[N.V.M.]

All Future Shop stores in Canada have closed, effective immediately.

The news was delivered simultaneously to employees across the country early Saturday morning as they were showing up for their shifts.

A select few outlets will be converted into Best Buy stores, but the rest will remain closed for good.

i'm guessing the internets killed them?

[rb]

Future Shop closes Canadian stores: report - The Globe and Mail (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/future-shop-closes-canadian-stores/article23677084/)

[Habboy]

Wow!
I think of ALL the electronics I have bought from FS over the years. I have seen big electronic stores close over the years (Multitech Warehouse, A&B Sound etc) but this is big.
Come to think of it, I goto Best Buy usually now anyway

[4444]

Come to think of it, I goto Best Buy usually now anyway

i believe best buy and future shop are owned by the same company, so it's not that future shop has gone, it's that they're consolidating.

i could be wrong, of course / things may have changed since i last knew about this

edit: nm, just read the article - i was right, this isn't news, it's just that a couple of future shops will technically close. consolidation in a dying market, this is normal for non growth markets.

but, yet more jobs in Canada lost... i wouldn't be all that confident in Canada's housing market and economy over the next few years, a recession is coming, we are seeing so many red flags, this is a small one, but one of many.

[N.V.M.]

edit: nm, just read the article - i was right, this isn't news, it's just that a couple of future shops will technically close. .


"The company said it was shutting down 66 Future Shop stores effective immediately. Meanwhile, another 65 stores will be closed for a week while they're converted to Best Buy stores."

[Durrann]

a lot of jobs being lost .. Am I lucky to even have a job now? Lol

[4444]

"The company said it was shutting down 66 Future Shop stores effective immediately. Meanwhile, another 65 stores will be closed for a week while they're converted to Best Buy stores."

fair point, but it's only half - that's life in consolidation. Could be worse, could be all.

it is totally true what they say, future shop and best buy totally canalize each other's sales, they were being wasteful. if i were in their leadership, this is a move I'd have done YEARS ago.

hindsight does have the fortune of being 20/20, though :)

[4444]

a lot of jobs being lost .. Am I lucky to even have a job now? Lol
YES. unless you're in a very specialized area that is secular or you're just that good, you are bang on

this is just rhetoric, but people I know in my profession that I know are leaving Vancouver, Alberta, and Toronto to move to other countries as they just either are under employed, not challenged enough, or can't find jobs.

I did it, and could name about 20-30 people that are now outside of Canada, and maybe 50+ that are outside of Vancouver. Some of this would have happened naturally, but I really think there is a premium amount due to the lagging economy.

[Soundy]

I'm guessing the Coquitlam Center FS will be one that's closing forever, considering there's a Best Buy just a block away :facepalm:

I honestly have no sympathy for the stores or their staff, after being blatantly lied to by their salesdroids repeatedly.

[thumper]

some of these locations are literally next door to each other like the ones in surrey central city so i am expecting a lot of bloodletting to happen...

[ts14]

Tbh this was bound to happen sooner or later. Every time I go to a future shop, it's pretty close to dead inside and people really just go in to look at stuff.

I gerbers def killed it but future shop prices have always been on the high side for me

[Great68]

2 years ago they closed all the best buys on the island leaving only Future Shops. It would be weird if they changed back to best buys, makes me wonder if they'll leave the island altogether.

Talk about wasting money, when they built the new Uptown mall here both Best Buy and Future Shop were anchors, Best Buy is still paying the lease on their space.

Either way, it doesn't really matter to me. I haven't bought any major electronics in years and If I do need something I get it from places like NCIX. I hate the whole process of stuff ordering online, paying shipping, and waiting, but at least the selection is better.
Never mind the fact that Future Shop/Best Buy's prices on cables and stuff was downright insulting.

[N.V.M.]

i picked a product off the shelf a few weeks ago at a Future Shop, took it to the checkout and they wouldn't let me pay until i went back and got a sales guy, because of the commission bullshit.

i said i don't want to, they said i have to! lol fuck that, i just left.

[Habboy]

So, an American company (Best Buy) Buys a Canadian company (Future Shop) and within 15 years, Future Shop has been swallowed up and consolidated in the parent company? Didnt an American company (Burger King) just buy a Canadian Company (Tim Hortons) recently?

hmmmm....

[N.V.M.]

Tim Horton's is a Canadian public company.

[Great68]

i picked a product off the shelf a few weeks ago at a Future Shop, took it to the checkout and they wouldn't let me pay until i went back and got a sales guy, because of the commission bullshit.

i said i don't want to, they said i have to! lol fuck that, i just left.

That's bullshit.

Commission salesmen on things like consumer electronics, appliances, etc these days are redundant.
At least for me, I do my research extensively before I buy something and dealing with a salesman is usually a useless interaction. Usually I know more about these things than the salesmen do.
I've even caught a few bullshitting their way through specs and things, and man do they get upset when you call them out on it.

[snails]

there are so many fs right next to bb.. so now the majority are going to be converted to bb?

[Ch28]

They've been firing people since January at CHQ. It was only a matter of time since both stores were cannibalizing sales from each other and their overall sales numbers were shit.

[N.V.M.]

some other numbers/info coming in.

-500 full time/1000 part time jobs gone.

-gift cards, orders, warranties honoured at Best Buy.

[tiger_handheld]

fair point, but it's only half - that's life in consolidation. Could be worse, could be all.

it is totally true what they say, future shop and best buy totally canalize each other's sales, they were being wasteful. if i were in their leadership, this is a move I'd have done YEARS ago.

hindsight does have the fortune of being 20/20, though :)

The top management reasoning was that the two retailers offered a completely different products (FS - high-med) (BB - low-med)/ service to customers - think Infinity vs. Nissan.


An interesting fact:

"In March 2001, American-based Best Buy acquired Future Shop for $580 million Canadian. Future Shop was to be run as a separate division as "Best Buy Canada". The acquisition caused Khosrowshahi to step down as president."

Mar 2001 - Mar 2015 - anyone think this provision was built into the buy agreement? Maybe that was the payback period for the 580mil.

[Tr1ll]

Is there a list of future shops that are gonna be closed?

[Zordon]

If big box stores can't survive, the little ones aren't going to either... Sad for current retail store owners and perspective entrepreneurs.

[Traum]

I'm hardly surprised by the closure. The only thing I have to wonder is -- with the immediate closure of some stores and the rapidly appraching closing of others, does this mean they are not going to have any sort of clearance sale?

[snails]

i have access to their cost vs sale value and its not a surprising as there are very few products with any sort of notable overhead. things like headphones and cables is where they make their money, ut on tv's and game consoles for example they make less than 10$ on sales in many cases. the real problem is their competition. competition will always lower prices

i see their furniture as over prices but thats all vendor direct and not actually carried by futureshop

[InvisibleSoul]

I'm hardly surprised by the closure. The only thing I have to wonder is -- with the immediate closure of some stores and the rapidly appraching closing of others, does this mean they are not going to have any sort of clearance sale?

Nope. They'll just move the inventory to be sold at the BestBuys.

[Porschedog]

So... What happens to preordered games?

[snails]

So... What happens to preordered games?

fuureshop.. is bestbuy... so its still the same, they will have some sort of crossover process

[SkinnyPupp]

Even before online shopping became a big thing, I hated shopping at Future Shop and any other store with commission based sales staff. They're rarely helpful or knowledgeable, mostly looking to just make a sale (and of course the extended warranty after).

The only surprise to this story is that it didn't happen sooner. I would have expected it when they started opening Best Buy stores in Canada.

[Jmac]

I feel bad for the staff. I know a lot of people have poor experience with Futureshop's salespeople (which is, for the most part, a direct result of management), but most people who work there are still decent people who are now out of work.

[van19]

One of the main reasons why they kept Best Buy as the Canadian Brand is because Best Buy is not under commission

[nabs]

I hope they keep the location on Granville, its always busy there and it's the one I always go to.

[yray]

Fuck... Best buy at Lansdowne smells weird.

[twitchyzero]

futureshop is ruthless when it comes to laying off employees...all they can think about is damage control. I get the complaint of high prices or commission based service sure if youre one of those that just walks in with zero research... but if youre a savvy shopper you know this is the only reason why you were able to bag so many good pricematch deals over the years. so as much as I despise fs they will be missed in this regard. their stores were way too massive for people to come in and check things out only to buy at competitors.

no offense to an early comment but nciz service is shit as well. at least fs has good return and shipping policy. I guess the reps at ncix are at least somewhat knowledgeable. ive been waiting forever for memory express to open up on this side of the bridge for years now...

[InvisibleSoul]

I hope they keep the location on Granville, its always busy there and it's the one I always go to.

Pretty sure one article said this location will be one of the rebranded ones.

[Gh0stRider]

Best Buy will honour Future Shop gift cards at any location across the country. Existing product orders, service appointments and warranties will continue to be honoured, and Future Shop purchases can be returned or exchanged at any Best Buy location.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Hard to survive in the current industry.. online shopping provides more convenience with larger inventory.

I haven't really purchased anything at Future Shop in the past couple of years aside from a phone case and some video game consoles. Everything else I've bought from NCIX or on the internet.

[XplicitLuder]

internet = less overhead and dont have to pay employees

i can see why they are closing their actual stores. Besides, doesnt like everyone just buy shit online cus its cheaper lol

[SpeedStars]

Tbh, I expected this when they had the merger in like what? 2004? Makes no sense for two big electronic retailers with the same parent company to operate and sell pretty much the exact same things. I do know that from the employment side of view, there is a difference in policies. I wonder what's going to happen with the FS on Lansdowne. Rarely buy anything from FS/Bbuy other than games/peripherals. MemoryExpress :woot2:

[The_AK]

Ugh

[quasi]

internet = less overhead and dont have to pay employees

i can see why they are closing their actual stores. Besides, doesnt like everyone just buy shit online cus its cheaper lol

Exactly, go to the store figure out what you want then go home and buy it online. It's like buying books from Chapters when you can go on Amazon and order them 50% off.

[van19]

Tbh, I expected this when they had the merger in like what? 2004? Makes no sense for two big electronic retailers with the same parent company to operate and sell pretty much the exact same things. I do know that from the employment side of view, there is a difference in policies. I wonder what's going to happen with the FS on Lansdowne. Rarely buy anything from FS/Bbuy other than games/peripherals. MemoryExpress :woot2:

FS from Lansdowne as well as Brideport are permanently closed. They are both going to merge into the Lansdowne Best Buy.

[bakasam]

Ughh this is gonna be a shit show. Have some e3 preorders with futureshop but credit card expired and I can't update the payment info

[Jmac]

internet = less overhead and dont have to pay employees

i can see why they are closing their actual stores. Besides, doesnt like everyone just buy shit online cus its cheaper lol
Not everyone.

I know many businesses won't deal with online for anything important. If it breaks down, they want a replacement right away, not 2 business days from now. Saving $50 on equipment isn't worth it when the trade-off is losing 1.5 days worth of productivity.

Many older people also prefer to do business in-store. They're generally uncomfortable shopping online and want to have someone to talk to before making their purchase (which also makes them susceptible to sleazy salesmen) or if something goes wrong.

Online shopping took a big chunk out of them, for sure, but mismanagement is equally, if not moreso, responsible. The writing's been on the wall for years. For whatever reason, these companies (Best Buy, The Source, Staples) have failed to make the necessary changes to adapt to the marketplace (I know in Staples' case, they not only failed to adapt, but completely misread the trends by opening around 100 new stores between 2007-2011 (est.), mostly in areas that already had a Staples (or multiple Staples); the only reasons why they haven't folded completely are the ultra high margins on furniture, office supplies, and printing services). That's one of the (many) reasons why I got out in 2011 after a decade in retail. I'm glad I did because the guy who replaced me ended up getting laid off and hired back a couple of years ago with a ~$15k/year paycut, less vacation time, fewer benefits, etc. and they permanently laid him off a few months ago citing "financial" on his RoE.

[Mr.HappySilp]

i picked a product off the shelf a few weeks ago at a Future Shop, took it to the checkout and they wouldn't let me pay until i went back and got a sales guy, because of the commission bullshit.

i said i don't want to, they said i have to! lol fuck that, i just left.

LOL that's why I always tell cashier no one help me if they ask. I know what I want to buy, go in store and just pick what I need and leave.

[twitchyzero]

i think the source is actually doing fairly decent?
that's what BB/FS should've done in the first place, open a regular sized store in the mall and only stock what's popular and let everything else be special order/online. There's no need for massive retail space like Circuit City/Fry's

[The_AK]

i think the source is actually doing fairly decent?
that's what BB/FS should've done in the first place, open a regular sized store in the mall and only stock what's popular and let everything else be special order/online. There's no need for massive retail space like Circuit City/Fry's

They actually DID do this, they had one FutureShop.ca store in North Van and another one in Ontario. Smaller store but most popular assortment was carried there.

[Mr.HappySilp]

internet = less overhead and dont have to pay employees

i can see why they are closing their actual stores. Besides, doesnt like everyone just buy shit online cus its cheaper lol

Depends. I still go to actual stores to make purchase. There are some stuff that you need to see first or try first before buying IE shoes or headphones, TV. Stuff that really needs to fit your needs it is best to try it in the store first. Also with in store purchase it is easier to refund.

Online is nice but the refund policy is so so at best. I have had horrible experience buying online before and refund policy made so hard to refund the item I just kept it. Smaller items I don't really matter much I usually buy online IE T-shirts, phone case because they are usually a lot cheaper online and even if they don't really fit is still fine.

Unless is actually a really really good deal buying at the store vs online you don't really save much. Is just easier for people to go online and click a button to buy VS visiting the actual store.

[GS8]

Coquitlam Centre location, not that any of us should be surprised

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r25/Crimson_Jackal/Misc/IMG_20150328_134940_zpszzmtzgqz.jpg

Was a bit surreal walking up to the inside entrance to the store to find the doors closed and all the windows wrapped up. There was a guy pacing around when I showed up. Then the side door opened and he walked in, so definitely some activity going on.


As someone who has lost a job 3 times (all due to corporate sell off), I definitely feel empathy for the people affected.

[way2quik]

i picked a product off the shelf a few weeks ago at a Future Shop, took it to the checkout and they wouldn't let me pay until i went back and got a sales guy, because of the commission bullshit.

i said i don't want to, they said i have to! lol fuck that, i just left.

Reminds me of a time when me and my dad bought a TV on Boxing Day 5 years or so ago at FS Bridgeport. I still remember his name to this day. Told us the Extended Protection Plan was half off.
Went home, did my research the next two days and realize he lied to us and we paid what was regular price on the EPP.

Few days after, I stood in line at the Return desk only to be questioned why I'm not interested in the EPP. The clerk wouldn't stop telling me how awesome the EPP is and how his TVs break down in the 2nd year and blah blah. He literally made me listen to his bullshit for a good 5 minutes before I said just give me the damn refund.

Now, knock on wood, my Sony LCD tv is still going strong and well beyond the EPP warranty if I had taken it.

[DavidNguyen]

I never buy warrantees. Such a waste of dough

[Razor Ramon HG]

Yes, and most credit cards will offer an additional year of warranty for no cost.

[flagella]

lol, honestly who's even surprised? This was such an easy cost cutting measure that it should've been taken way sooner. They let the future shop brand stay there too long just to appease Canadians. Most of these locations never made any sense as future shop and best buys were literally a few min walk apart from each other.

[jackmeister]

feel sorry for the loss for workers

don't feel sorry losing future shop though. there are enough specialty stores to cover their target market, and their sales tactics are borderline harassment.

[N.V.M.]

They actually DID do this, they had one FutureShop.ca store in North Van and another one in Ontario. Smaller store but most popular assortment was carried there.

Yeah, everytime I went there and ask for something, they would say they don't have it, but West Van does!

[StylinRed]

The only surprise to this story is that it didn't happen sooner. I would have expected it when they started opening Best Buy stores in Canada.

That's because when Best Buy first bought FS, they were dealing with a growing Visions and A/B that's when A&B made the push for more stores and larger ones to rival FS
So Best Buy decided to give the consumer a perception of 2 options in hopes to squash A&B and Visions, and it worked (common practice, google multi-brand strategy)

I'd just rather them keep the Future Shop name and shutter the Best Buy ones, but that'd never happen I guess :/

[StylinRed]

So... What happens to preordered games?


Dear STYLINRED,

Today we announced that Best Buy and Future Shop are consolidating as Best Buy. This means that the products, services, and features you have come to expect from Future Shop and FutureShop.ca will now be available at Best Buy and BestBuy.ca.

If you have any questions about the transition, please read our FAQ.
If you can’t find the answer you are looking for, feel free to email us or call 1-866-BEST-BUY (1-866-237-8289).

What this means for your existing pre-order
You don’t need to do a thing. Once your item ships you’ll continue to receive all the same Future Shop notification emails and you’ll be able to access your order details through FutureShop.ca. We’ll continue to offer you the same high standards of service you rely on.

What this means after you receive your order
You’ll still receive all the same post-purchase support through Best Buy both online and in-store.
Returns – for any help with returns, please call 1-866-BEST-BUY (1-866-237-8289) or visit a Best Buy store. Find your local Best Buy store.
Price Beat Promise – Instead of the Price Beat Promise, you’ll now get all the same great coverage under Best Buy’s Lowest Price Guarantee.

We’d like to thank you for your continued business and support, and we look forward to seeing you again soon at Best Buy or BestBuy.ca.

Sincerely,

The Future Shop & Best Buy Teams

no, link btw this was from an email

[AzNightmare]

Wait, so this was just a sudden action they decided to pull on everyone without any sort of warning, even including their own staff who showed up to work this morning??

:fulloffuck: ??

[skiiipi]

Wait, so this was just a sudden action they decided to pull on everyone without any sort of warning, even including their own staff who showed up to work this morning??

:fulloffuck: ??

Unfortunately yes, this was their way if minimizing risk and loss when it comes to product. All staff received reasonable severance, but still a very sad thing to hear.

Unfortunately, in today's retail environment, unless you are able to create a unique shopping experience, you will not survive. While some shoppers (mainly the boomers and some gen x) still likes to be "sold to", the majority of the younger generation prefers doing their own research and then finding the best price. They no longer needs the sales advisors to teach them about product. And in today's fast pace technology environment, it is hard for an associate to know everything about everything... That's what Google is for.

It will be interesting to see who gobbles up these prime real-estate.... With the recent target exit, the market is flooded with prime retail space and experienced retail workers. I wonder if we will see more American retailer with deep pockets trying to make an entry when there is ample real-estate and staff.

[AzNightmare]

Unfortunately yes, this was their way if minimizing risk and loss when it comes to product. All staff received reasonable severance, but still a very sad thing to hear.


I'm not sure what you mean by minimizing risk and loss, or the reason why they dropped the news like a ninja.

Glad to hear the staff got reasonable severance, but wtf??
I'm just kind of shocked, and not understanding the business side of why this was executed (the way they delivered the news, not why they are merging with BB)

[XplicitLuder]

wouldnt surprised me if they do it to prevent ppl from quitting earlier or slacking or taking stuff ?

[StylinRed]

I'm not sure what you mean by minimizing risk and loss, or the reason why they dropped the news like a ninja.

Glad to hear the staff got reasonable severance, but wtf??
I'm just kind of shocked, and not understanding the business side of why this was executed (the way they delivered the news, not why they are merging with BB)

he meant warehouse/retail theft by employees

[twitchyzero]

you can tell which stores will convert by using their store locator

https://www-ssl.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/stores/store-locator.aspx

[Gululu]

and stupid Canada still doesnt join the AIIB. pisses me off so much

[TOPEC]

LOL that's why I always tell cashier no one help me if they ask. I know what I want to buy, go in store and just pick what I need and leave.

im surprised the cashier didnt just put in his/her own rep number and kept the commission.

years ago a camera store was selling a canon flash for 50% of what futureshop is selling. i went into futureshop lansdown to try n price match, the sales rep gave me the run around on how they dont have stock and they'll order it and it'll be here the next day while honoring the price for me. next day i went in looking for the same rep n he wont sell it to me at that price, said he can do 10% off their own retail price, im like go fuck urself n peaced it outta there

[skiiipi]

wouldnt surprised me if they do it to prevent ppl from quitting earlier or slacking or taking stuff ?

he meant warehouse/retail theft by employees

I'm not sure what you mean by minimizing risk and loss, or the reason why they dropped the news like a ninja.

Glad to hear the staff got reasonable severance, but wtf??
I'm just kind of shocked, and not understanding the business side of why this was executed (the way they delivered the news, not why they are merging with BB)

Yup this is what I mean, when you tell a team of staff that their job is coming to an end, but they still have to work, you run the risk of either the staff not caring which results in increased external theft, or employees stealing themselves.

When sportchek announced the closedown of sport mart, a full team of sport chek managers went into sport mark and took control to minimize risk.

[4444]

So, an American company (Best Buy) Buys a Canadian company (Future Shop) and within 15 years, Future Shop has been swallowed up and consolidated in the parent company? Didnt an American company (Burger King) just buy a Canadian Company (Tim Hortons) recently?

hmmmm....

tim hortons case = an inversion - look it up (you probably won't understand what it means).

[Klondike]

i think the source is actually doing fairly decent?
that's what BB/FS should've done in the first place, open a regular sized store in the mall and only stock what's popular and let everything else be special order/online. There's no need for massive retail space like Circuit City/Fry's

Amazing. Radio Shack Canada is actually doing better than Future Shop. :lawl:

They need to get rid of their commission-based sales. They keep trying to sell batteries to me. All I wanted was Wind Waker HD :lol

[tiger_handheld]

I wonder what will happen to Lansdowne... 2 anchor tenants gone!

Not a good year for companies with RED in their logo....will KFC be next :\

[skiiipi]

I wonder what will happen to Lansdowne... 2 anchor tenants gone!

Not a good year for companies with RED in their logo....will KFC be next :\

Taco Luis is the only reason I go to Lansdowne

[Mr.HappySilp]

I'm not sure what you mean by minimizing risk and loss, or the reason why they dropped the news like a ninja.

Glad to hear the staff got reasonable severance, but wtf??
I'm just kind of shocked, and not understanding the business side of why this was executed (the way they delivered the news, not why they are merging with BB)

To prevent workers from stealing or just slacking off. If you know you are going to loss your job would you still work hard?

[thumper]

im surprised the cashier didnt just put in his/her own rep number and kept the commission.

years ago a camera store was selling a canon flash for 50% of what futureshop is selling. i went into futureshop lansdown to try n price match, the sales rep gave me the run around on how they dont have stock and they'll order it and it'll be here the next day while honoring the price for me. next day i went in looking for the same rep n he wont sell it to me at that price, said he can do 10% off their own retail price, im like go fuck urself n peaced it outta there

i guess i was one of the lucky few. last december they had the microsoft sale for the surface pro 3 and i walked into the store at central city (i work in the office tower) saying i only wanted to just look at the demo unit before heading to staples later to use their store coupon for additional discount. sales manager overheard what i said and told me would honor the staples store coupon i showed him on my phone, so i bought it from them instead.

[The_AK]

Unfortunately yes, this was their way if minimizing risk and loss when it comes to product. All staff received reasonable severance, but still a very sad thing to hear.

Unfortunately, in today's retail environment, unless you are able to create a unique shopping experience, you will not survive. While some shoppers (mainly the boomers and some gen x) still likes to be "sold to", the majority of the younger generation prefers doing their own research and then finding the best price. They no longer needs the sales advisors to teach them about product. And in today's fast pace technology environment, it is hard for an associate to know everything about everything... That's what Google is for.

It will be interesting to see who gobbles up these prime real-estate.... With the recent target exit, the market is flooded with prime retail space and experienced retail workers. I wonder if we will see more American retailer with deep pockets trying to make an entry when there is ample real-estate and staff.

I'm anticipating more specialized stores like we're seeing with Samsung and Windows. We no longer want to be sold to but theres definitely a larger push to consumers wishing to speak directly with "the brand" (if you will). This absolutely pisses Apple off.

[ImportPsycho]

I wonder what will happen to Lansdowne... 2 anchor tenants gone!

Not a good year for companies with RED in their logo....will KFC be next :\

Lansdowne need to be demolished.
that is saddest mall I ever been to, now with target/FS gone

just put it out of its misery and build more condos lol

[Tr1ll]

Lansdowne need to be demolished.
that is saddest mall I ever been to, now with target/FS gone

just put it out of its misery and build more condos lol
I'm surprised the Toys R Us has still survived.

[604Sparda]

Taco Luis is the only reason I go to Lansdowne

LOL! SAME!

[jackmeister]

Lansdowne need to be demolished.
that is saddest mall I ever been to, now with target/FS gone

just put it out of its misery and build more condos lol

Read somewhere that there's been plans already drawn up for eventual development of retail + commercial, the same way brentwood/oakridge/marine gateway will be done.

maybe they need a 4th T&T in richmond or something

[Hehe]

It's not online shopping that killed futureshop or any retail for that matter.

It's their SERVICE. Every time I go to Futureshop, it feels that I'm being pressured into buying something by some fucking monkey. The sales have no idea about their products and show ZERO passion about what they do except selling you the extended warranty.

So instead, I do my own homework at home, order it at home, and wait for it to be ship to my own home. But if there were a local option that offer me the same experience, I would MUCH prefer to have it right away rather than waiting for canadaPOSt to deliver in a few days (if there's no delay).

Online shopping is booming, but it's still rather small comparing to B&M retail in total volume. It's up to local stores to up their game to offer an experience up to the same/beyond what online shopping has to offer and it would have no problem thriving.

[Jas29]

bought a samsung dishwasher from futureshop on thursday was asked to buy extended warranty 6 times. four years for 140 dollars. I knew exactly what I wanted and the salesman was still able to annoy me

[Tone Loc]

Lansdowne need to be demolished.
that is saddest mall I ever been to, now with target/FS gone

just put it out of its misery and build more condos lol

I raise you.

http://media.tumblr.com/a71c39aa3efe226a661f5ed87aab2ec1/tumblr_inline_naafujYonx1sm6zrz.jpg

[Tim Budong]

As sad as Landsdowne is... Langley Farm Market, the TD and the dimsum and food court are still pretty popular

I hear the Home Outfitters there is also going to close soon

[StylinRed]

yeah i think all home outfitters are closing aren't they? all the ones ive seen anyway have a closing sign displayed

[threezero]

Already seeing ads up on cl looking to snag now jobless Futureshop workers....

[Geoc]

Already seeing ads up on cl looking to snag now jobless Futureshop workers....

inb4 pyramid scheme

[flagella]

They are probably dumb enough to fall for it.

[The_AK]

Will be wearing all black to work tomorrow -_-

[boostedcivic]

Gotta say I was very pleased with how they handled the return from future shop. They didn't have the same headset in the store so they replaced it with one of a greater value. I do feel bad for the employees thay lost there job, but I'm glad too see future shop dead.

[GS8]

From: Future Shop is done: 66 stores gone for good, 65 to become Best Buy locations | Globalnews.ca (http://globalnews.ca/news/1909295/future-shop-stores-shut-down/)

Full list of stores expected to close:

British Columbia

Abbotsford – West Oaks Mall
Coquitlam – Coquitlam Centre
Kelowna – Orchard Plaza
Langley – Langley Centre
North Vancouver – 1076 Marine Drive
Richmond – Lansdowne Centre
Richmond – 2780 Sweden Way
Surrey – Central City Shopping Centre
Vancouver – 1740 West Broadway

I guess the question remains is what will happen with these stores after they've been cleared out? The one in Coq. Centre is pretty big so it'll be interesting to see if who takes over the lot space.

[way2quik]

Surprised to see Bridgeport location close, then there's the next closest BestBuy is by Main and Ontario.

[Gucci Mane]

there was a news report about this either late last year or early this year that mentioned this would happen. lots of people like myself will just go into futureshop to check out certain items and buy them online from somewhere else for a better price. fuck futureshop, im so sick of their annoying sales people who know nothing about the product and are there simply to push their bullshit warranty for a little commission. the sales people at best buy dont care about the products either but at least they aren't trying to shove a warranty up your nose at check out..

i usually go to FS/BB only to buy little things anyways. its always some kind of cable i need right away because im too impatient to wait a week for it. lol. for bigger ticket items like tv's, i go to costco. you just cant beat their warranty, 1 year manufacturers warranty and then they throw another 2 years on to that manufacturers warranty for no extra cost!

[InvisibleSoul]

Taco Luis is the only reason I go to Lansdowne

There's always still the location at Oakridge!

[4444]

what has happened with all the target stores? I know they're still closing down, but that's 2 anchor tenants of a lot of locations that will be empty.

The new canadian economy may have begun?

[twitchyzero]

Surprised to see Bridgeport location close, then there's the next closest BestBuy is by Main and Ontario.

bridgeport ones been really dead inside the last two times i went.

[StylinRed]

what has happened with all the target stores? I know they're still closing down, but that's 2 anchor tenants of a lot of locations that will be empty.

The new canadian economy may have begun?

They're closing 30 stores by Apr 1st and 96 by easter Sunday and they're planning on shuttering all doors by mid April

Other than their rate of closure I haven't heard any news regarding replacement tenants, I wouldn't be surprised if some malls open the space up for smaller stores now.... however smaller spots aren't limited either, the 'Jacob' locations haven't been filled yet and they've been closed for several months now, then there's the additional mexx stores and home outfitters

There's just too many open locations now with all the recent closures and I doubt mall managers will be willing to negotiate on prices so soon since they're run by greedy idiots so, they' re going to lie empty for awhile I bet

[KDMofo]

Taco Luis is the only reason I go to Lansdowne

The only reason I took the job at FS Lansdowne :badpokerface:
It was one of the more fun job's I had except for when the clai's bitched at me in a foreign language because I wouldn't give them two promo's

[dyan]

Walked into BB today to buy a memory card and couldn't help but overhear the customer service reps trying hard to push for the extended warranty. Guess it's at BB now too.

[Razor Ramon HG]

Surprised to see Bridgeport location close, then there's the next closest BestBuy is by Main and Ontario.

The Best Buy in Lansdowne is still open.

[4444]

They're closing 30 stores by Apr 1st and 96 by easter Sunday and they're planning on shuttering all doors by mid April

Other than their rate of closure I haven't heard any news regarding replacement tenants, I wouldn't be surprised if some malls open the space up for smaller stores now.... however smaller spots aren't limited either, the 'Jacob' locations haven't been filled yet and they've been closed for several months now, then there's the additional mexx stores and home outfitters

There's just too many open locations now with all the recent closures and I doubt mall managers will be willing to negotiate on prices so soon since they're run by greedy idiots so, they' re going to lie empty for awhile I bet

wow, didn't realize there were so many closures. i'd heard mexx went into bankruptcy protection, but didn't know they closed their Vancouver stores. and home outfitters?

wow - low educated / young workers are pretty fucked - so little opportunity and so much more competition in the pipeline!

[StylinRed]

yep however Home Outfitters don't seem to be closing all stores, but they've been steadily downsizing since last year across canada. All their stores in malls seem to be getting closed, over in ontario and locally. The Bay is said to be pushing their Home Outfitters stores towards an online sales format instead of BM

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/07/23/home-outfitters-store-closings_n_5613595.html?

the article lists only 2 stores, but their location in Metro is also closing and over in poco too iirc

[SoNaRWaVe]

Walked into BB today to buy a memory card and couldn't help but overhear the customer service reps trying hard to push for the extended warranty. Guess it's at BB now too.

pushing warranty has always been at BB. at least it has been with my purchases from there.

its where they really rake in the dough and commissions

[AzNightmare]

Seems like I'm the only one who have never been hassled to buy extended warranty at FS.

The only funny incident I remember having way back was when I was buying a monitor at Best Buy. I took the box, was on my way to the cashier when a random staff intercepted me. He said, "Hi, let me help you bring that to the front". Then made sure the cashier knew he had helped me.

:pokerface:

[Jmac]

pushing warranty has always been at BB. at least it has been with my purchases from there.

its where they really rake in the dough and commissions
BB is non-commission

It is highly profitable, however.

[dub.g]

the best buy south van is more dead than the bridgeport location.. the only time i seen that place get moderate amount of people was during ps4/xbox launch period and boxing day of course... and its not exactly pedestrian friendly since its on 2nd floor of shopping complex

so no more 10% off price matching between fs and bb

[AzNightmare]

the best buy south van is more dead than the bridgeport location.. the only time i seen that place get moderate amount of people was during ps4/xbox launch period and boxing day of course... and its not exactly pedestrian friendly since its on 2nd floor of shopping complex

so no more 10% off price matching between fs and bb

:lawl:

I go to Sportcheck and CanadianTire at least once a month, but I have never noticed a BestBuy within that same "plaza" ??
Had to Google map it to find this south van BB. I even knew there was a Mark's and Marshall there, although I never step foot in there before.

:fulloffuck:

[mickz]

bought a samsung dishwasher from futureshop on thursday was asked to buy extended warranty 6 times. four years for 140 dollars. I knew exactly what I wanted and the salesman was still able to annoy me

Reminds me of the time I bought Guitar Hero from the FS on Bridgeport. The sales associate kept trying to push the warranty on me so I asked him what would be covered. He told me if the guitar strings break or if the speakers stopped working I could bring it back for a straight exchange.

I replied with, "Great! Because this guitar has no strings or speakers."

[thumper]

This is the scene greeting shoppers outside future shop central city:

https://scontent-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xft1/v/t1.0-9/11124719_10153199230043134_5316625144016416825_n.j pg?oh=f45c6a059dc075c6772ffad5bf6363c3&oe=55ACD120

[v_tec]

The following Future Shop stores in B.C. are closed for good, according to Global BC.

Vancouver – 1740 West Broadway
Abbotsford – West Oaks Mall
Coquitlam – Coquitlam Centre
Kelowna – Orchard Plaza
Langley – Langley Centre
North Vancouver – 1076 Marine Drive
Richmond – Lansdowne Centre
Richmond – 2780 Sweden Way
Surrey – Central City Shopping Centre

[snails]

well, if anyone is interested in as to why this happened at the meeting today we had it was explained ( i work at the large distribution warehouse )

bestbuy was purchase in early 2000's. but before it was purchased futureshop and bestbuy were about to essentially go to war in canada. last minute before futureshop officialy opened they bought bestbuy. By that time it was too late to scrap the bestbuy brand so they ran with it and it did great having the 2 brands "compete"

as of late they dont have much competition at a store level and online shopping is growing by the day.. so they are basically competing with themselves for real estate, advertising and vendor contracts

over the past few years there was a growing trend of people preffering the bestbuy brand over futurshop for obvious reasons.

futureshop employees were making less money (commission) because online sales were growing.. even online sales within the store wouldnt make them commission so they wouldnt go out of their way to really help a customer find what they needed.

so as online shopping grows, commission sales drop. and so does customer service so now the plan is to put all advertising and headcount into the bestbuy brand.. but who knows if its too late for that now

so of course thats the brand that dies and it makes sense

the futureshop brand dying hit the warehouse pretty hard today in terms of layoffs and internal changes as well. sooooo maybe i will be on the market soon :(


for the record ive had great success with the warranty when it comes to the mobile department but i wouldnt consider buying it for anything else

[Verdasco]

Surprised to see Bridgeport location close, then there's the next closest BestBuy is by Main and Ontario.

next closest bestbuy is in richmond lansdowne mall

[hotjoint]

Feel bad for the employees but I always preferred best buy over future shop

[RickyTan3]

well, if anyone is interested in as to why this happened at the meeting today we had it was explained ( i work at the large distribution warehouse )

bestbuy was purchase in early 2000's. but before it was purchased futureshop and bestbuy were about to essentially go to war in canada. last minute before futureshop officialy opened they bought bestbuy. By that time it was too late to scrap the bestbuy brand so they ran with it and it did great having the 2 brands "compete"

as of late they dont have much competition at a store level and online shopping is growing by the day.. so they are basically competing with themselves for real estate, advertising and vendor contracts

over the past few years there was a growing trend of people preffering the bestbuy brand over futurshop for obvious reasons.

futureshop employees were making less money (commission) because online sales were growing.. even online sales within the store wouldnt make them commission so they wouldnt go out of their way to really help a customer find what they needed.

so as online shopping grows, commission sales drop. and so does customer service so now the plan is to put all advertising and headcount into the bestbuy brand.. but who knows if its too late for that now

so of course thats the brand that dies and it makes sense

the futureshop brand dying hit the warehouse pretty hard today in terms of layoffs and internal changes as well. sooooo maybe i will be on the market soon :(


for the record ive had great success with the warranty when it comes to the mobile department but i wouldnt consider buying it for anything else

Little insider secret as well. Nothing was really profiting except mobile.

Mobile is 50% of their business.....

everything IS dieing, computer sales, home theater etc. The only aspect in the company was services (computer and home theater etc) but they are having hard time selling it. The attempt from branding Geek Squad in future shop instead of Connect Pro.

[Mr.C]

Little insider secret as well. Nothing was really profiting except mobile.

Mobile is 50% of their business.....

everything IS dieing, computer sales, home theater etc. The only aspect in the company was services (computer and home theater etc) but they are having hard time selling it. The attempt from branding Geek Squad in future shop instead of Connect Pro.

Would've helped if they hadn't gutted Geek Squad back in 2012. Whoops.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Little insider secret as well. Nothing was really profiting except mobile.

Mobile is 50% of their business.....

everything IS dieing, computer sales, home theater etc. The only aspect in the company was services (computer and home theater etc) but they are having hard time selling it. The attempt from branding Geek Squad in future shop instead of Connect Pro.

I guess there isn't enough profit margin in TVs?

[evlee]

I guess there isn't enough profit margin in TVs?

never did. back in the late 90's early 2000's i use to sell electronics/car audio.

the store make about 5% profit margin on TV, DVD, speakers, etc. the store makes its money is on warranty, accessories (speaker wires, connectors, power bar, tv stand, speaker stand, etc) profit margin is 35%+, back then car audio was huge and custom install like amp rack, sub enclosures, custom deck install the store was making a killing specially when we have a line of people scheduled to come in for 2-15k complete car audio.

[Simplex123]

I just got laid off.. I worked at the Lansdowne location which was the Best in Canada for the year.. so my experience at the store level may not be the same as other stores..

Home Theatre and appliances had the most margin out of the whole store other than cables and wires. Roughly about 20% margin on average even when on sale. Speakers had a 50% margin and when it would go on sale it would still have 15-20% margin. Services had a 55% margin, so any warranty or labour was where money was being made.

It wasn't like what Snails said in the case of my store. All the sales were actually making money. And you get the same amount of commission for helping the customer order online if the item was not in stock in-store. I can see people saying that commissioned sales people are useless as most people grab and go. But those are definitely not the people that would even come to the store in the first place. The well informed customers that have been eyeing things down for months will buy online or buy only during Boxing Day. Most people that come to the store actually want help. And the ones that come to Future Shop are the ones that have questions and need help -- which clerks at Best Buy cannot do anything for them. Though we are commissioned, we are generally more knowledgeable about the products and do care about the customers and want them to buy the right products; because if we don't it will get returned and it will be deducted from our commission in the end. But I can only speak for my own store, maybe we were well trained and managed which made us best in Canada.

The layoff doesn't really affect me too much because I only worked 3 days while going to school, but it sucks for the old guys -- especially the ones who were not too fluent in english and survived on Richmond's Chinese customers. They have been working here for years and really have nowhere to go. The severance I thought was sufficient at least for sales (10-12 weeks of pay averaged from your pay cheque form the past few weeks).

[Tapioca]

The one thing about Future Shop that will be missed is that they're the only big box retailer in Canada that sold higher end audio products, such as Marantz and Martin Logan. Independents don't have as much volume, so discounts on these brands will be tougher to come by.

The younger people outsource expertise and product experience on run-of-the-mill electronics to bloggers, Amazon reviews, and forums. However, if you're in the market for niche products, there are very few players left on the market.

[Traum]

For people seeking higher end audio products, do they actually bother with big box stores though? With niche products, I thought you almost always have to go to the niche retailers to find the good stuff. Big boxes just tend to carry the entry level and at most, mid trim items that cater to a wider general audience.

[Tapioca]

For people seeking higher end audio products, do they actually bother with big box stores though? With niche products, I thought you almost always have to go to the niche retailers to find the good stuff. Big boxes just tend to carry the entry level and at most, mid trim items that cater to a wider general audience.

Future Shop carried Marantz, Martin Logan, Pioneer Elite, Definitive Technology, and others. These aren't super high end brands, but better than what other stores carry. Buying power also meant a discount on these brands on occasion, which you probably can't get at the few independents left.

But, hey, most people just buy TVs for size and are happy with $200 soundbars. Besides, serving niche markets is not sustainable, but it was nice for those wanting discounts and a return policy.

[twitchyzero]

agreed on the higher end HT stuff... so glad I bought a F8500 few months ago from FS
then again, they were becoming unicorns practically anywhere

[EmperorIS]

Futureshop smells better than Bestbuy.

[Matsuda]

I worked at the Surrey Central location. I started out in the camera department (coincidence??) and after a round of layoffs a year ago, my department was combined with computers and mobile audio (headphones, car audio).

I did alright in sales, I liked to think I was quite knowledgeable with cameras and computers. car audio...yeah I really didn't know shit. I HATED pushing warranties and services but as sales, you felt pressured from the higher ups to push it because that's where the margin is. Especially when selling computers/laptops where it was the lowest margin. I had some of the lowest warranty/services numbers sold in my store simply cause I didn't pressure my customers hard for it.

We had trouble having actual products in stock. It got to the point where one thing that was commonly heard was "sorry, we're out of stock" It wasn't uncommon for a customer try to buy a laptop and 4 or 5 choices had to be ordered online. It was especially fustrating in the camera department, the cabinets were practically empty for 4 or 5 straight months. We also had to help the merchandisers put away products because they laid off half the merchandising team a year before.

I was in a program called Future Leaders, basically a training program that would lead to some sort of leadership program aka some sort of management. I quit about halfway though because honestly, I didn't see a future at the store (guess I was right).

It was doomed to fail and I'm surprised we lasted this long. More and more people buying online, we could barely keep stock to sell in store. We had less than the staff than before and were still expected to keep the same numbers in whatever they measured their metrics in. Oh and the fact that there was a BB across the parking lot which we pricematched/pricebeat on a day to day basis. You're pricebeating your own company!...wtf.

Anyways, I will miss working with my coworkers, we did have a great team and I'll even miss some of my regular customers. But its time to move on to better things.

[parm104]

Some very smart comments and insights in this thread from a few users (Simplex123 and Matsuda.)

The fact of the matter is, commissioned salesman like the ones at Future Shop are generally going to have more product knowledge than someone at a store like Best Buy. Their paycheck relies on their ability to know their products and the comparisons between the various technologies. If you wanted a deal, if you wanted to have someone answer questions who truly knew the differences between his TV's, computers, and cameras, you would go to Future Shop.

Best Buy simply does not compare to Future Shop in those aspects. Instead, you have these big open store concepts and employees are there as greeters and people who can reach product for you instead of product-knowledgeable staff associates.

[quasi]

^

That's exactly what I'm looking for in a salesman. I do my own research no matter if I'm buying a Car, TV or Toaster. My last two vehicles I negotiated over the phone, no test drive just showed up, signed the papers and drove away. I'm so not into wasting peoples time or having mine wasted.

[snails]

Some very smart comments and insights in this thread from a few users (Simplex123 and Matsuda.)

The fact of the matter is, commissioned salesman like the ones at Future Shop are generally going to have more product knowledge than someone at a store like Best Buy. Their paycheck relies on their ability to know their products

my comment was based on the meeting and what was explained to us, it was in no way bias by how i actually felt

and i kinda disagree with the second part.. knowing you products is one thing, of course. but they also know where their margins are so they can/will push you to buy something they can make more money on even if its not something you need.

example. i bought my car audio system thru them because obviously i have a discount and i like to think i have decent knowledge of car audio as well. so i went into a location that had everything i needed (i checked online) and went in with a very specific list. of course they had no problem helping me based on the money i was prepared to spend before discount but they kept insisting on me going with a higher gauge wire kit. in this case it was a 0-2 gauge or something to run a 500w at 2ohm. anyone who knows their car audio knows thats insanely over kill and the guy was just pushing trying to say my sub wouldnt get power and all this stuff. it was as if he refused to grab my 8 gauge kit and pretty much told me i was stupid untttiiiiiiiill we started ringing it all up and i told him it was a staff purchase and his entire attitude changed

same thing happened when i went christmas shopping and i was constantly pushed to buy other products. once i got back to the warehouse and i see the profit margins and i understand why they were pushing so hard


now i get it. some people are great sales people regardless. but im just talking in general. people are there to make money, how do they make money? sell the highest margin products.

anyways. if you go into futureshop and you know what you need down to every detail you will understand the problem with commission. but if you go in there without a clue you are much better off as bestbuy employees arnt paid to hold your hand and from my experience its almost impossible to even get their attention

[Mr.HappySilp]

I worked at the Surrey Central location. I started out in the camera department (coincidence??) and after a round of layoffs a year ago, my department was combined with computers and mobile audio (headphones, car audio).

I did alright in sales, I liked to think I was quite knowledgeable with cameras and computers. car audio...yeah I really didn't know shit. I HATED pushing warranties and services but as sales, you felt pressured from the higher ups to push it because that's where the margin is. Especially when selling computers/laptops where it was the lowest margin. I had some of the lowest warranty/services numbers sold in my store simply cause I didn't pressure my customers hard for it.

We had trouble having actual products in stock. It got to the point where one thing that was commonly heard was "sorry, we're out of stock" It wasn't uncommon for a customer try to buy a laptop and 4 or 5 choices had to be ordered online. It was especially fustrating in the camera department, the cabinets were practically empty for 4 or 5 straight months. We also had to help the merchandisers put away products because they laid off half the merchandising team a year before.

I was in a program called Future Leaders, basically a training program that would lead to some sort of leadership program aka some sort of management. I quit about halfway though because honestly, I didn't see a future at the store (guess I was right).

It was doomed to fail and I'm surprised we lasted this long. More and more people buying online, we could barely keep stock to sell in store. We had less than the staff than before and were still expected to keep the same numbers in whatever they measured their metrics in. Oh and the fact that there was a BB across the parking lot which we pricematched/pricebeat on a day to day basis. You're pricebeating your own company!...wtf.

Anyways, I will miss working with my coworkers, we did have a great team and I'll even miss some of my regular customers. But its time to move on to better things.

One of our techs used to work at futureshop and he does pretty well. He doesn't push warranty but he does sell a lot of power bars with surge protection (I remember he mentions they were at least $60 or more ) so I guess that's where he gets his commission.

Power bar/surge protection is a lot easier to sell than a warranty if you ask me.

[AzNightmare]

In the end of the day, I don't really trust salespeople. This is what it came down to for me.

There has been many cases where I did my own research prior to, but was hoping for a second opinion, but found out the salesman only had generic info to offer. I'm the type of person who relies heavily on online research, so it only takes me about 30 seconds to know if I already know more than this salesman or not. TBH, I would rather use the gaming tech thread on RS to get info, in what I think would be more reliable, than a salesperson.

Maybe that's just me.

But the fact I have information all laid out in writing, and I can take my time to narrow down what I really want before I head on over to a store really helps. Rather than get info on the spot from a salesperson, and then either need to make a choice there, or come back later when I had time to think about it.

[Lomac]

I'm of mixed opinion about how FS worked. One the one hand, I've had a couple of bad experiences where the salespeople were being extremely pushy with the extended warranties (one outstanding moment was when I was a kid going with my dad and we had no less than four people push the warranty on a cheap phone we needed to replace... Dad finally told 'em to fuck off and that if it did die within the first year, it'd be returned via the front window late at night :lol). However, the last few times I've been in one the sales people were typically helpful and not pushy at all. Don't know if it just happened to be the stores I was in or if there was a culture change, but it was rather pleasant. I believe the FS in my town will be converting to a Best Buy as there wasn't one already, apart from a BB Mobile location in a mall.

I'm not sure how BB/FS worked by if every associate had access to margin numbers, but if so then that would help explain them pushing certain items over others. I personally work for a B&M retail company, though not as someone who works on the sales floor. While I have access to information like gross margin numbers and whatnot, the sales people here don't. I find that's a better method as it allows the associates to sell what's best for the customer without worrying if there's money being made. Yes, they still push tech sales and the warranty as those tend to be pure profit but it's definitely not as bad as other companies have been.

[thumper]

Vancouver-based Future Shop dominated the market (http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Vancouver+based+Future+Shop+dominated+market/10933067/story.html)

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/cms/binary/10933068.jpg?size=620x400s

[tool001]

having worked at FS long while back, and having bought electronics at the store and online. i am sad to see FS go, cause all the jobs that were lost.
many people dont think the front end store jobs are supported with tons of jobs in the warehouse/ admin/ etc. its too bad.

recently walked into FS on Broadway, looked at tv. spoke to sales associate. never felt pushed into buying or buying warranty. its thr job to ask, once/twice, i have had more pushy telemarketing calls and people asking me to sign up for CC at auto show.

[Hondaracer]

I always preferred FS over BB, to me it felt more sophisticated and seemingly carried more high end models of brands as opposed to BB which always felt like it was dumbed down to appeal to the ignorant consumer.

The last time I was in FS it was to buy my TV right before xmas, I had done about 10 hours of research on it and knew almost everything there was to know in terms of technical specs, ended up talking to the guy responsible for Sony models and he knew absolutely nothing compared to what I knew, I basically put him on spot over 5-6 different aspects of the TV then began to walk away saying Id think about it. He pulled me back and gave me boxing day pricing if Id buy it right then.

Seems like FS had more leeway when it came to making deals like that and price matching, never had anything but problems trying to haggle or price match at BB

[twitchyzero]

people losing jobs is bad news, but to me it's about the death of a long time local business that's sadder...in the end it was inevitable. Far too many Canadian businesses run complacent.

Wow I didn't realize they had price protection since day 1...I thought the whole pricematch rule only kicked in when Best Buy bought them.

http://www.itbusiness.ca/it/client/en/slideshow/futureshow-retro-tech-30-years/000.jpg

[SkinnyPupp]

Is A&B Sound still around? That was another commission based electronics store, a lot like the early future shop posted in that pic... I remember going there the minute I got my first credit card. FailFish

[Matsuda]

a&b is looooong gone

[InvisibleSoul]

Is A&B Sound still around? That was another commission based electronics store, a lot like the early future shop posted in that pic... I remember going there the minute I got my first credit card. FailFish

A&B Sound - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%26B_Sound)

Last one closed in 2008.

[SkinnyPupp]

RIP I guess

[Mr.HappySilp]

Is not just Future shop. Sony store is going to close all of their stores too (If not already done), Mexx is done, Home outfitters is going to close soon just to name a few.

The gov keep saying economy doing decent but I have many doubts.

[way2quik]

Sony I can understand. Sony has not been innovative and their products just aren't premium anymore, on top of 'premium' pricing..

I have not bought a Sony product in years and everyone I know either owns an LG or Samsung TV.

[Soundy]

Is not just Future shop. Sony store is going to close all of their stores too (If not already done), Mexx is done, Home outfitters is going to close soon just to name a few.

The gov keep saying economy doing decent but I have many doubts.

The state of brick-and-mortar stores isn't an economic indicator so much as it is of changing shopping habits.

Same reason record and video stores are almost completely gone now - it's all going online.

[N.V.M.]

Actually more because physical media is dying.

[Verdasco]

Is A&B Sound still around? That was another commission based electronics store, a lot like the early future shop posted in that pic... I remember going there the minute I got my first credit card. FailFish

as in above and beyond? yes Kappa

[Mr.HappySilp]

Actually more because physical media is dying.

I am surprise H&M is still alive.

[Ronin]

Why? Their business model is amazing. And most people still buy clothes in person.

The reason I seldom buy any electronics in person is because I don't need a salesman's product knowledge so really they're just bothering me. People like me have researched the hell out of anything we buy so as my generation is hitting their 30s, fewer people go to actual stores rather than just having it shipped to your door. We have zero store loyalty, we do no trust traditional advertising...we just want the best deal. The companies that survive have tapped in and learned how to market to people like me. All you have to do is look at the growth of NCIX locally while FS dies. No one cares about customer service at NCIX. I seldom stay longer than 5 minutes. They just happen to win a race to the bottom.

Product knowledge and retail salesmen will be more and more irrelevant. It's a dinosaur of a job...a relic like mailmen that will eventually simply cease to be a job.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Why? Their business model is amazing. And most people still buy clothes in person.

The reason I seldom buy any electronics in person is because I don't need a salesman's product knowledge so really they're just bothering me. People like me have researched the hell out of anything we buy so as my generation is hitting their 30s, fewer people go to actual stores rather than just having it shipped to your door. We have zero store loyalty, we do no trust traditional advertising...we just want the best deal. The companies that survive have tapped in and learned how to market to people like me. All you have to do is look at the growth of NCIX locally while FS dies. No one cares about customer service at NCIX. I seldom stay longer than 5 minutes. They just happen to win a race to the bottom.

Product knowledge and retail salesmen will be more and more irrelevant. It's a dinosaur of a job...a relic like mailmen that will eventually simply cease to be a job.

Sorry I meant HMV :rukidding: didn't have my coffee at work yet...

[skiiipi]

Product knowledge and retail salesmen will be more and more irrelevant. It's a dinosaur of a job...a relic like mailmen that will eventually simply cease to be a job.

Sad but true.... Guess I better start learning something new haha

[parm104]

Product knowledge and retail salesmen will be more and more irrelevant. It's a dinosaur of a job...a relic like mailmen that will eventually simply cease to be a job.

Agreed but not yet. We are a different generation. We are of one that is well involved with the technological changes of our society. These "product experts" aren't there for people like you and I who are going in to buy a product we've already spent countless hours doing research on. They're there for the older generation who still refers to a receiver as a stereo and is looking for a replacement remote control for their RCA tube tv.

Just because we are well versed with technology (as would be most of this ONLINE forum), doesn't mean we reflect the needs of the rest of the Canadian population.

[Ronin]

It does because my generation is now in their 30s, meaning we are now the primary demographic for technology. At least expensive technology. Older people mostly don't care about the high end. My parent are perfectly happy with standard def while I refuse to watch things that aren't at least 720p. Its already starting. The death of nearly every large big box tech store is evidence while stores that simply offer the best price do well.

Do you think anyone cares about the customer service at B&H? Or Amazon? No, they just have the lowest price. Whether that is a sustainable business model remains to be seen but the fact remains that customer service is a relic of a bygone era.

[parm104]

It does because my generation is now in their 30s, meaning we are now the primary demographic for technology. At least expensive technology. Older people mostly don't care about the high end. My parent are perfectly happy with standard def while I refuse to watch things that aren't at least 720p. Its already starting. The death of nearly every large big box tech store is evidence while stores that simply offer the best price do well.

Do you think anyone cares about the customer service at B&H? Or Amazon? No, they just have the lowest price. Whether that is a sustainable business model remains to be seen but the fact remains that customer service is a relic of a bygone era.

Amazon customer service is absolutely amazing. I think they go above and beyond to make sure my needs as a customer are met and when they are not, they have made efforts to ensure that the problem gets rectified as soon as possible. When something goes wrong, and it will, people are going to reflect on Amazon's customer service.

Let's not neglect the beauty of Amazon reviews and the role they play in our purchasing online. Like an HONEST electronics salesman, Amazon reviews help us make informed decisions about the products we are looking into.

Your conclusions on whether "older people" care about high electronics is just too general and broad to be accurate. In your personal experience that may be true, I am not denying that, but the reality is, there are plenty of people from the older generation that value high end electronics. People in their 50's are ALWAYS cruising through electronic stores and picking up expensive tvs, stereos, computers etc. To actually there is a general desire not to have up to date technology from the older generation, it's just flawed reasoning.

I'm not debating whether or not the primary demographics of consumer electronics need in-person salesman to make purchasing decisions; I'm simply reminding us all that there is still a market out there of potential purchases who not only value the advice and help of a knowledgable sales associate, but also NEED that knowledge to make an informed decision. You won't see your parents going to NCIX to buy a set of speakers for their computer...they'll go to London Drugs, Staples, Costco, Future Shop etc. Again, I'm not debating whether or not our parents are the prime market. I am simply saying that they are apart of a market out there that benefits from trained product experts in the consumer electronics sales front.

[Mr.HappySilp]

Agreed but not yet. We are a different generation. We are of one that is well involved with the technological changes of our society. These "product experts" aren't there for people like you and I who are going in to buy a product we've already spent countless hours doing research on. They're there for the older generation who still refers to a receiver as a stereo and is looking for a replacement remote control for their RCA tube tv.

Just because we are well versed with technology (as would be most of this ONLINE forum), doesn't mean we reflect the needs of the rest of the Canadian population.

Not really, working in the tech support industry you have no idea how clueless or dumb some of the ppl from our gen can be.

One of the most common questions I get is " What does a power cord looks like?" or " What does a power adapter look like?" or " I though my router/PVR/TV just turn on I don't know it needs power?!"

[parm104]

Not really, working in the tech support industry you have no idea how clueless or dumb some of the ppl from our gen can be.

One of the most common questions I get is " What does a power cord looks like?" or " What does a power adapter look like?" or " I though my router/PVR/TV just turn on I don't know it needs power?!"

You've missed my point...

[Preemo]

Not really, working in the tech support industry you have no idea how clueless or dumb some of the ppl from our gen can be.

One of the most common questions I get is " What does a power cord looks like?" or " What does a power adapter look like?" or " I though my router/PVR/TV just turn on I don't know it needs power?!"

Well guess what. You're not going to get inquiries from people who already know what that shit looks like. Of COURSE you're going to get support calls for random trivial things because that's what it is. Tech **SUPPORT**.

[v_tec]

I have a giftcardA from FutureShop, giftcardB from Best Buy.

Anyone know if I can bring both in, and transfer the amount to a brand new giftcard C?

[The_AK]

I have a giftcardA from FutureShop, giftcardB from Best Buy.

Anyone know if I can bring both in, and transfer the amount to a brand new giftcard C?

Yes, you can.

[bartone]

Nooooo! the Steelbook exclusives!!!

[thumper]

I have a giftcardA from FutureShop, giftcardB from Best Buy.

Anyone know if I can bring both in, and transfer the amount to a brand new giftcard C?

read: Electronics, Cameras, Computers, Video Games, TVs & Appliances - Future Shop (http://www.futureshop.ca/en-ca/home.aspx?icmp=FSHeader_FS_en_0)

[MindBomber]

well, if anyone is interested in as to why this happened at the meeting today we had it was explained ( i work at the large distribution warehouse )

bestbuy was purchase in early 2000's. but before it was purchased futureshop and bestbuy were about to essentially go to war in canada. last minute before futureshop officialy opened they bought bestbuy. By that time it was too late to scrap the bestbuy brand so they ran with it and it did great having the 2 brands "compete"

as of late they dont have much competition at a store level and online shopping is growing by the day.. so they are basically competing with themselves for real estate, advertising and vendor contracts

over the past few years there was a growing trend of people preffering the bestbuy brand over futurshop for obvious reasons.

futureshop employees were making less money (commission) because online sales were growing.. even online sales within the store wouldnt make them commission so they wouldnt go out of their way to really help a customer find what they needed.

so as online shopping grows, commission sales drop. and so does customer service so now the plan is to put all advertising and headcount into the bestbuy brand.. but who knows if its too late for that now

so of course thats the brand that dies and it makes sense

the futureshop brand dying hit the warehouse pretty hard today in terms of layoffs and internal changes as well. sooooo maybe i will be on the market soon :(


for the record ive had great success with the warranty when it comes to the mobile department but i wouldnt consider buying it for anything else

The Future Shop/Best Buy DC is full of people trying to turn a dead end into a career. I quit after nine months in White Goods to take a position with a construction company, and within six months I was making more per hour than my former boss that had been with the DC for six/seven years. I don't know you and I don't know your background, and to offer advice to anyone is to put oneself in an admittedly precarious position, but I would tell anyone working there to get the fuck out of that place because there are no shortage of way better opportunities out there, particularly at this time of year..

[smokinloc]

when I bought my Samsung S4 early last year from FS I bought the extended warranty they offered, $12.99 / month for extended warranty. I used it last year when the phone stopped reading the sim card and they gave me a brand new S4 on the spot no hidden fees or anything, so I was happy.

The replacement S4 started doing the same thing on the weekend so I figured I would head to BB and see if they still cover the warranty. The staff was awesome (especially being 11am on the opening day !) they had no problem finding my warranty and helping me. The mobile sales guy even told me I basically had a credit for $700 for a new phone so I got to pick any phone they had, ended up going with a galaxy S5 because I do like the phone. Very happy with the service and first time experience at the new BB (was originally a FS store that changed to BB) and also very happy I got a brand new S5 for no extra money, and my contract is up in about 8 months so I can get another new phone when its done ! :)

[Timpo]

ok so why did they pick Best Buy instead of Future Shop?

[4444]

ok so why did they pick Best Buy instead of Future Shop?

you're kidding, right?

[twitchyzero]

when I bought my Samsung S4 early last year from FS I bought the extended warranty they offered, $12.99 / month for extended warranty. I used it last year when the phone stopped reading the sim card and they gave me a brand new S4 on the spot no hidden fees or anything, so I was happy.

The replacement S4 started doing the same thing on the weekend so I figured I would head to BB and see if they still cover the warranty. The staff was awesome (especially being 11am on the opening day !) they had no problem finding my warranty and helping me. The mobile sales guy even told me I basically had a credit for $700 for a new phone so I got to pick any phone they had, ended up going with a galaxy S5 because I do like the phone. Very happy with the service and first time experience at the new BB (was originally a FS store that changed to BB) and also very happy I got a brand new S5 for no extra money, and my contract is up in about 8 months so I can get another new phone when its done ! :)

except many credit card already does this for the 12 months after your warranty expires.
sure there's more legwork involved and does not apply to repairable goods (ie. camera bodies) but in many cases you get the same outcome...just people don't even know about it. So these long term warranty only work out in your favour if your big ticket item dies after warranty + 12 months later. I like Visions' extended warranty...last I check if you don't use it they'll refund it back as a store credit.

[noclue]

almost all credit card warranties have a clause that do not cover electronics, phones and surprisingly automobiles haha

[RickyTan3]

almost all credit card warranties have a clause that do not cover electronics, phones and surprisingly automobiles haha

matching username :whistle:

you can't cover a autombile on cc because you cant put the entire amount on it.

[Hehe]

matching username :whistle:

you can't cover a autombile on cc because you cant put the entire amount on it.

I think the problem is that dealers don't take it. Otherwise I'd think many had no problem getting a car on a cc since bank gives out credit like mad.

Think all the points or cashback you can get.

[VR6GTI]

I think the problem is that dealers don't take it. Otherwise I'd think many had no problem getting a car on a cc since bank gives out credit like mad.

Think all the points or cashback you can get.
The most the dealership would let me put on my credit card was $10k, they said 6k was the max but i lied and said another dealership would do 10k.

[Mercy]

Fuck... Best buy at Lansdowne smells weird.

You can thank #9....

[Razor Ramon HG]

Went to the Granville Robson one today. All the FS signage is still there. I recognized a lady at customer service, so I guess they didn't lay off all the employees there.

[Manic!]

Went to the Granville Robson one today. All the FS signage is still there. I recognized a lady at customer service, so I guess they didn't lay off all the employees there.

They did fire all of them. The employees could reapply for a job at a lower wage.

[Mr.HappySilp]

They did fire all of them. The employees could reapply for a job at a lower wage.

That's shitty. Image making $18/hr before and now you are only getting 12/hr doing exactly the same thing at the same location.

[Sunfighter]

They did fire all of them. The employees could reapply for a job at a lower wage.

I believe that the commissioned associates were let go in the converting stores as the commission model is not used in the BBY stores. These associates are free to reapply for hourly sales roles if they would like.

The non-commissioned associates were largely retained and with the same hourly rates that they had previously from what I read.

[BoostedBB6]

Cant say I will miss them at all.
Last time I shopped there was back in 04 and all I remember is being badgered by the sales staff ever 5min and then when I wanted to make a purchase they tried to sell me additional warranty and coverages despite me declining many times.

Never enjoyed the experience there but only been a few times. Now I just buy online but it sure sucks for all the employees that just show up for work and get canned.....I can only imagine.

[jlo mein]

except many credit card already does this for the 12 months after your warranty expires.
sure there's more legwork involved and does not apply to repairable goods (ie. camera bodies) but in many cases you get the same outcome...

My Visa extended warranty is through an insurance company called Aviva. When my Nexus 5 had issues they wanted me to send it to LG for repairs who quoted 3 months repair time. When I refused they told me to take it to some hole in the wall Chinese repair shop in Vancouver they found.

Not as convenient as on the spot replacement. They will try hard to give you the lowest cost solution regardless of inconvenience.

[smokinloc]

except many credit card already does this for the 12 months after your warranty expires.
sure there's more legwork involved and does not apply to repairable goods (ie. camera bodies) but in many cases you get the same outcome...just people don't even know about it. So these long term warranty only work out in your favour if your big ticket item dies after warranty + 12 months later. I like Visions' extended warranty...last I check if you don't use it they'll refund it back as a store credit.

sorry I should have been more specific, I didn't actually pay for the original S4- I signed a new contract with rogers and just payed like $50 at the time. so the extended warranty thru my CC wouldn't have covered it either way :P I was just very happy with 2 replacement phones on the spot with no waiting lol

[snails]

sorry I should have been more specific, I didn't actually pay for the original S4- I signed a new contract with rogers and just payed like $50 at the time. so the extended warranty thru my CC wouldn't have covered it either way :P I was just very happy with 2 replacement phones on the spot with no waiting lol

i have replaced about 5 phones and always upgraded because of things like sticky buttons, low battery life and other stupid reasons. the warranty for the mobile devices is a very good investment imo.. other electronics.. not so much