept my answer [no matter how ridiculous it sounds]" is not a good policy at all. That way lies... well, the Iraq war, frankly.

"bumblebee" — Tue, 7/17/07 3:49am

if best buy is so horrible... then why are they the only electronic retailer not laying off employees (circuit city), shutting down half their stores (comp usa), abandoning entire regions (tweeter), or completely gone out of business (media play, tower records)?

Corporate Strategies and Advertising only go so far. Employee execution and customer satisfaction are the 2 biggest reasons why best buy continues to grow while the other big name retailers struggle.

Bee Boy — Fri, 7/20/07 9:49am

Interesting comment. Other than Circuit City, all of these retailers only serve a fragment of Best Buy's market, so they don't really count. If everyone's buying Dells online now, it'll take a bite out of CompUSA, but Best Buy also sells digital cameras and CDs, so they stay afloat (for example).

I'm not an expert, but I thought Circuit City was in a slump because Wal-Mart slashed prices on low-end HDTVs and the rest of the industry had to follow suit to stay competitive. HDTVs having the highest profit margin and the fastest market growth, this is a big hit. If Circuit City took it worse than Best Buy, it's probably because they do a lot less business in CDs and DVDs, so they don't have a cushion to fall back on. That's just a guess, though.

I also heard the reason Circuit City was laying off employees was to hire them back at lower wages. Maybe Best Buy already pays its employees so poorly, they don't need that strategy. That would explain why their employees are all so surly. (With obvious exceptions – like Chris, above.)

Anonymous Coward — Tue, 7/24/07 2:25am

You sir, are an idiot! Have you ever worked in a retail store? Do you live in the real world? If you are so smart with your college degree, why couldn't you find the damn tv show on the shelf?! By the way, employees are trained specifically to one or two areas, it is impossible to know everything about everything in technology. Do you know every single process at your company? Of course not, that would be redicioulus! IF there is only ONE copy of something, THEN it may be a return, or another customer may be carrying it around, or it may have even been ordered online for an instore pick up. If you can't find your stupid tv show on a shelf in alphabetical order no less, then you sir are an idiot! Maybe Best Buy should hire you!

"C.city" — Fri, 8/10/07 12:25am

CIRCUIT CITY ALL THA WAY BABY... FUKK BEST BUY IN THEIR BLUE N YELLOW ASS

Anonymous Coward — Fri, 8/10/07 12:27am

BY THE WAY ANONYMOUS COWARD... I AGREE. I WORK IN RETAIL, BACK IN CAR AUDIO, AND IF SOMEBODY ASKED ME ABOUT TVS, I'D BE DUMBFOUNDED. BESIDES THE POINT THO, THEY DO HAVE HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE

"Bmoney" — Thu, 11/15/07 2:29am

It is awesome to see Best Buy employees respond to this thread and essentially say; I do not want to find the product you (the cutomer) want, find it yourself. Also I saw a GM get fired today it was the best thing I have ever seen. He was all crying and acting like a bitch. Any time something bad happens to best buy people I think it is karma getting them. In all the time I have worked in the industry I have never seen a Best Buy employee actually help a customer. They always try to up sell, add on, or ass fuck the customer.

Also Bee Boy is like the best debater ever.

GO FUCK YOURSELF BEST BUY EMPLOYEES.

fancyaries — Sat, 11/17/07 9:22pm

I totally agree with you about BEST BUY! Fuck Best Buy! All they want to do is sign you up for their stupid Mastercard so they can make $90 for each one! Trust me...I worked there for one week, then QUIT! What a joke that place is~IF I owned STOCK in BB I would UNLOAD it! You rock!

"john milborne" — Fri, 12/7/07 1:09pm

I agree and just have to express my contempt for the disturbing theme of the Best Buy Christmas advertisements. It is sad how much consumerism is promoted over true family values.

jmilborne@blogspot.com

"John Doe" — Sat, 12/8/07 12:54am

You guys aree all fucking mad. Best buy is no doubt the best... You fucking guys are all spaz... get lifes and get off the computer you fattys and go for a BIG WALK TO bestbuy.

k thankx and tal to you soon you bunch of fucktards

Bee Boy — Sat, 12/8/07 10:07am

I know a six-year-old who loves that commercial, and while I acknowledge that its overall theme is a tad materialistic, there's a moment when the cute teenager renounces her friend with the piercing, calling her a "freak." If that message sinks in and this future teenager is saved, it will have been worth it.

(How'd that slender marathon runner John Doe, who never would do anything as spazzy as Google "Best Buy" on a computer – ick! – end up here? Anybody know?)

Brandon — Sat, 12/8/07 4:57pm

(How'd that slender marathon runner John Doe, who never would do anything as spazzy as Google "Best Buy" on a computer – ick! – end up here? Anybody know?)

Much like Spiderman's reknowned "Spidey Sense," John Doe gets a tingly sensation whenever his twin life missions – making sure fatties get lives, and stopping fucktards from dissing Best Buy – converge into one deadly stew of spazzdom.

For years he had walked the earth questioning his lot in life, wondering if these so-called "powers" would ever give his existence some true meaning. Finally, in the wee hours of December 8th, 2007, as he lie in bed contemplating his heroic dedication to this calling, he was alerted to the dangerous, prolonged escalation of this thread, and without hesitation, he sprung into action!

God bless you, John Doe! K thankx and tal to you, too!

"Mike" — Mon, 12/10/07 10:49am

My favorite part is John Doe's e-mail address. I LOVE gaylord.com!! It contains all the information about homosexual deities that an ecclesiastical dandy like me could want!

Bee Boy — Mon, 12/10/07 5:56pm

Not only that, now I finally know how to protect my cherished copy of The Secret of the Gold Jaguar!

"FaultyLine" — Tue, 1/22/08 11:04pm

This is so funny, I used to work at Best Buy (or S**t Buy if you ask me) althought I was NOT a highschool droupout and I ALWAYS had the same problems. The ETK (Employee Tool Kit) was horrible... The inventory system that you are so fond of (RSS, Reteck Store System) was worthless during the holidays as it would just die, and if people TRIED to use it during the holidays, the registers would go offline which meant no one could buy anything..... After we lost half a million at our store in one day (black friday) because of our junk computers, we FINALLY got a system upgrade, which still sucked... Believe me, I know your pain, I used to work at that company.....

Anonymous Coward — Mon, 2/11/08 10:44pm

I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge this. I realize it's a couple of years old. But while we're on the subject, please allow me suggest that you avoid Office Deopt and Office Max for the very same reason.

This past November I was scouring all of the aforementioned stores I could, searching for one very awesome ruby red office chair that only one store had that in fact was just a floor model. My experience (minus the existance of a floor model) was EXACTLY the same except for the name of the store, the product I was buying and the number of stores I searched.

I am 39 years old. But I can't be that old, can I? To be taken back by the overwhelming lack of common sense, common courtesy and customer service that would've gotten you fired back when I was younger and working retail. At one point, a manager said to the assistant manager (while I stood waiting for nearly 30 minutes) "Yeah ya' know I think we just "blind received" that chair." So what? You're admitting in front of me that your computer system gets updated to reflect inventory that doesn't even exist? While employees look for and I wait for something... that's not there!

Unbelievable. Isn't it puzzling how life in this country has unwravelled? One would think that over the years people both individually and as a group would become "better". Stunningly though, while my life travels have been limited to the North America it seems that over the years people only get worse.

One could more easily imagine telling one's friend or loved one something like "Yeah man, back in the 60's 70's or 80's people were BAD." Not true though. People in this country seemingly only go from bad to worse.

I'll part by saying that at the ripe old age of 39 the aforementioned behaviour doesn't bother me merely because it affects me personally. But because on a larger scale, this makes our country, our society weak and ripe for attack. And I'm not a conspiracy nut, I'm just speaking figuratively but as realistically as possible.

P.S. Don't shop at GameStop or EB Games (same store, different name) either.

Anonymous Coward — Thu, 3/20/08 2:13am

I work at a Best Buy as well, and I am so sick and tired of all of you whining bitches who are too stupid to find what you need. "Oh no, I can't find my DVD that I MUST have now or else I'll die! Customer Service was bad! Boo hoo!" Grow some nuts you stupid assholes. There is only about a million other places you can shop. If all you're going to do is bitch and moan and make life miserable for every employee in the store if we happen to not carry your product, go fucking shop somewhere else. We don't need your shit, and we certainly don't need your money that you could just as easily shove up your ass. Seriously, How would you like it if WE came into your place of business and started bitching up a storm and treating you like human pieces of garbage? And as for the PSP or PRP issue, we're just doing our job. It comes with the territory. If we didn't offer them, we would not only be fired from this job that some of us NEED to pay for bills and for schooling, we would also have whining and bitching customers who would complain that we DON'T have extended warranties once a product had some type of malfunction. If we happen to offer (NOT PRESS)them, you bitch. If we don't offer them and something happens to your product, you bitch. It's a lose-lose situation.All you have to do is politely say "No thank you, I'm really not interested at this time" instead of acting like some jackass on some high ass pedestal way above the rest of us "peons" that live to serve you, It's not that hard...really. Also, If you smartasses who think you're so fucking superior and have some type of solution to fix these problems and run the fucking company yourselves, I'm all ears. Go ahead, you peices of dogshit, enlighten me. Because clearly you have nothing better to do than sit around and live out your pathetic, miserable lives bitching about your service at best buy, or office depot, or home depot, or wherever. Retail isn't easy, trust me. It's not. But on the whole, it's a great job, you have a fun time, and you meet some awesome people, whether they be co-workers or awesome customers that make the job worthwhile. But then we get you soulless assholes who suck everything enjoyable out of it, and life in general. And as for the "high school drop out" remark, that is total horseshit.Everyone I can think of at my location is very intelligent and is very dedicated to getting the job done, and pleasing customers so they will come back again and again to enjoy our fine store and the products that we offer in it. You may have some problem with Best Buy, fine whatever, but don't be a fucking jerk and bitch about it to other people who have pleasant experiances there.
I've heard a few, no, QUITE A FEW people comment on how dedicated we are to pleasing people and how we are their favorite store. Don't attempt to sabotage our honest business because you have a stick up your ass. Take it somewhere else, because we could easily live without people like you as our customers. Take it to Wal-Mart or Sam's Club, because we don't need it here.

"Paul" — Tue, 5/6/08 2:13pm

I am currently having a large number of issues with BestBuy. It started when BestBuy sold me a used Mac with someone's info and password on it and I could not wipe the drive. I was told that this only had been an open box and it was fine. That it even had been checked out. Then they replaced it with a broken one. I then took that one back and got a brand new one. The Store manager was rude and nasty with me. (other issues not listed at tis time as well). After a few months the new one had an issue and I took it in and they tried to tell me the Service Agreement they sold me was being altered because it was a Mac, I told them they could not re negotiate the contract down the road. They did fix the Mac but lost the box it came in (serial numbers and custom molded packing) and damaged the Mac! It had scratches all over it and they told me they were not responsible for the lost box or the damage! I spent over an hour on the phone with their Customer Service dept. after the store personnel refused to call them on my behalf, who told me it would all be taken care of. The guy (Paul) at the store told me it would be sent the next day and this was being given top priority. A week later I had no response. I can never get through to the store so I again called to the Customer Service #. In both calls the rep was not able to help only (escalate) the call. I had to get a supervisor on the phone each time to get answers. This guy tells me there is no record of my computer at the the store or service center. They don't know where it is and they think they lost it. I am at a loss with the deception. Who do you contact as a layer and do they do pro bono work on this kinda thing ? I had thousands of dollars of stuff on this Mac and use it for work. My info is redone5623@aol.com and my name is Paul

Also there are other issues like they packed up the Mac without my cables and left them in their work area. No doubt if I had not called them out on that they would have said I never gave them to them. I have not had one good experience with these people. I see that this is typical from all the postings on the web about them. I am well spoken and would love to talk to the press about this.

"Lynx" — Sun, 6/15/08 5:59am

Ok ok, I just had to post here after i typed 'FUCK BEST BUY" in google, and yes I turned caps lock on. So, my friend gets back from Thailand yesterday and he wants a laptop when he got back. I am decently knowledgeable with computers so I offered to go with him, select a laptop for a decent price and set it up for him. The laptops these days come with vista, in fact they are "optimized" for vista, but frankly, Vista is a piece of shit. We purchased the laptop and proceed to get hassled by the security guard at the exit, receipt in the bottom of the bag, hands full, i proceed to fish and find the receipt and when done so this bright young man checks the items off with a highlighter without looking in the bag. I proceeded to respond with the witty comment, "Thanks for making me feel like a criminal" All this is completely beside the point tho but comical in retrospect.

So, I decided i would do my friend a favor and install Windows XP for him. I looked up the drivers for the laptop i wished to install XP on and HP, the laptop brand, had all of the drivers for XP for the machine in question.

I proceed with the install neglecting to make a start up disk, my cardinal mistake, you see, I figured the god damned laptop came with its own recovery disks and i just had not opened em yet as there was a bunch of packaging in the box. I have never set up a system that did not have start up disks. Anyways, The XP install goes fine, i install all of the drivers, but the wireless card won't respond. I run some diagnostics checks to detect hardware, and it is not detecting any wireless card. The Best Buy spec sheets for the laptop specify the machine has an Intel wireless card but the HP website specifies a different series of Intel Wireless card....

I download some software from intel to detect your intel wireless card. It says it can not find a god damned intel card. So here I am, baffled. I can't open the laptop because it will void the warranty, so I tell my buddy, they've fucked up, they are listing a different wireless card than what is in the machine.

THE RETURN!!:

Security guard marks the laptop box as an exchange as that was the original plan. We go to returns/Xchanges and the guy tells us no worries, go look for a laptop and come back to me. I had just recently read some things about the laptop he had purchased and some bad things that could arise so I advised him to get another laptop. We searched but could not find a suitable laptop within price range and capability to match so I told him I remembered a good local place that we might find a better deal and computer. We go tell the guy at Xchange that we were just going to get the money back. The 'geek squad' lady comes over and tells me she tried to start the computer but 'it wouldn't start'. I said ya, I know it won't start, I formatted the hard drive before we came here. She proceeds to tell me that voids the warranty and any return or exchange, but for the low price of 59 dollars they can load the start up disks and we can come back in 3 hours and THEN return the laptop. I think this is bullshit right away and question her decently about the subject, the only thing wrong with the comp is the wireless is not working on XP. I tell my buddy lets go look at some wireless cards that can plug into an internal bay in the laptop. Side note, while we are over there looking, i talk to the HP rep there and ask him which operating system he uses and he promptly says XP, yet here we are being forced to by a 'VISTA' only laptop. She gives us a wireless card and guarentees us it will work in our laptop. We make the drive home... and its TOO BIG. This geek squad expert who lectured me for 10 minutes about the 'dangers' of downgrading to XP and how i was pretty much an idiot who did not research and take proper care sells me a card that doesn't fit. We go BACK to best buy where we talked to another employee, informed him that we were dealing with her, he gets her attention and as she walks by, glares at us (no one near her) and says she is busy with a customer (you know what fair enough, i worked in retail too, but she never came back, I would always come back.) So we end up biting the bullet and paying 59 dollars for some high kid to burn us 3 recovery cd's that took 20 minutes.

I install the recovery, vista is on now and i hate it lol, before anything even loads, I get an error message that windows media player could not be installed. Whatever, i could go on for hours, but if you have taken the time to read this rant, refer back to where I was mentioning Intel wireless cards. I go into device manager to see what the card actually is as the recovery disk had its driver, and its a FUCKING BROADCOM, not Intel, like best buys spec sheet stated, not what HP's website stated, so I never had a chance pretty much, got my ass handed to me by some geek squad woman who lectured me about carelessness then proceeded to sell me a wireless card that didn't fit when she had the exact computer floor model at here disposal.

Sad fact is, end of the day best buy won, they got there money and it fucking sucks. One thing I can assure tho, is the only reason I would shop at best buy again, even tho it wasn't my purchase, is to buy the stress balls they sold at the counter (And I actually wondered at the initial purchase why the fuck are they selling stress balls at best buy)

Thanks for reading this tho if you got to the end! It was a good outlet, so i will end with my google search.... FUCK BEST BUY

"Shane" — Tue, 8/12/08 8:04am

I bought a printer from Best Buy 2 years ago...my service plan expired recently, and they sent me an application to renew it. A 3-year service plan was well over $100...and I only paid $150 for the damn thing!

Also, last night (which oddly enough is why I Googled "FUCK BEST BUY")...I saw on their rack of $9.99 movies several copies of the Serenity Collector's Edition. The sign even said "Serenity". I snatched one up in a heartbeat. Except that once I reached the register, I found my total to be over $20. When I asked the cashier (a very nice girl), she checked with the manager. The manager said that they were out of the regular movie and the collector's edition wasn't part of the deal. So what nearsighted jackass stocked 5 copies of the wrong movie in the rack?

Bastards.

"Todd" — Tue, 9/23/08 10:29am

Do what I did last year on vacation and get even, justice, your money back and a great sense of returning power to the customer. I ran into lots of Best Buy crap over a return that was indeed covered by policy, yet I could not obtain even with my roommate working behind the counter. So after consideration I went to four separate Best Buys out and away from my local area while on vacation. I purchased items I liked and always wrote a check and always for under $200. Then I called my bank and stopped payment on all four checks as they were defective - I claim defect if returns are denied for reasonable reasons and was simply waiting for BB jerks to take me to court so I could explain but it never happened and now won't. This folks is not a returned check scenario...as in you can not legally be placed on a returned check list. One group tried and I told them I did not bounce a check but placed a stop payment and they removed me from their reporting and returned my check to Best Buy - I could sue the reporting check company and BB jerks as this is actually false credit reporting violating federal law but it would cost too much and who cares. My claim was faulty merchandise and now they have to pursue me in small claims court which is very expensive and it's very unlikely the company would ever pursue it as they would spend more then they could recover. I also placed an electronic stop payment so an electronic payment could not run through my account - like a debit card transaction. It gets better...I live in another state then the bordering one where I made my purchases. I can't be forced legally to return to that state for a civil hearing...laws don't allow it for suck small amounts. The result is they have to sue me where I live which laws make difficult and it is also more expensive for the company. The only better way to do this to Best Buy would be to actually close the checking account after stopping payment on the checks, then there is no account to attempt to electronically access. So now we are even Best Buy. Thanks for the free digital camcorder, Blue-ray player and video games. I have now made a profit off of you and it's been over a year so you can't legally sue me anymore. Now that's justice! Shove your returns where the sun won't shine except at your life partner love in fest.

"BBY can suck my sack" — Sun, 12/14/08 1:01pm

As a former Best Buy Corp employee, I concur. Fuck Best Buy!!! If you have a shitty store experience(and how could you not with those thumbsucking morons) call corporate and bitch. They will cut you a $35 gift card so fast. Hell make shit up. Just remember that their database(still obsolete) does keep record of gift cards issued. Call them 1-888-BEST-BUY

"Real Geek" — Thu, 12/18/08 8:15pm

As a former Geek Squad supervisor from years ago I can whole heartidly say Fuck Best Buy and Fuck Geek Squad. I've seen managers to horrible things JUST to not take a return, from kicking old men out of the stores to outright LYING to employees. I've seen Geek Squad go from experts to out of rehab junkies for pathetic pay charging 300 DOLLARS to not know what they're doing except for running a disc. A despicable disgusting thieving company as a whole, avoid them like the plague. Fuck that company.

Anonymous Coward — Sat, 1/17/09 10:19am

Dude. You are a clown and whining about a fucking DVD you could have gotten anywhere. Your whole story is biased from the very get-go and even if they did have it you probably would be bitching about something else. Cry more

"Sean" — Fri, 1/30/09 4:10pm

Imagine that – you goggle for "fucking bestbuy", and lo, the web-using world has already been there.

Just thought I'd share two cents: It's a damned sad situation when a Bestbuy located in a city an hour and a half away is the best option one has, for getting some stuff. Amazon can work, and – hypothetically – can work real well, but the delivery can be a hassle.

Bestbuy = happy fuckin' tech-silly land. Serious, there's something in their approach to BestBuy marketing that looks like it must inspires some genuine stupidity.

When it's the best option available in the area, I guess there ain't much to do but to bite the bullet, go, get the stuff, and gets out of there quick. Their web site's buy-online-pickup-in-store option is most useful, for this, minimizing the amount of time one has to spend in the store.

...that is, when their fucking web site is available. It has actually disappeared, sometime this week – or something real funny is going on in the DNS and whatnot.

If that doesn't beat all, when this supposed "tech giant" or wtf can't even keep their web site running ... I guess one of their geek-squad dorks must've tripped over the power cord ;)

"Best Buy Employee" — Tue, 2/17/09 12:31am

Fuck Stupid Customer's!!

Bee Boy — Tue, 2/17/09 11:19am

I'm pretty sure I saw that on a banner above the door at Best Buy that day. Even if not, it was definitely in the heart of every Best Buy attendant I met there.

"Best Buy Employee" — Mon, 4/13/09 12:56am

its very sad and upseting that you had a hard time findind your DVD. i am a former media sup and inventory sup and yes it is hard to keep up with so much product coming in and out, but 1 doesn't equal 0, there truly is one there, now where it came from may never be known. the employees did the wrong thing and i would have wrote them up if i was their sup. but dont put all best buys together. the store i work at is not this way. i could get stuck in a dept i have no idea about and i will do my best to help.

i hate to say it but it sounds like you've never worked retail before, and if you havent its damn hard! and its the best some people can do.that said its very low of you to call the people who work there high school drop-out morons, there are alot very smart people who work for this company.

i hope you do shop with best buy again and if you do have a bad exp. please inform a manager so they can do something about ( and they will) because even tho im sure you dont believe this good customer service is best buys #1 goal

"Chris" — Mon, 5/4/09 10:35pm

Awe shut the fuck up. Quit whining about a TV show that obviously sucked and that is the reason they didn't carry that many of that stupid ass show. What if they ordered 100 copies then 97 would be sitting on the shelf making them lose money off of (did I mention?) a shitty TV show. And to the former Best Buy Corporate dumb ass who probably lost his job due to getting laid off because he didn't know how to do his job in the first place BOO HOO.

Bee Boy — Tue, 5/5/09 8:19am

Sure, it would admittedly be far easier to find my favorite entertainment if I liked what everyone liked (wall-to-wall Fast & Furious and Two-and-a-Half Men for me!). But nobody likes what everybody likes. Otherwise, it would be like Russia, where there's only one TV station and only one TV show: Pacifying Amusements & State-Approved Political Updates Hour (with Ryan Seacrest). You don't like everything everybody likes either – I bet you love at least one sucky band that nobody's ever heard of, and if the closest music store to your house said they had the new album in the system, but none could be located on the shelves, I bet you'd be upset, too. You might even write an overlong tirade about it and find yourself still defending it against poorly-spelled assaults four years later (there but for the grace of God...).

I don't think Best Buy should stock 100 of everything. I think they should do the same math you did and realize it would be a good idea to have three on the shelf. But, if it's widely known among Best Buy employees that three is so few that they will immediately be lost, unaccounted for, and will never reach a customer – then, yes, they should probably order five or so, just to be safe.

"best buy employee" — Wed, 7/8/09 12:38am

hey bee boy your the typical newb that comes in to a store not knowing shit and think your king!!

what a TOOL!!!

Joe Mulder — Wed, 7/8/09 1:09pm

I didn't even know that Bee Boy had a king. And what is "best buy employee" alleging that Bee Boy thinks his king does (or is)? I'm confused. And it's clearly not due to the fact that "best buy employee" is too stupid to write basic, simple English sentences that properly employ the word "you're," because "best buy employee" is clearly a genius.

[honestly, though; can you imagine walking around in life and having that be the best you can do? "your the typical newb?" "think your king?" You really just feel bad for this person, more than anything]

Bee Boy — Wed, 7/8/09 3:20pm

[You can't feel too bad for them; they do get to work at Best Buy. I assume at a VP level or higher, because no Best Buy employee I've ever met could possibly write this well. I bet they get their pick of new DVDs before they come out – so they've got that going for them.]

But it may be a simple typo. I believe "best buy employee" is referring to my typical weekend pastime, where I walk into a Best Buy store, spout off a few numbskull phrases until it's clear to everyone within earshot that I don't know shit, then go home and thank my king.

It's just a thing I do.

Joe Mulder — Thu, 7/9/09 4:54am

Well, yeah; you've got to thank your king. That's a given, I'd think.

Also, it would make sense that the employees would get their pick of DVDs before they hit the shelves; that would explain why it's essentially impossible to find anything that's less well-known than, say, THE DARK KNIGHT anywhere at any Best Buy store on the day it's actually released.

"BBY Employee Sean" — Thu, 7/9/09 1:05pm

I work at Best Buy, I am a 17 year old High School student that is going to Notre Dame next year, and i totally understand why you're angry. I work in the Media department and deal with this stuff all the time. The thing is, retail is tough, and don't say it isn't because if you are so above it then i assume you wouldn't be able to understand it anyways. Maybe the employees that you spoke with weren't the best? Maybe the way you spoke to them wasn't completely respectful? I for one only give back the respect i get, especially with customers. i.e. If you're a dbag, i'm a dbag right back. As with the RSS system differentiating between 0 and 1, it definitely is NOT the best. However, there are a number of explanations for why it wasn't perfect. For one, it has to basically set itself offline after 7pm to send inventory numbers to the district Inventory system, meaning purchase's made after 7pm will not show up in the RSS system until the next morning at 9am. In addition, it usually says 1 in stock if the next shipment is to arrive within 48 hours, which isn't really all too solid of a scheme. Also, the reason the DVD would not be in New Release's is because of the demand. If we were only sent 2 copies, it's for a reason. The company looks at the AST (Average Shelf Time) of anything from a previous season of the same show, same genre, etc. and if it over 14 days it is placed in the TV series section as the demand is not high enough to place it in the New Release section. Meaning the New Release section should really be named the "Extremely Popular Mainstream New Release Section" which i do not agree with at all, as i don't like The Fast and The Furious or Two And A Half Men either. It is sometimes very hard to find things in such a huge store, and ill admit, i hate the way things are done sometimes. As for the "first pick" at ANYTHING, thats is completely not true. If an employee was to purchase a DVD/Game/CD even the night before it was released, we would be immediately sued by the company who sent it to us for something along the lines of Copyright Infringement. Think before you speak. As for the Product Replacement/Service Plan issue, we are forced to offer them. If we don't offer, we get fired, end of story. Yes it is usually pure profit, unless the plan is actually used (which is quite often) and then we actually do lose money, and you do get a new product. Heaven knows that if we didn't offer it and your Xbox/Camera/TV/Computer went down the drain that we would be the first to hear about how the plan wasn't offered at the time of purchase, so it's essentially covering our asses to cover yours. If you don't want to hear about the plan, don't take it out on the employee, just plain don't listen. If you can't handle that then maybe you should just stay inside more often. As for the shotty computers that the employees were using, yes, they are sometimes and most of the time slow as hell, but that's definitely not something the employee, store, or district can do anything about. I can't wait for the day all the stores get new computers, but until then we have to cope.

Bee Boy — Thu, 7/9/09 2:47pm

Thanks, Sean. You rule. And (in case it wasn't clear from the original story or some of the other comments – and it's a lot of reading, I realize) I'm always super-respectful in the store. In the comments on my own blog, sure, I get a little snippy, but in the store I'm an angel I promise. Anyway, thanks for sharing all your insight. Ranting at d-bags is a lot of fun (a LOT), but it's interesting to hear the real stories, too.

Joe Mulder — Fri, 7/10/09 2:50pm

Yes, if they were all like Sean, things would be better. Still, in a time when I can Tweet about a shit I just took and anyone in the entire world can read it instantaneously, the idea that a Best Buy can't keep track of exactly how many "Family Guy Season 3s" they have in stock is absolutely indefensible.

"Best Buy Employee MD" — Tue, 7/14/09 2:53am

Personally I've worked several different spots in the past few years and im finishing school in the mean time....as far as dvds go I have never had a problem looking where things should be or even going to wharehouse to check on something we recieved day of...

I love movies and im familiar with most titles if not because I've watched them at least because I've stocked them....

I have customers who always track me down because they know I know my shit...

I don't care about recognition from management because it is a bias system there but I know if a customer comes looking for a product and its my job to help them find it I am more than happy to actually be good at my job....I have been Lost Prevention, Inventory, Merchandising, Media and Home Theater...

I was good at them all and best in Media (games,music,mp3, and movies) I found myself still getting better at doing that job....Anything worth doing is worth doing right is my moto....

I understand we can't make every customers happy and I can honestly say very few people inside the store actually get paid to really do their job....Most of them are lazy fuckers thats the sad truth and we all have those at our jobs...

I can't get mad for how personal some people on this thread has taken their mistreatment at best buy...I hate being forced to sale credit cards, and mastercards and forcing service plans though they aren't all crap but sometimes not needed...

All in all its comes down to pride in your job...I hate looking like I don't know shit so I work harder so im not caught with my pants down hell I even google song lyrics to find a song and album for my customers because its not a hard job....I have worked construction and moving companys and im only 24 years old compared to those typing a few words in a computer is cake.... I don't understand what some people have against doing their job but im great at what I do and I love a lot of the things that I sale so I make my business to know about them

"Best Buy Employee MD" — Tue, 7/14/09 3:13am

The inventory system is fine I understand 1 or 2 means misplaced or stolen but we key out stolen products to when we can't find them to keep correct count....The part I hate is when someone doesn't atleast look where the product should be before dimissing customers....

Happy customers make my day because some customers are Dumb fucks but they aren't all so bad, some I joke and have fun talking to because im a human being,

Retail is a shitty job because you are overworked and underpaid most the time...I have a lot of power and experience minus the pay but I figure fuck it im not trying to make a living there moving up so and it gives me understanding to others jobs elsewhere...

Im not hear to lash out against folks cause I understand but im just saying it how it is.....you either get a good employee or an ass...I sometimes can't help but think that if their were to other Me's working in a department shit would on point but it ain't that way instead I work with people some of which should have been fired long ago....

Even I've had a customer that wasn't happy with me here and their but it doesn't make me hate them all......What a lot of people who work their lack is independence...They need their hands constantly held...Not many of them know how to come to their job and just know what needs to get done to help the company they work for........I respect the fact that I work there and its my job to make them look good so I try to do just that even though half the time im so angry at coworkers and management I'd rather push a bullet in my head without the gun lol....

Usually the people better to ask questions in the store are the people who are doing something task wise.....They may not all be happy to help but I bet they know more shit than some of the sales associates....

I personally could give a fuck less if we are number one in the district as long as im doing my part its not my job to manage everyone else because im not a manager and if they don't know why we aren't reaching goals than they don't deserve to be managers

"JD" — Mon, 7/20/09 9:27pm

Hey, I completely understand your frustration. I am an employee there and it confuses the hell out of me. We are a fairly new store, so stuff isn't that bad here, but I still notice the chaos. This morning we had a nation wide system crash. Our only working system was our registers and any other thing was down. Working there you find out how chaotic it is.

I work in operations, so when you need something found, a lot of times it falls on my shoulders, and I do scour the store for what you ask. I got to experience SO (sales operator) for the first time yesterday, and basically that involves me answering the phone, answering questions, and holding products for pickup. If the computer tells me one in stock, I search every possible location before rejecting the customer.

Our store has become more about numbers than the customer, but I still hold true that I will help anyone with every problem they face that I can answer, and when we don't have something in stock, I make phone calls, check stores, and tell them other businesses that may or do have it.

I value my job, but I am one to please others than to help revenue, I have top sales for my department in many fields, but simply for the fact I don't B/S someone to buy something, I relate it to them and show them how its beneficial instead of blowing smoke.

Not all Best Buy employees are incompetent, just most of them.

Anonymous Coward — Sat, 7/25/09 3:25pm

i hate it when people complain about shit like this, trust me if best buy was as shitty as you idiots make it seem, would they be the largest electronics retailer in the world? so what u cant find one movie, go try walmart see if their customer service is more to your liking.

"Hope To Help" — Mon, 8/17/09 1:06am

I work for best buy, and im not saying anything against everyone saying that the floor people have terrible customer service. I cant tell you how many people come up to me (i work in geek squad) telling me how terrible their service was in the computer department or how the sales associate told them one thing about the computer but its the oppisite, but on the other hand I was on the floor once apon a time and i did everything i was able to help the customer and get them only what they needed and what they could afford. Not all employees are the same and most of them are just there for a paycheck. I graduated college in gaming and simulation design but all through college, i was working at BBY and put as much effort towards my job as i did my school. Most employees do not give a shit about anything but when they get their break or when they get off. I am very sorry that you had to deal with one of the stupid employees but not all of us are the same... some of us enjoy our jobs and want to help.

"Chris" — Tue, 8/25/09 2:25pm

I am a Best Buy employee. I am not a high school dropout. In fact, I am working towards my MBA. Our systems are not flawless, I am sorry you had a bad experience but there are reasons to our system's madness, although I do not agree with them. One stunningly brilliant thing our systems do is operate off the same network as our POS systems and our regular computer systems, causing a large delay in computer speed. However, this is done so that all transactions recorded at a POS are send to our inventory systems. It takes a half an hour to update our inventory systems as well as all of our tracking systems due to the high flow of traffic and sales in our stores. I do not agree with the attitude that our employees showed to you, in fact that goes against all we teach our employees to do. They should have made a better effort to locate the DVD and help you as best they could. I am sorry they did not do this and sincerely hope you give us another chance to make your shopping experience a pleasant one.

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 9/16/09 2:03am

I will say this in response to (well, you read it) the previously mentioned article. I agree that Best Buy's computer system, or "RSS", as anyone that has researched the subject can easily deduct(you ignorant FUCK!!!!) is no where near perfect. In fact, I HATE Best Buy. I, however, own a sizable share of the company, and I am very drunk... and very bored. I especially LOVE when some POVERTY STRICKEN F U C K B A G who is looking for a DVD is forced to go to a local retail store to find it. YOU WORTHLESS FUCKBAG. If you're so wonderful, why the FUCK are you going to a RUN-TO-THE-MILL retail store to get a god damned DVD for your PRECIOUS FAMILY!!!????? WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU.?????? MAY YOU DIE OF V.D. AND ROT IN H E L L... YOU FUCKBAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Depravity: the state of being in which a conscious human being has disregarded what they know to be right for what socitety has taught them to be acceptable.

DON'T WORRY, I WILL NEVER READ THIS AGAIN. DON'T WAIST YOUR PRECIOUS POVERTY-STRICKEN TIME WRITING ME BACK. I'M TOO BUSY FUCKING YOUR UGLY-ASS WIFE.

This may help validate your already worthless effort to make yourself feel better: (oh, by the way... go FUCK YOURSELF again..)

e.g.: Best Buy: Do anything possible to convince the "customer" that a particular "service" or "offering" is absoultely necessary to "complete" their buying "experience"... in other words, don't let anyone out the front door unitl they have spent their HARD EARNED money on some service or product that will make some PIECE OF SHIT corporate DOUSCHEBAG FUCKING PIECE OF SOUL-VOID FLESH M I N D W A S H E D F U C K ..... 4.5% of sales... to provide for their SELFISH, DEPRAVED family. As if some 90hr/week G.M. can even possibly provide the necessary emotional support for a family. GO FUCK YOURSELF!!!!!!!! Your MIOPIC VIEWPOINT makes us WANT TO HANG OURSELVES........ TOO LATE, WE ALREADY DID!!! GO FUCK YOURSELF!!!!!!!!! WORTHLESS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAY YOU FOREVER BURN in their particular religion's view of H E L L. YOU STUPID FUCKING PIECE OF NON-REASONING, LOGIC FORSAKING flesh basket. ;alksjdf;lkajdf;lkasdl;fkjdsklfjal;skdfjl;kasdjflksdaflksdjaflkdslksdajf;laskdjf - Maybe you can understand that. Apparently the $$$$$$$ is more important that HUMAN LIFE. MAY YOU BE CURSED WITH FESTERING BOILS and CHOKE ON THORNS and ACID!!!! DDDDDDDDDDDDDDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 9/16/09 2:07am

I find it funny that I just commented on a four year old post. Drunkenness can be truly enjoyable.

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 9/16/09 2:34am

Oh, by the way, I don't support Best Buy OR the WORTHLESS piece of shit that takes time away from his family to write this mindless shit about his disappointment with Best Buy. He masturbates to underage little boys. He's under investigation by the F.B.I. By the way, I have nothing better to do, and I'm going to kill myself in less than an hour.

Anonymous Coward — Sat, 9/26/09 11:52am

^ lol

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 10/21/09 11:14am

Get a life. By the way if you read a little more about "jobs" you have to have a diploma.. lol.. good luck in life..

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 10/21/09 4:58pm

What kind dipshit responds to a four and a half year old post and tells the author to "get a life"? And how exactly did you happen upon this post? Ass clown!

"justwondering" — Fri, 10/23/09 2:35pm

As I read your blog I was just interested in how you knew these kids that work at best buy are high school drop outs? I highly doubt there was a point in your conversation where you asked them that and they replied. Also, I think you should take a chill pill and realize that if your life revolves around a tv show so much that it ruins your day when you don't have access to it, that maybe you should find another hobby. I don't understand why people let the tiniest of issues bring them down so much that they actually become upset. It's pathetic.

Anonymous Coward — Fri, 10/23/09 2:37pm

Oh, and I forgot, if you knew anything about best buy, you would know that they fully reimburse you for college if you're a full time employee. Doesn't sound so bad now, eh?

"SeizureRobot5000" — Tue, 10/27/09 9:32pm

Your problem is not with Best Buy. It is with retail in general. You are the customer who feels completely entitled to whatever he wants, and compromises any form of manners so that you can get your desired product that much faster.

No explanation is good enough for you when denied something. Instead of calmly understanding the problem and leaving, you want to "storm out", make a scene, and possibly grossly misplace merchandise in the process. I hope someone threw your precious remaining DVD of 'Wonderfalls' into a nearby appliance in a similar fit. You're a child.

Best Buy's employees you so wittingly call "high school dropouts" don't care about you. There is no commission for locating a DVD that is sold out, just low wages to deal with people like you.

Next time, get out, find your DVD someplace else, and come back to Best Buy for the rest of your shopping needs like I know you will, even after an exhaustively written complaint on your blog.

Learn some manners.

Anonymous Coward — Wed, 11/25/09 7:47pm

Fuck bestbuy for saying Eid Al-Adha piece a shit company

Bee Boy — Wed, 11/25/09 9:22pm

I had to Google this one to figure out what was going on: a Best Buy ad dared to respect a Muslim holiday with some well wishes. You can imagine the high-minded debate that ensued.

Jeebus. I want a new Internet.

"BBY Worker" — Thu, 12/3/09 2:03pm

This is Hilarious!!!

"Best Buy Employee" — Sat, 12/19/09 9:14pm

really?

is this real life?

"bby employee" — Tue, 1/26/10 11:02pm

i've worked at best buy for a long while now and i fucking hate the shit outta that place. the managers are retarded and pathetic (if they have been there a long time). they talk to everyone like their children that need a spanking (no matter what age) and the customers are generally fucking brain dead. use your fucking heads people-of course i work here!

"BBY PCHO Employee" — Mon, 2/15/10 2:08pm

Bee Boy,

It is unforunate that you have had poor experiences at Best Buy. I would like to point out that there are a lot of people at Best Buy that are not High School Drop outs. Take my department for example, PCHO (Personal Computing and Home Office) all of our employee's have gotten thier diploma's and have or are in the process of attending college. I must admit I was infuriated by your experience that you had at this Best Buy store. The employee should have called the store for you and at the very least offered to order it for you online with no shipping cost. They could have also offered to order wonderfalls from our warehouse. In regards to the stock system issue, that is a very unfortunate reality. Our systems only update once every hour, and employees are required to manually check for product if it shows their is two or less of that item in stock. This requirement is part of our new Operations Model called "Trust". I am not happy at all with the employee's that were involved in your unfortunate experience at Best Buy. Thankfully we have what is called a Customer Satisfaction Index. This is printed out at the bottom of our recipts. There will be a web page listed there that allows you to voice your opinion about these employees. Managment (if they are doing thier job)reads these on a regular basis. I am not a manager and I still like to read those so that I can see what I do well and were I need to improve. I would hope that those employee's ivolved are fired soon so that they do not continue to destroy the company of Best Buy that I have worked with for two years. I would also like to say, Firefox rules, same with Ubuntu.

"your a fucking fuck!" — Wed, 2/17/10 12:41pm

i work at best buy. the inventory stocks at our stores are updated every hour. we have no inventory flaws every. we do shrink walks every hour to get stolen shit out of our system. shrink stompers if the item just got up and dissappeared and scanning of every product in the store every morning to ensure the accuaracy of our stock counts. sorry that your l.a. store is full of fuckin idiots. come shop at my store in phoenix, az. store number 253

(to the top of the page)

Shut down the Internet. Dana Gould wins. 03.20.10

Ghost Town (Netflix)

MacNicol. Sigh. 03.16.10

Oscar Picks 2010 03.05.10

Best Picture Math 02.02.10

Fake Oscars! 01.28.10

THE LATEST FROM POOP READING:

The Movie Studios' Big 3D Scam

In Defense of Deficits

Stages of NCAA Tourney Bracket Grief

The New Commandments

In Teen Music Choices, Anxiety Rules

The Ten Summer 2010 Movies We're Most Excited to See

More, more, more at poopreading.com

Styled text	bold or italic	bold or italic
Quoted text	> Bush is so dumb.	Bush is so dumb.
Hyperlink	Go to <http://abc.com>	Go to http://abc.com
Film/TV Titles	(m: Titanic) or (t: Frasier)	Titanic or Frasier

Login:
Password:

remember me:

Name:			Login / Register to comment
e-mail: