I hardly rely on salespeople for advice.
Only if I want quick advice for something I probably don't have much preference on.
I also understand that sometimes, in these type of stores, they hire people who don't
necessarily have the proper "training" or full knowledge of their departments,
so asking some of them could just end up having them flip the product box to the back
and read out the specs to you, which was what you could have just done yourself.

If I'm making big purchases like computer parts for example, I would NEVER go to BB or FS
just because their prices are way higher than NCIX.

My source of advice always comes from online forums or product reviews.
I find them way more reliable.

If your buyign from BB or FS you can just return it at the store but otherwise I totally understand the whole shipping and waiting shit. I only buy online when I have to due to it being an online saying only, eBay, Amazon etc. otherwise going in the store is easier for me.

I freaking hate FS, went day after boxing day to buy a microwave and I understand it's busy but I asked the guy if he has a certain microwave in stock. He replied I don't know, you'll have to walk around the store and look above where we put the boxes and see for yourself. I then asked him can't you just look it up in the PC and he replies only if you give me the web id. WTF?

I'm not really sure if I see BB and FS going out of business. I don't see enough people being smart enough to even know there are other better and cheaper options out there to buy this stuff but hey it has happened before so who knows.

uhm what? ncix service? you mean line up, grab a number, wait, and then have someone bring you item? uhhh, no thank you. i've been to ncix a couple times and each time it's gotten worse and worse. i've gotten better service at small places like addax, than ncix.

/rant

I loveee this stories.. I wanna hear MOAR!!!
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Ok...I grabbed NCIX because someone mentioned it in the thread. Pick a business with great service and use that for my example. Starbucks.

There we go.

The point was we want cheap, with great service and no questions asked return policy, and lets throw in convenient location, open late and ample parking with the store next to our house when we want to shop there, but no where near our house when we are home.

The point, is we want everything and want to pay for nothing.

Shit. It's like its an epidemic across retail, business and politics.

Speaking of the Coquitlam Best Buy... anyone else find it extremely odd, that when Future Shop moved out of that building, and across the street to the mall... that they had to renovate the store completely before it became a Best buy?

Like moving the Car Audio install bay to the other side of the building, and shit like that. Things that seemed completely unnecessary, especially since they're basically the same store. Talk about a WTF.

Best Buy is a great place to go to be left alone. It appears this is not the case in the states, but every time I go to a Best Buy (not often) I like the fact that I get left alone, which was a nice change from Future Shop (before they switched to non-comission).

By far, the WORST place, is Visions. Hands down. Never, will they EVER get another cent from me. Over the years, I've only bought a few things from them, but the last couple of purchases left me extremely pissed. Although it was fun arguing with the sales guy, there is something about being made to look stupid, or being made to look like some cheap asshole, that really gets me going (in a bad way, lol)

Case in point, my last purchase. I bought a set of Polk bookshelf speakers for a friends bday present. He had been eyeballin' them for a while, and wanted to replace his rear surround speakers. Were there better speakers out there to buy? Of course, but he wanted to have these Polk speakers to match the rest of his set up. I walk into the store, ask for the speakers, and for the next 5-10min they HOUNDED me on how these speakers are garbage, how they've been discounted this steeply for a reason, etc etc. I tried to explain nicely that these were a) A Gift. and b) They're going to be used as his rear speakers. He doesn't need $1000+ rear speakers! No one does. By the end of it, if I could have gotten these speakers elsewhere, I would have. I already didn't like Visions, but they had me bent over, as no one else carried them. Now? I don't care if they were the last electronic store around, and they were giving shit away. I won't go near them.

Here i was thinking only the democrats and republicans had that scam going.

I have been a HUGE fan of Memory Express since they opened in Richmond. Nice layout, good product and pricing, and the sales reps there are truly knowledgeable (i.e. real nerds).

Speaking of Best Buy, a colleague of mine went into BB to look for an alternative to a Kindle Fire, which is not yet available in Canada. The BestBuy rep tried to suggest a Kobo Colour eBook reader. WTF? eBook reader is a COMPLETELY different animal than a full blown Android Tablet. For the same $199 price nonetheless!

Edit: Spelling brain-fart.

ordered espresso machine from best buy , came in with broken pump.(black Friday),
called in for replacement, told me to retun it to best buy. when i asked for replacement on phone they told me i will have to return and purchase again!!

i bought another one (higher price) and next day return broken one bought @ higher price.

problem , training.

i worked at FS for about 2-3 months.. god that place makes so much profit. on car audio/cables/tv/audio. pretty much everything except PC/Laptop (so they try to makeup by selling restore cds)

another best buy story from today! (Queensborough this time)

I go to the computer dept... ask the guy if he's IN the department, which he answers "YES I AM HOW CAN I HELP YOU SIR!"

I say I'm looking for a UPS for my computer
Dude gives me a completely puzzled look and says
Sorry man you in the wrong store!
I said no... by UPS I mean Uninterrupted Power Supply

employee: Still got no idea what you're talking about

:fuckthatshit:

Best Buy is just a showcase shelf for Amazon, Newegg, NCIX. See something online that you like but not sure how it looks and works in real life? Just take a drive down to your local Best Buy/Future Shop.

Support your Independant Retailers that are Canadian Companies. Independants will provide you with better knowledge, experience and customer service (most cases).

It also supports Canadian Economy. Buying from Futureshop and BestBuy will only feed BestBuy USA and the US Economy.

Btw, there's a BestBuy opening up at Marine Drive and Ontario St. They may not be opening any more Futureshop's but seems like opening up more BestBuy's.

My friend works in the computer department and i will share stories tmr on pc
: )
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You don't have to be a genius to figure out that a tablet has more functions than a reader. /retardedsales

i find that at bestbuy the staff usually leave you alone, but when you need help...its takes forever to find someone.

at FS, the staff wont leave you alone.

At Lansdowne, it feels like FS is definitely overstaffed (most of the time you'll see the guys just standing there talking with other staff) and BB is understaffed (hence, they are always busy when you need help)

I went to bestbuy at metrotown on Monday, I was quite happy to shop there, I've had good customer service there from a manager, and was even offered a job. So I wen't after ordering some shaw cable from the "secret sale". I decided I wanted a new tv for my self, so I could give my mom my LCD. I found the LG 3D LED TV on sale for 799 from 999. I asked an employee about it, he just walked me to a demo tv, which wasn't even the same series, told me if I wanted it, I would have to order it and pick it up in a week because all the stores are sold out. He then tells me today was the last day for the sale and they were closing in 30 minutes. I went and finally found the right display tv, checked it out for 5 minutes and decided to grab it. I spent the next 30 minutes looking for an associate to help me. I asked maybe 4-5 and they all either said they don't work TV's or they were off. Now it was already 6:05 and they were supposed to be closed and I just about walked away empty handed. I found the guy who originally helped me, ordered the TV and left. Next day I went to work, and went to Bestbuy at queensborgh, I found the TV i ordered there in stock with plenty left, plus found out the sale wasn't even over yet. So tomorrow I'm just planning on returning the tv and pick it up at queensborogh.

BB/FS still have lowest price on computers HP/Acer/gateway garbages.
Some of the low prices on desktop computers, just mind boggling.
Average mom pop granny don't give a sht about performance will buy those sht. or they'll go to NCIX/ME and ask for $300 desktop including monitor that they saw at BB and sales rep will go WTF? :seriously:

now that HP is out of consumer pc market and Acer announcing they'll stop making crap, it will be interesting to see what kind of low end POS they'll be selling

DailyTech - HP Unveils New PCs and Displays Ahead of CES 2012

when bb 1st came to town in richmond me & my dad went to check it out, price wise it was cheap but dude don't know shit about anything when I ask about screen cleaners

Dude said it looks blue like windex & works like windex just that it made for pc screens & I was like WTF, but still my dad like ask a sale guy just about anything tec related now a days

Just on boxing day bought a new laptop for my sister at fs, we ask if there was any more 300 range laptop & dude say nope just gave us a 400 range laptop saying take
It or leave

My dad was WTF kind of serivce is this, then we bought the thing cuz my dad not a big fan of crowded places & when install window 7 it just freezes on me, I was like
WTF

My dad got a computer from ME last year & nothing went wrong, also love how they limit how many ppl go in to the store on boxing day which makes it less crowded & also looks like there a super huge sale
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They probably didn't even know what the Kindle Fire was, and assumed since it was a Kindle it was an eBook Reader as well.

(I'm mainly referring to A/V stuff like speakers, amps, etc.)

In the 80s and 90s, we had many indepndent stores who took the time to demo equipment and actually knew something about what they were selling. Now, these types of businesses are nearly extinct. And who's to blame? Us.
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Only use BB to price match. The salespeople there usually dont give a damn to fight with you whether they can do it or not. Price matched London Drugs at BB and picked up two 46" Samsung TV's for $579 each a few months ago when they were going for $799. Futureshop salesguy laughed saying the price was cost and the BB salesguy said "sure whatever" hah.

RIP A&B Sound :(

Oh well. Modern equipment is so good at prices points that this level of service isn't really needed anymore, and most people aren't willing to pay the premium for it.

Like I said about TVs, sure you'll notice the small difference in the store with 20 TVs side-by-side, yet once you're home you'll enjoy the TV you picked as much as any of the other 20 TVs. The difference in quality isn't as huge as it was 20 years ago.

Now some will argue "I can totally tell the difference" and I will tell them to go get their eyes and ears checked cause I bet their vision and hearing isn't even good enough to tell the difference. Even if they can tell the difference, its usually at a couple feet in store, not 8-10 ft in a typical home setting.