Revanche: 84Charlie: Pocket Ninja: Yeah, but they've got high-end IT skills -- hardware assembly, network repair, software upgrade and maintenance. Exactly the sort of expertise that's still in demand. It probably wouldn't take much more training or certification for many of them to enter the very lucrative industry of video game design, in fact, since many of them actually worked with all three major gaming systems within the Best Buy stores. A programmer who's able to seamlessly move between designing on the Wii, the PS3, *and* the XBox? Dude, can you say golden ticket? Yeah, once word gets out that there are lots of former Geek Squad employees available on the market, you'll see the big tech and gaming firms tripping over themselves to snap them up.

Can I buy some pot from you?

No shiat.

He takes the assumption that the average Geek actually has any training before or while working with the Squad and takes it to some god-forsaken level.

This is proof that you can't go too over-the-top with trolling. Hell, most of us wouldn't even consider le ninja de la poche to be a troll, but rather satire or a parody. Because we don't believe anyone would possibly bite. Yet, here we are.

Thanks for the Meme-ries: I'll go with the Nerd Herd....



I'll let Uncle Sam voice my response:

The problem with BB is that their management is completely incompetent. What they need:

- more product offerings across the board, including smaller things, like Lowe's
- competitive product margins all the time, with coupons and rebates galore
- helpful employees and people good at sales - treat customers like customers

Instead, they lack a decent number of options. For example, I went to BB (knowing, btw, that I'd never find this) looking for an A/V wall plate for my home theatre system. They don't even have banana plugs let alone the wall plate. They could have ordered it for me but the guy never even bothered to try and sell me on it, so I just left. Now, I could understand them not having wall plates, but it's like this for everything. They often have tons of unused floor space that they don't bother to fill up with anything. Some of the most innovative and interesting products are nowhere to be found, like Logitechs higher end keyboards and mice (they will however try to sell you the $400 harmony remote). No, but they will sell you candy and popcorn at the checkout.

Everything is at least 10 dollars more than I could find at newegg or amazon or monoprice. This is guaranteed. 3 foot HDMI cable - $16 ($4 on monoprice). WD 1TB HDD, 129.99 (89.99 on newegg). They don't even have a real electronics section like Radio Shack does (Radio Shack sucks because of price point mostly). It's all designed around people who hate electronics but shop retail (grandparents and women).

And worst, their business model is to treat customers like the scum of the earth. I've never had a good experience with a BB employee, ever. One time I asked an employee if they have this TV in stock and he said he'd check and didn't come back. And no, I don't want to be grilled about your stupid $40 insurance for the $10 dollar part I just bought.

All of this is from incompetent management, it goes right up the chain of command. This is why BB will fail, not because the business model doesn't work, but because their customers are dying off like the newspaper business, and they don't know how to attract electronics-saavy people to the store because they pissed them off years ago on the online coupon thing. Marketing fail, management fail, store fail.

The bright side is Newegg will have a few hundred more potential reviewers.



/what they really took from the geeks was their jobs

Pocket Ninja: Yeah, but they've got high-end IT skills -- hardware assembly, network repair, software upgrade and maintenance. Exactly the sort of expertise that's still in demand. It probably wouldn't take much more training or certification for many of them to enter the very lucrative industry of video game design, in fact, since many of them actually worked with all three major gaming systems within the Best Buy stores. A programmer who's able to seamlessly move between designing on the Wii, the PS3, *and* the XBox? Dude, can you say golden ticket? Yeah, once word gets out that there are lots of former Geek Squad employees available on the market, you'll see the big tech and gaming firms tripping over themselves to snap them up.

Pure. Win. A++, would LOL again!

"MGM MIRAGE Advertising has been so pleased with the caliber of talent graduating from The Art InstituteGeek Squad of Las Vegas. We have hired many of your graduatesFormer Agents as they come well prepared with excellent skills and great enthusiasm to thrive in a fast-paced environment. Your studentsFormer Agents are bright, creative and talented. What a tremendous asset they have been for the MGM MIRAGE Advertising team."

Victoria Lee, Creative Manager
MGM MIRAGE Advertising, Inc



"Your studentsFormer Agents have become fantastic assets within our organization. The areas that the studentsFormer Agents are exposed to within the program are very well suited for the real-world work flow. We have been hiring several studentsFormer Agents from many institutions over the last several years and I am most pleased with the studentsFormer Agents coming out of The Illinois Institute of ArtBest Buy - Schaumburg. ... Your studentsFormer Agents are always at the top of the list."

Jared Elliot, Vice President of Operations
Americaneagle.com



"Having the opportunity to work with (Miami International University of Art & Design) Best Buy provides great talent for Perry Ellis International, and we are very excited to continue partnering with the school."

Maria Perez, Human Resources Coordinator
Perry Ellis International



"Being a graduate of (The International Culinary Schools at The Art InstituteGeek Squads), I know the quality of the program, the faculty, as well as the studentsFormer Agents. I currently have several Art Institutes graduatesFormer Agents working with me now and they have proven to be at the top of their game right out of school."

William Reid, Sous Chef, Nine Fine Irishmen
New York New York in Las Vegas



"(Miami International University of Art & Design) Best Buy is a premier school for technical and fine arts. Their studentsFormer Agents have been a great asset for the success of Miami Heat."

Kristen Territo, Broadcast Services/LED Producer
Miami Heat



"On behalf of The Las Vegas Sands Corp. I would like to thank The Art InstituteGeek Squad of Las Vegas for being the best resource in Vegas for creative talent. The majority of my design team is made up of Art Institute Geek Squad graduatesFormer Agents and I couldn't ask for a better team. From creativity, to software capabilities, to professionalism, these guys set the bar. That is why The Art InstituteGeek Squad of Las Vegas is the first place I look when it's time to find new talent."

Greg Cannon, Corporate Director of Interactive Media
The Las Vegas Sands Corporation



"Over the past year I have had the pleasure of employing a recent Art Institute Graduate Geek Squad Agent. This individual has exemplified what it takes to be a successful in this industry. Her work ethic, dependability, and the knowledge she gained at AIGS has helped her to become one of the top pastry cooks in the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group Company."

Melissa Zahnter
Pastry Chef, CUT by Wolfgang Puck

Best Buy won't be around for long, and oddly enough I think Microsoft's stores will have something to do with it.

Why buy a computer from some place with poor service that charges you for support and loads crap onto your computer when Microsoft has it's own store in the mall that sells you a "Signature" system that they support? Not to mention that they're going to be selling their gaming systems, phones, and tablets as well. Microsoft has learned a lesson from Apple, and that is service.

The rest of the store is competing against retail giants like WalMart and Target or against online stores. Both of which have better prices and no sales pressure. Electronics stores were a niche back in the 80s and 90s with no internet, mail-order catalogs, and a poor selection at the big retailers who just couldn't keep up, but times have changed.

/Well now, this turned into a rant.

The Irresponsible Captain: Best Buy won't be around for long, and oddly enough I think Microsoft's stores will have something to do with it.

Why buy a computer from some place with poor service that charges you for support and loads crap onto your computer when Microsoft has it's own store in the mall that sells you a "Signature" system that they support? Not to mention that they're going to be selling their gaming systems, phones, and tablets as well. Microsoft has learned a lesson from Apple, and that is service.

The rest of the store is competing against retail giants like WalMart and Target or against online stores. Both of which have better prices and no sales pressure. Electronics stores were a niche back in the 80s and 90s with no internet, mail-order catalogs, and a poor selection at the big retailers who just couldn't keep up, but times have changed.

/Well now, this turned into a rant.

I think electronics big box stores that operate on a Lowe's style of model where you can get anything you ever dreamed of related to electronics would do well. I know for a fact I would go to one of these stores. Maybe Fry's works this way, I don't have a Fry's nearby, though. You could work on a Starbucks/BN model and put Apple stores inside the main store.

Oooooo lots of black and white VW's for sale.

CSB:

I stepped into a Best Buy once as I was looking for a laptop, and my budget was around $500. I wasen't looking for anything high performance. Just something where I could surf the web and take it with me, when I go on trips.

I told them the price range I was within, and they refused to even show me those models and said 'Oh you don't need that... here's what you're really looking for' and showed me a $2000 model.

I said, no I am looking for something else and was basically told 'Those models are so cheap, you'd be lucky if it even turns on'.

It became just a bait-and-switch hassel.

That was the last time I have ever stepped foot into a Best Buy

Modguy: Keep an eye on threads, he posts gold like this frequently, generally within the first 20 comments.

I want to know how many threads go green because Pocket Ninja gets a hold of them.

Problem: Real geeks won't work for Best Buy
Solution: Hire general stooges, give them a training DVD, and CALL them geeks.

ringersol

Which just makes me wonder: how big of an economic opportunity did Microsoft ultimately create, by building an ecosystem that allowed every OEM, ISP, driver maker, software vendor, marketer and malware author to so trivially skullfark and pwn the average user's computer?


Microsoft created jobs, they are heros.