First Circuit City now Best Buy
 

Retail is fucked, im thinking people are happy for now with their TV's and camcorders and are noticing that for their myspace page a 4mega pixel is just as good as a 10 and they have a relationship with their PC now and arent buying a new one even thou the new one has a gig more in ram and 100 gig more in HD

Whatever it may be retail is not looking good at least not anytime soon, id pull my money out any investments related to retail except mickeyd lol


http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081112/best_buy_outlook.html

expect bestbuys stocks to get bent over today real good

People are still buying. It's just that massive profit margins are down.

drove by the circuit city and laughed yesterday

"EVERYTHING MUST GO"

i went in there a few months back for a cable to connect my laptop to tv - $40

you can order it cheaper online, and Ill never go back. funny they go out like that with the prices they were charging for crap like "cables"

not according to their and circuit cities report, but there is always a possibility that someone on GFY knows the real inside scoop

I like to go to Best Buy even if I don't need to buy anything, but Circuit City sucks!!!
Looks like they hired all the rejects from Taco Bell and Bojangles.

I don't claim to have inside info, but I see tons of people at BestBuy and Future Shop every weekend.

I see tons of people too, thats why I dont understand how the heck could the actual sales be down

Agreed.

Lots of know nothing sales people. Always trying to sell you warranties.

Overpriced shit. Not a good selection, at least around here, compared to Best Buy.

Probably because it is nice to look at hard goods in person, but then they go online and buy the same things for less?

Retail stores are just too expensive now when you can go online to say overstock.com and buy nice discounted goods.

Like that chain Linens and Things that is also going under. Pricey blankets and household goods. Go on overstock you can buy the same nice stuff with $1.95 shipping and its much cheaper. Hell, two bucks is cheaper than the gas to go some places.

We went grocery shopping yesterday, and decided to try a new store we've never shopped at before. They had sacks of potatoes for $8!! A box of vanilla wafers was $3.99! Crazy prices at big flashy retail stores in these times.

I rarely buy anything from BestBuy. If I do it is with giftcards that someone gave me.

Hmmm.. pay the mortgage or buy that TV.... hmmm

Walmart will be the only retail store left standing. The governments will own all the banks. Welcome to the new world order.

Gfy has the market geniuses. You know that already guys. Duh

So true.

Most things that could remotely be considered items that people might want to pick up on a semi regular basis (and get cash in the draw between less frequent larger purchases) cost far above what anyone would want to pay....People aren't the dumbasses these retail stores believe they are.

Reasonable HDMI cables, for ex: $150 - c'mon lol

I went to buy a power supply there the other day for my main computer. I had to pay $90. I was kind of curious what the non ripoff price was. I found it on amazon for $20 brand new. Same one.

Maybe its why amazon sales are up 33%?

Maybe people realize that buying things at 400% markup just isn't worth being able to buy it locally?

can't compete with online stores that don't charge tax.

NOOOO not best buy!!!

You mean their business model of selling TVs at cost so they could profit off Monster cables failed? :1orglaugh

Thank also wal-mart not only the bashed up Bush economy

I agree, I might go look at something but I buy it online. I was at microcenter, just killing time while my wife was getting her nails done.Saw a laptop case I like it was 50 bucks. Went on amazon on my phone in the store and saw I could get with 34.95 with free shipping and no tax. It was a no brainer, same with books. I may browse but I buy them all online.

circuit shitty deserves to go bankrupt

best buy not so much

I got an insane deal on a 42 inch plasma from Best Buy 2 weeks ago. I'm still sure it must have been a mistake. Its a Full HD Samsung.

With big box stores like that they make virtually ZERO profit on their big items. Their profits come from smaller sales and accessories and service plans. That's why you'll always pay more for something like a cable or a connector there than you will online, it's their bread and butter item.

They should consider actually selling bread and butter.... That might turn them around.

Great indicator: Starbucks profits are down 97%
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/to...cle5127267.ece

Due to both lower demand and closing locations

You sir are a marketing genius. :thumbsup

I am aware of how many things like movie theatres work and gas stations as well,.. this doesnt change the fact that once you are familiar with buying online, unless you need something immediately (like me and my cable) you can just order it online and get it in 3-5 days, with free shipping! $40 for a serial laptop monitor cable is terrible imo.

I know theatres make their money selling snacks and gas stations cigarettes, this is no secret.

anyone have a list of the CC stores that are closing. I need a new laptop, nothing like a going out of business sale

yeah but in that $40 cable you have the thinnest layer of gold machines can produce. Where any "expert" can see a major difference (placebo effect)

Is Walmart the place to buy TV's these days? my main tv for watching TV is a 27" sony that is nearly 10 years old. My main movie and game setup is a 720p projector. Where I live I can pull a few HD channels over the air which I send through my computer then over to my xbox.

i didnt buy a fancy gold tipped cable, i bought the basic cheap one lol

its all good, i was dropping in my two coins to the thread...

Gawd damn... somebody buy something already!

i was look at that when i got my tvi was like wtf do i need this fucking 350$ cable set for and the employee had no clue either ;x

The buyers for these big box retailers are just chumps. They cant compete because they're hanging onto a 4% profit margin on shit like PC's because they pay way too much for way too many. The small components are where your profit is, but like Fletch said, you can't just pretend people need stuff that they dont. A digital cable either works, or it does not work. It's not like analog where a super high quality low loss braided 12 gauge copper cable makes a big difference. Digital. On or off. There is no inbetween.

everyones at the swap meet
 

http://i33.tinypic.com/24g3d37.jpg

As soon as they make a 99 cent store for electronics everyone's fucked :thumbsup:1orglaugh

best buy has a nice presentation, i actually enjoy a visit to their stores although i rarely buy anything other than glossy photo paper or ink cartridges (if i forgot to order online) and rarely other stuff..
but i usually take my time and stroll around the store as it pleases me to be impressed and there is always an attractive crowd there..

on the opposite, i cannot stand going into a walmart store, can count the times i have been there in the past 5 years on one hand...

I'm about to buy a 52" TV about a week from today, anyone got some tips on getting it cheap from Best Buy :)
WG

Sales may not be down but the profits are. Consider how much it now costs to get the merchandise into the show room. The trucks that move it. The fuel. the packaging everything has gone up.. The prices have not gone as high and that means a lower profit.

And lets not forget that the CEO is making a FEW MILL year with bonuses and he wont give those up to save the company and extend his job.
He probably has a going out of business clause that they will have to pay.

Best Buy is a great store, at least the one I frequent.

yup, you hit the nail right on the head :thumbsup

Warranties are there ONLY profit center ! Salespeople must meet quotas on warranties or else ... hasta la vista baby ....

Bye Bye Best Buy

I guess I will be able to pick up a nice cheap TV very soon :)

If I want something I will usually buy it at Best Buy, even if it's more expensive. Maybe I'm just easily amused but I like going out, grabbing something, and bringing it home. Plus, I hate waiting.

What is also hurting is that there is no "must have" new technology. Everyone has an MP3 player and the new ones aren't "must have".

Unless you are encoding video, a computer from 4 years ago is just as fast as one bought today.

Even poor people have flat screen TV's in their houses now.

The only new cool thing is smart phones and people get most of those through their existing carriers.

So an economic slowdown and no "must have" items is not good for sale.

In most states you're actually SUPPOSED to pay taxes on your online purchases. It's a "use tax" you pay along with your income taxes. Not everyone does it though which is why they are working on laws to pay it when you order something.

Here's the GA info:

http://www.dor.ga.gov/salestax/st3fo...orm_ST3USE.pdf

This is very true, when i worked at sears in college we had quotas to meet on warranty sales. They were all bullshit and I would never endorse them to the customers because they were simply not worth it. Total ripoff!

Sears would return ANYTHING to vendors they just raped people on service plans because they knew it was almost always pure profit.

That's stupid reasoning....I bought Grand Theft Auto 4 the other day at Best Buy and they were trying to sell me some service plan in case the game got scratched or something...Fuck that shit, I'll just keep it in the case when I'm not using it.

How much? I have this TV :)

One of my best friends worked for Besy Buy for many years, always got shit pay, very little respect from his managers even though he clearly outperformed everyone else and did his job exactly how they wanted, etc. He thankfully works somewhere else now making a lot more money. It's been a while since I've heard his funny stories about how horribly run they are but I'll just say I wouldn't weep for them at all if they collapsed. I've always liked Frys a lot more myself if buying anything in person.

everyone has a friend that makes fun on how bad his company is run and how stupid his managers are and on how they basically run the whole place and bring in millions in sales and they are not appreciated.

Haha so fucking true. What's up with that...:1orglaugh