BBEmployee
Apr 8, 06:29 PM
You do know that BBY is their ticker symbol, right? Same reason the "stock holders" here say AAPL instead of Apple. Its not exactly top secret info.
Sure, but the point had more to do with use of internal acronyms outside of internal Best Buy world. I found it amusing that he suggested that there was no way I could be a Best Buy employee because I wrote BB instead of BBY which is indeed used quite often internally. I don't generally associate it firsthand with the stock, and I don't expect people to have knowledge of Best Buys stock ticker generally, even on an Apple forum. You say BBY to 1000 people and the few that will recognize it will either be former/current Best Buy employees and/or tech-stock enthusiasts.
Sure, but the point had more to do with use of internal acronyms outside of internal Best Buy world. I found it amusing that he suggested that there was no way I could be a Best Buy employee because I wrote BB instead of BBY which is indeed used quite often internally. I don't generally associate it firsthand with the stock, and I don't expect people to have knowledge of Best Buys stock ticker generally, even on an Apple forum. You say BBY to 1000 people and the few that will recognize it will either be former/current Best Buy employees and/or tech-stock enthusiasts.
gkarris
Oct 17, 01:08 PM
Yes, I have the Samsung 46" LN-S4696D (http://www.samsung.com/Products/TV/LCDTV/LNS4696DXXAA.asp?page=Specifications), connected to both a Samsung BD player and a Core 2 Duo Media Center Edition mini-tower with a Quadro FX graphics card and HD tuners.
It does 1080p native, as well as native 1920x1080 on the PC.
Some of the Blu-ray Discs are simply amazing (House of Flying Daggers is superb), although others just make the shortcomings of the original production more apparent. (Kind of like a CD of an old live concert, where the CD perfectly reproduces the hiss and noise in the master tape.)
$4,000 for a TV? Quoting an commercial for Circuit City or Best Buy(?) when asking people about "HD", one of the answers was "Wicked expensive...."
It does 1080p native, as well as native 1920x1080 on the PC.
Some of the Blu-ray Discs are simply amazing (House of Flying Daggers is superb), although others just make the shortcomings of the original production more apparent. (Kind of like a CD of an old live concert, where the CD perfectly reproduces the hiss and noise in the master tape.)
$4,000 for a TV? Quoting an commercial for Circuit City or Best Buy(?) when asking people about "HD", one of the answers was "Wicked expensive...."
PDE
Nov 23, 07:02 PM
I can confirm these are indeed the prices you will see. As for other details, none have been given. I'm sure we'll be told the details just before opening, such as what discounts can or cannot be combined by customers, etc. Expect all new signage in the stores, as well as a switch from the traditional black shirts to bright red shirts which display a product on front and a clever saying on the back. iPod, iPod Shuffle, MacBook & iMac will be the variety you'll see.
Also of note...if you bought recently (in the last few days) and want to get in on the dicounted prices, bring your product back in and plead with the store managers...they have the authority to return and re-ring the sale with the discount sans any restocking fee. Of course, they also have the right to be jerks and say no.
One last thing...don't plan on getting much attention from the Mac Specialist tomorrow, they'll be busy ringing out sales. Know what you want and get in line. They've been building stock for the last few weeks, but some items, such as iMacs and MacBooks are in limited quantities. (Perhaps 30 of each model in stock...maximum)
I got a black macbook for my father today and when I asked the girl at the cash register if I should wait until tomorrow she replied that if the price goes down on the macbook, they will adjust the price for me. I hope that's really true. She even said that it wouldn't be fair to penalise me because I wanted to buy a computer the day before a sale...hmmm. Does anybody know how this would work? Do I need to bring it in again, or can I just bring the receipt?
Also of note...if you bought recently (in the last few days) and want to get in on the dicounted prices, bring your product back in and plead with the store managers...they have the authority to return and re-ring the sale with the discount sans any restocking fee. Of course, they also have the right to be jerks and say no.
One last thing...don't plan on getting much attention from the Mac Specialist tomorrow, they'll be busy ringing out sales. Know what you want and get in line. They've been building stock for the last few weeks, but some items, such as iMacs and MacBooks are in limited quantities. (Perhaps 30 of each model in stock...maximum)
I got a black macbook for my father today and when I asked the girl at the cash register if I should wait until tomorrow she replied that if the price goes down on the macbook, they will adjust the price for me. I hope that's really true. She even said that it wouldn't be fair to penalise me because I wanted to buy a computer the day before a sale...hmmm. Does anybody know how this would work? Do I need to bring it in again, or can I just bring the receipt?
ClimbingTheLog
Oct 2, 03:40 PM
You'd expect Jobs would have some sympathy for the guy, what with his phreaking days before Apple.
ATM, Apple is making its money on the hardware device, so this really shouldn't hurt their profits too much, even if it does hurt the Store. Would it really be so bad if there were dozens of stores that sold content for (effectively) only the iPod? When Apple will freak out is when the Zune plays Fairplay content. With Microsoft flooding the market with billions of dollars of losses to kill its competition, don't expect this to take too long.
Apple is still committed to DRM. When they offer Apple Lossless files for download with CD-writing still enabled then I'll accept that Apple is DRM-ambivalent. Right now they aren't. And with $2 TV shows the bandwidth argument no longer holds water.
ATM, Apple is making its money on the hardware device, so this really shouldn't hurt their profits too much, even if it does hurt the Store. Would it really be so bad if there were dozens of stores that sold content for (effectively) only the iPod? When Apple will freak out is when the Zune plays Fairplay content. With Microsoft flooding the market with billions of dollars of losses to kill its competition, don't expect this to take too long.
Apple is still committed to DRM. When they offer Apple Lossless files for download with CD-writing still enabled then I'll accept that Apple is DRM-ambivalent. Right now they aren't. And with $2 TV shows the bandwidth argument no longer holds water.
Northgrove
Apr 29, 03:59 PM
rorschach: Thanks for the info! Good to hear that the lack of iOS-style scroll bars was a misreport. :)
I liked the lighter background color in the preferences more. :(
Especially since it didn't have to reverse the selected text color to white...
I liked the lighter background color in the preferences more. :(
Especially since it didn't have to reverse the selected text color to white...
KnightWRX
Apr 26, 07:17 AM
How come people still keep picking up on this point, it surprises me, especially from a developer. A larger screen doesn't necessarily mean problems for apps, a change in resolution does. That, coupled with the previous rumors of a bigger screen with the same resolution mean that if this is true, it doesn't make any difference to developers because there will be the same number of pixels in the screen. All it means is that everything will be very slightly bigger.
I think anyone claiming to be a developer and thinking screen size has anything to do with fragmentation is quite hilarious and shows the quality of some iOS developers.
It's exactly like you say, if you assumed a certain resolution when coding your app, only a change in resolution affects you. Screen size means nothing, it's all about the pixels. 960x640 is the same whether it is on a 3.5" screen or a 4" screen for a developer.
If the iOS frameworks were more resolution independent, this wouldn't even matter. PC/Mac/Web developers have had to cope with multitudes of different resolutions for years and you don't hear them whining about it.
I think anyone claiming to be a developer and thinking screen size has anything to do with fragmentation is quite hilarious and shows the quality of some iOS developers.
It's exactly like you say, if you assumed a certain resolution when coding your app, only a change in resolution affects you. Screen size means nothing, it's all about the pixels. 960x640 is the same whether it is on a 3.5" screen or a 4" screen for a developer.
If the iOS frameworks were more resolution independent, this wouldn't even matter. PC/Mac/Web developers have had to cope with multitudes of different resolutions for years and you don't hear them whining about it.
aswitcher
Sep 12, 08:14 AM
3am for the four hundredth billionth time.
I see the cracks of frustration are showing...or should that be showtiming... :rolleyes:
I see the cracks of frustration are showing...or should that be showtiming... :rolleyes:
aeneas07
Oct 6, 11:46 AM
Getting back to the actual advertisement. What self-respecting advertising professional would use someone else's tagline like that.
I had a few friends watching the football game (where we saw the ad) and half of them thought it was an iphone commercial because they were only half paying attention and heard "there's a map for that".
Pretty shoddy work in my opinion.
I had a few friends watching the football game (where we saw the ad) and half of them thought it was an iphone commercial because they were only half paying attention and heard "there's a map for that".
Pretty shoddy work in my opinion.
turbobass
Apr 5, 03:27 PM
brilliant! i find myself "surfing" free apps to find certain iAds. I've always wanted a database of all of the iADs in one place to reference and inspire. I see 2 in the macrumors screen shot that I personally have worked on. Cool!
Congratulations sir or ma'am, you are the one human being on the planet who can actually call this "brilliant" and have a use for it that is not completely retarded and/or make me wish a meteor would hit earth.
Congratulations sir or ma'am, you are the one human being on the planet who can actually call this "brilliant" and have a use for it that is not completely retarded and/or make me wish a meteor would hit earth.
wildmac
Oct 2, 03:46 PM
You'd expect Jobs would have some sympathy for the guy, what with his phreaking days before Apple.
No honor among theives... :cool:
No honor among theives... :cool:
fsudaft
Mar 24, 01:59 AM
Back when I was about 8, we were jacked. However it was our house and the house next to us. We lost all of our console GAMES, the system still there. The other house lost their console SYSTEM, the games still there. Its nice to know that the world has not changed 10 years later.
No one said all criminals are smart.
No one said all criminals are smart.
FleurDuMal
Jan 12, 05:10 AM
Steve Jobs s***s on a stage and you all gather around to share the love.
Steve Jobs released the iCrap? Cool. I gotta get me some of that.
Steve Jobs released the iCrap? Cool. I gotta get me some of that.
thegman1234
Jan 2, 12:46 AM
No, the chip in the iPhone will not handle LTE. LTE, while being developed by the same group the developed HSPA, is NOT the same tech and requires all new hardware.
Also, the iPhone 4 is not capable of working on upgraded networks. It does not support anything higher than HSPA (does not support HSPA+)
Not saying you're correct or incorrect, just saying that the information I had been dealt doesn't support your statement.
Verizon and Apple have at least 2 solutions they could implement to enable simultaneous voice and data on CDMA.
Well, once again, supposedly LTE will allow for simultaneous voice/data.
I for one will be staying with AT&T if and when Verizon gets the iPhone. I'll also be laughing while Verizon suffers the same fate that AT&T did as millions of users hit their network at once. I don't care how "strong" Verizon's network is, I don't think they're ready for the heavy hit they're going to take.
Also, the iPhone 4 is not capable of working on upgraded networks. It does not support anything higher than HSPA (does not support HSPA+)
Not saying you're correct or incorrect, just saying that the information I had been dealt doesn't support your statement.
Verizon and Apple have at least 2 solutions they could implement to enable simultaneous voice and data on CDMA.
Well, once again, supposedly LTE will allow for simultaneous voice/data.
I for one will be staying with AT&T if and when Verizon gets the iPhone. I'll also be laughing while Verizon suffers the same fate that AT&T did as millions of users hit their network at once. I don't care how "strong" Verizon's network is, I don't think they're ready for the heavy hit they're going to take.
GorillaPaws
Mar 28, 04:12 PM
So..What great App you all feel is going to be excluded by this change? I did not see anything from last years winners that could not be in the app store if the developer wanted.
Any app that uses a private API to bypass a bug in Apple's code and thereby improve the end-user's experience for one.
Any app that uses a private API to bypass a bug in Apple's code and thereby improve the end-user's experience for one.
Gator24765
Apr 15, 04:05 PM
I wont believe anything until apple releases but looks good.
sam10685
Aug 7, 03:15 PM
it's about time... the price is still kinda steep though...
TheNewDude
Sep 28, 12:03 PM
Oh i'm sure there will be LOTS of technology in the house.
I bet he'll be able to control everything via an app on his iPhone.
The house itself doesn't need to be HUGE. He can still apply a lot of technology into the house making it worth millions!
I bet he'll be able to control everything via an app on his iPhone.
The house itself doesn't need to be HUGE. He can still apply a lot of technology into the house making it worth millions!
Doctor Q
May 3, 07:25 PM
It's funny because nowhere in europe (well, from first hand experience in UK/ Scandanavia), do the carriers prevent tethering, nor do they charge an extra fee for it.
They have data caps (100MB, 500MB, 1GB etc) but they don't care what you use it for. And this makes sense. Thus I can work from cafes through my HTC Desire, and as long as I'm not streaming video or downloading many podcasts then the 1GB/month is more than enough for my phone and occasional tethered usage.
For once Europe seems to be ahead of the curve to the advantage of the consumer when compared to the USA.
I'd like that arrangement better. I'd rather pay for one package and use it as I like without being nickel-and-dimed.
They have data caps (100MB, 500MB, 1GB etc) but they don't care what you use it for. And this makes sense. Thus I can work from cafes through my HTC Desire, and as long as I'm not streaming video or downloading many podcasts then the 1GB/month is more than enough for my phone and occasional tethered usage.
For once Europe seems to be ahead of the curve to the advantage of the consumer when compared to the USA.
I'd like that arrangement better. I'd rather pay for one package and use it as I like without being nickel-and-dimed.
unlinked
Mar 29, 02:22 AM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPod; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)
They rummaged through non-App Store apps two years ago, but back then there wasn't a 30% cut in it for them.
That never happened.
They rummaged through non-App Store apps two years ago, but back then there wasn't a 30% cut in it for them.
That never happened.
calzon65
Jul 21, 03:23 PM
Apple Apple Apple... or should I say Steve Steve Steve...
What you are doing right now is what a psychologist would call "diverting." You are simply trying to take away the focus of your own iPhone 4's faults and place everyone's attention on other brands that we do not care about. You admitted you screwed up (congratulations, that is a great first step). Now it is time to take another baby step and fix the problem... your problem... the iPhone 4.
You are 100% correct, this is exactly what Apple is doing and many in the press have raised the same fact. It is a classic and deliberate PR move to divert attention away from Apple�s own issues�even if their competitors have the same or similar issues.
What you are doing right now is what a psychologist would call "diverting." You are simply trying to take away the focus of your own iPhone 4's faults and place everyone's attention on other brands that we do not care about. You admitted you screwed up (congratulations, that is a great first step). Now it is time to take another baby step and fix the problem... your problem... the iPhone 4.
You are 100% correct, this is exactly what Apple is doing and many in the press have raised the same fact. It is a classic and deliberate PR move to divert attention away from Apple�s own issues�even if their competitors have the same or similar issues.
Mattie Num Nums
Apr 8, 02:49 PM
I'm a current employee at Best Buy and thought I'd offer my two cents on a few issues.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
As a former BBY employee I can tell you a few things that are flawed.
#1 no former or current Best Buy employee would call themselves BBemployee, BBYEmployee would seem more likely. I know its stupid but it is the culture of Best Buy to shorten it to BBY.
#2 You would have no clue if Best Buy was in trouble. As a simple Blue Shirt or even a Black Shirt you would not have this information passed down to you.
#3 Your rant show that you either hate Best Buy for personal reasons or possibly a former employee who has a huge vendetta against the company.
#4 Your rant does nothing to support this discussion.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
As a former BBY employee I can tell you a few things that are flawed.
#1 no former or current Best Buy employee would call themselves BBemployee, BBYEmployee would seem more likely. I know its stupid but it is the culture of Best Buy to shorten it to BBY.
#2 You would have no clue if Best Buy was in trouble. As a simple Blue Shirt or even a Black Shirt you would not have this information passed down to you.
#3 Your rant show that you either hate Best Buy for personal reasons or possibly a former employee who has a huge vendetta against the company.
#4 Your rant does nothing to support this discussion.
ifjake
Sep 12, 08:19 AM
yeah, the iTunes videos are definitely referencing movies I'd say. I mean we all know it was happening. The surprise is the non-disney titles, since we'd all assumed that that would be all Jobs was able to pull. But then again I don't see why studios would sign up with Amazon video, relatively unproven in digital content delivery, without signing up with iTMS, a very much proven system. I'm sure that's a huge part of Jobs negotiations, not ever once asking for anything exclusive. (That would be what his disney connections might be able to get him). If they're worried about being locked in to the iTMS, then they're free to allow whoever they want to to sell their stuff. The pricing scheme right now as rumored is at least two tiered, one for new releases and one for old, so yes, Mr. Movie Studio, you can make more money off your hot newest thing.
MBPLurker
Mar 17, 10:55 AM
Lets keep the flaming going lol, Maybe it will reach 500 posts, lmao funny how people believe everything they read in a forum, sec I'm also a lawyer, and Doctor, yea I can pick any profession I want on MacRumors, everyone enjoy their iPad, I'm going back to the real world, while the debate in this thread continues.
Poor kid really doesn't think he did anything wrong.
Poor kid really doesn't think he did anything wrong.
justperry
Apr 15, 01:48 PM
I hope this is true... I really would like to have a more rugged case design on the iPhone (planning on getting the next version). I had the 3G iPhone and the back plate always felt flimsy / fragile.
For the antenna - could the antenna placement be put near the apple logo on the back (maybe that is plastic) or -- might there be enough antenna surface to receive through the front?
I also wonder if they could tie an antenna to the bezel on the front of the phone, or integrate it into the aluminum enclosure on the back. Not knowing metallurgy, I am not sure if there is a way to turn aluminum to a receptive material or could the case be of an aluminum alloy to allow reception?
No way Dude.
All of the phones that I see open to see the internals had metal shields in the front to get less radiation from the antenna.
It is still not proven whether or not U can get cancer from radio waves.
But,I do know certain places where radio waves will kill U.
Don't even come close to a very high power antenna from a radio station,a T.L. will even light up if you hold it nearby.
Making an antenna of the aluminium casing is impossible,don't U think Apple and others would have done that long time ago:eek:
For the antenna - could the antenna placement be put near the apple logo on the back (maybe that is plastic) or -- might there be enough antenna surface to receive through the front?
I also wonder if they could tie an antenna to the bezel on the front of the phone, or integrate it into the aluminum enclosure on the back. Not knowing metallurgy, I am not sure if there is a way to turn aluminum to a receptive material or could the case be of an aluminum alloy to allow reception?
No way Dude.
All of the phones that I see open to see the internals had metal shields in the front to get less radiation from the antenna.
It is still not proven whether or not U can get cancer from radio waves.
But,I do know certain places where radio waves will kill U.
Don't even come close to a very high power antenna from a radio station,a T.L. will even light up if you hold it nearby.
Making an antenna of the aluminium casing is impossible,don't U think Apple and others would have done that long time ago:eek:
No comments:
Post a Comment