Apple and Best Buy might

[Gregg]

I bought my first Mac at BestBuy. I knew nothing. They weren't much help. After four years of struggling with the maximum 8MB of RAM, I bought my current G3 -now five years old with plenty of useful life left in it. Of course, I still love my MacTV, even though I don't turn it on anymore. Maybe that will change soon, if it will respond. The last time it sat for so long, it refused to boot up at all. Will BestBuy's Apple sales change for the better this time around? I doubt it.

[()]

Bestbuy want's to sell their service plans for 3 years on computers, Apple want's the buyer to buy Apples warranties...

See the crash!

[Bill]

If I'm reading your post correctly Tonye, you were laid-off or fired from best buy?
Didn't you post sometime back on this also.?. Something about suing them.
Guess I could look it up but nah.
Correct me if I'm wrong.

However if this indeed is the case, I can see why you're so bitter with best buy.
Top that with what most already know about best buys tactics,policies.
Better step back and count to ten backwards sir.

Most retail stores work on the same sales principals/policies etc.
Look at circuit-city. There floor staff is straight commission. Talk about cut-throat.
Frys. There floor staff ... I'd better not go there. Yet they do ok with Mac products.

[()]

Yes I sued and won, but walked from the store, not a good company, Fry's well i won't go their either, but Apple has been selling there for a long time and i was going to work their until I heard from a former employee that told me about the sale pressure they put on the consumer when it comes to a service plan, and it's also a commissin based job.

Bestbuy, don't buy a service plan and you are basically screwed.  

If you shop at a Bestbuy, always find the item you are looking for and get it down yourself (only if you are at the WLA store), always get the name of the employee and follow through with it if they CPO (customer pass over) to another employee or leave you hanging, if they tell you MSN (400.00 cash off instanty 3 yr contract) is down then offer to take the Bestbuy Service plan and see jst how quickly it come back up and running.

Then once you get the item rung up, cancel the service plan at the register and go with the manufacturers warranties.  They are cheaper, and on site.

Never buy your computer at the customer service counter, always take it to another register #1-18.

Buyers beware, go in and know what you want and don't feel pressured into buying something you don't want.


 

[Bill]

You DID hear that really LOUD "Whoosh"-ing sound, right Tonye?
Well, that was the point of it all... rapidly going over your head.

Let me try another approach.

Apple and Best Buy have had their 'short comings' in the past for various reasons.
Same with some of the other big national and worldwide retail stores.
They all will at one point or another work out their differences that benefits both sides .. three sides ... who knows how many pieces of the pie it takes to create an eatable whole one.

All the retail big players play the same game as far as -sell! sell! sell!-.
Best Buy is no different than say Circuit-City or Frys when it comes to -sell! sell! sell!-.
If they can pull more green out of your wallet ... Ya Buddy! Same with plastic.
Their floor standards are of course geared towards there own policies too achieve this goal.
Do you honestly think Circuit-City or Frys doesn't try the same strong arm tactics as Best Buy.?. Sure they do.
{btw. I'm just using CC & Frys as examples}

It didn't work out for Apple and Best Buy the first go-around.
Nor did it for Circuit-City, for what two tries.?.

NOW possibly .. just possibly the two have learned from their last go-around.
Best Buy lost a ton of incoming revenue. Apple most likely could of made more.

I'm sure they both got their stubborn heads out of the sand and said "lets work something out".

Speaking of Sand. See Sandboxes post above. Think he hit the nail on the head.!.

Along with trying to work out how much/who gets what in the revenue, they need to work out HOW too improve on the customer approach side.
Thus Apple says they're bringing in own players. Not training the present summer part timers.
Last time around they brought in an Apple rep who had to cover a whole district of stores.
I met a few back then. Apple reps ... yeah right.
Let me tell you how that works real quick.
Apple allows (or farms out) outside experienced mac enthusiast to apply for a Apple rep position. Some really,really knew there stuff. Some knew enough too fill an empty gap somewhere. I know this because a very good friend of mine used to volunteer his time and services on the weekends for free being an Apple rep because he doesn't need the money. His goal was recruit - teach the macintosh to the ignorant public.
Finely Apple .. errr .. demanded his time when he didn't have it to give.

>>back on tract<<

Everyone has some personal (or in-house) horror story about 'any' big retail store.
I've got some humdingers myself.
That is not the point.  

Point is will Apple dig deeper into the past mistakes that all parties concerned made to create workable solutions?
Did they learn from the last go around?

[Lindsay]

>The point is will Apple dig deeper into the past mistakes that all parties
>concerned made to create workable solutions?

 I recently relocated from an area that was wonderful for Mac users (Gaithersburg, MD) to one that is not (Pittsburgh, PA). This city, the second largest in Pennsylvania, is served by one Apple store, MacOutfitters, and a small display at one CompUSA store. MacOutfitters also serves customers in parts of Ohio and West Virginia, and as far as I can tell is the only Apple store for more than 100 miles.  (I'd be happy to be proven wrong on this point.)

The situation around here does not inspire people to buy Macs, unless they are already loyal, or unless they have the dumb luck to live near MacOutfitters.

If Apple wants to try again to "hold hands" with Best Buy, I wish them all the best.  

Lindsay

[Bill]

Guess I'm fortunate in an odd since Lindsay because I'm in a location in so.Calif where one can drive fifty/sixty miles in any direction and find whatever one needs.
A little farther if one wants to go to the beach or head up to the mountains.
The downside to that is  .. Hey Look Martha! There's a real tree!

Less than fifteen miles away there's a small but pretty good mac retail dealer.
They're small enough were customers and the employees at the store go by a first name bases yet large enough to hold their own.They have three branch stores now.
Small showcase and all that of course. Mostly they'll order whatever you need from Apple and fedx or ups will get it there the next day or two.
Same with third party vendors. Example was once I was way out in the sticks working and I called them asking if they can order **** for me. He said they were placing an order that afternoon anyways and will add mine on. Got back from no mans land two days later and stopped by the store. It was there.

I've a compusa fifty miles in one direction and another about the same distance in another direction.
Neither isn't very swift when it comes to customer relations or their stock shelf items.
EXCEPT one of the compusa stores has a VERY knowledgeable Mac guy there.
He IS a full time Apple employee during the week. He plays Apple rep on one of the weekend days at his choosing.

Now I'm surrounded by Circuit Cities, Best Buys, Staples, Office depots etc etc.

That mac retail (above) store. Well they have banker hours or less it seems. <gr>
By the time I'm off work, they've closed the doors and gone home.
Weekends, Closed.

For my own personal selfish reasons I really hope Best Buy and Apple sit down and iron out all the details because I've a Best Buy about five miles away .. right off the highway. One quick drive. Another around ten miles away in the other direction.
>> incoming super selfish reason <<
There's a land of dirt designated for development within walking distance from where I hang my hat.
"Coming Soon -- Costcos, Best Buy, Staples blah blah" <Big Grin>
Best of all! They're going to have a Stadium Pizza also!!

[()]

Apple reps! I don't think so Bill, you do what the store supervisors tell you to do, and selling Apple Computers just won't hang with Bestbuy when the majority of their customers are PC users and want to buy things for the PC. As an Apple guy for the Bestbuy store and employees, I was told to sell to the PC users because that's were the money is.

Bestbuy and Apple, personally I don't care, it's not my company that will suffer the loss.  I worked at Bestbuy, I know how the company operates and the employees have to do as they are told.  

You can have a dozen Apples on one side of the store and they won't sell, just like  the Compaqs didn't sell, I was told to sell the HP's and Sony computers and leave the Compaqs alone.  Now HP and Compaq merged because Compaq didn't sell.  

The company Bestbuy is as croked as a company can get.  I just don't want Steve Jobs and Apple suffer.

As an ex Bestbuy employee, you are told one thing to do at the morning meetings, then after the meetings, the supervisors are told to tell you something else.

This is my last post on this subject, Bestbuy just ain't worht it!

 

[Lindsay]

>As an Apple guy for the Bestbuy store and employees, I was told to sell to the PC users >because that's were the money is.

Outside of a few major markets, Macs are hard to buy (at least in stores, where they can be seen and used) and hard to repair.  They are like terrific cars that you'd better know how to repair yourself if they break down, or be prepared for a long wait or a long drive for service.   It should not be a big deal to find Macs in a store, or to get repair service.  But it is.

Partnering with a big chain will at least get the computers seen and used.

Lindsay

[Bill]

"Partnering with a big chain will at least get the computers seen and used."
Hundreds .. thousands of folks all across the globe I'm sure are in mutual agreement Lindsay.
Just have to wait and see how the cards turn out.

Tonye. I see you're still letting your personal experience from one [perhaps two] stores cloud your mind on the larger picture. Oh well.

If *they* do end up trading feathers, maybe after awhile the whole pow-wow reverts right back to the first go around. Maybe not.
I have my doubts also.
Yet at this stage I'm willing too hope for the best.
No reason to raid the game when the chips haven't been bought yet.