Purdue_Pete: You laugh now just wait until you need tech support...

No one ever laughs watching that show.

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?

Thunderpipes: But Obama said the private sector is fine. I don't understand. We just added a gigantic 80,000 jobs too. Recovery!

the private sector is doing just fine, provided you're a business owner. profits are at record highs and the stock market is rocking.

all those sainted job creators are just using the cash as kleenex to jerk off into, instead of hiring more people.

Everyone in this thread knows more than anyone on the geek squad.

I still remember fondly when the first few Best Buys started appearing in Michigan in the early 90's. If you wanted to find a good selection of games (Amiga!), it was the place to go -- and you could get things at a really good price.

But then something happened, and the place turned into soul-sucking, greedfest of corporate incompetence that it is today. Just seeing the store logo at this point makes me cringe. I went into one for the first time in years the other day, and it was like walking into a dark, seedy, haunted village. I think I was there all but 30 seconds.

/Circuit City, at least, was always brightly lit in its evilness

ManateeGag: it's not just geek squad. a friend of mine is a department supervisor, and he's getting the ax because they are merging his department with another one. He's not sure if he wants to take the severance and find something else, or try to get something else with BB. I suggested to him to go with option A.

He'd be wise to take the money and run. Best Buy is well on it's way to joining Circuit City.

They are canceling and/or rescheduling far out into the future appointments for in-home installations. People pay big money to have geek squad installations to their home. I seriously doubt that a installation cost Best Buy money. I can see the logic of removing employees who don't have enough work to do but when you have to reschedule an installation months out it means Best Buy is LOSING money. This company is now being run by morons who don't want money? Or they just want a short term stock uptick so they can sell.

Good. F*ck Best Buy.

It's not the overpriced TVs, PCs, and other high end electronics that keep me out of Best Buy. Yeah, I wouldn't buy it there but how often am I really going to make a high dollar purchase on electronics each year?

What keeps out of best buy is every small item they have that I actually need on a regular basis (cables, CDs, DVDs, adapters) are so farking overpriced that it is disgusting. Need a new USB charger for my Android because I lose it every few months? I can either go to best buy and pay 34.99 or I can go to amazon or new egg and get one for 1.99 and it usually shows up the next day. If you make your price reasonable on the small stuff just maybe I'll spend a little extra money in your store because I'm already there.

But there is no way I'm going in your store to get anything practical because your prices aren't.

bdub77: 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.

Frys is awesome. Ive actually built my computers with Frys parts before. It would be impossible for me to do at best buy, every time I've ever gone there, they dont carry the higher end parts I want. They're still stocking 200 series geforce cards. I mean, really...

Anavrinman:

Thanks for your post, interesting read. Worked at Circuit City for a while and watched as management tore that place to the ground.

We were part of a test market, they wanted the stores to be more like Coldstone. Yes an Ice Cream place, they required we all start singing and dancing at 5 PM everyday.

Half the knowledgeable people left, they hired high schoolers with no experience, and the company closed down a year later.

Only executives could think this stuff up.

/Hope they all are in the unemployment line, with their houses foreclosed on.

I've sat in conference rooms with the BB execs. A few things:

- First, the people that work at Geek Squad are not terrible people. The sales training and policies that they have to deal with are terrible, but they're mostly alright. I'm not suggesting that ANY of them are qualified to handle computers, but they're not evil, they just pretend to be when they're on the clock.

- The exec team knows that they were pricing too high to be competitive with online stores. They actively worked to drop their prices to be competitive, and because online stores, such as NewEgg and TigerDirect, are expanding and increasing their overhead (and therefore prices), BB is more able to do this. Their problem is that they didn't pick up on this until WAY too late. They burned up a lot of good will in the tech and consumer communities and by the time they turned that ship around, it was already too late.

- BB also realizes that their sales people suck. Part of this is a hope that they can still drain money out of people who don't know better, the other is that it takes time and resources that they either don't have or don't want to invest right now to train their floor staff. It IS a priority for them, and I'm pretty sure that you'll see a turnaround of this (more knowledgeable floor staff) when/if they reduce the size of their workforce.

- What's sinking BB right now is real estate. If you see them dropping stores, it's because of that. If this goes the way I think it will, they'll drop as many stores as strategically possible, and convert the existing ones to be more like showcases for their online stores. They'll be able to reduce inventory and if they're smart about it, require vendors to supply sales staff on their dime - reducing either most or all need for paid staff.

- BB fosters and encourages a culture of backstabbing at their main offices. Incompetent people seem to rise in the ranks, while anyone with integrity seems relegated to "grunt work" (it's an office... so it's not really grunt work. Hot girls also seem to do well there). This means that they will probably not be able to pull off the above restructuring - or at least not in time.

- BB's subsidiary brands (Geek Squad, Best Buy Mobile, Firedog, etc.) are actually making money. The main retail brand is not. These brands are keeping the parent company afloat - if barely.

Don't count BB out yet - they're figuring some stuff out and reorganizing, but they still have a lot of assets, and a lot of room to breath. They're adapting, albeit too slowly for the modern markets - which will be what kills them in the end - but they'll be around for a while in some form or other.

Gotta remember, most peoples understanding of computers is the same as their understanding of their car. GS was just a computer version of a shady car mechanic.

You need your headlight fluid changed.

starlost: kliq
I was looking for an extra paycheck a few years back before I got my real job. The local Best Buy was hiring for a part-time wireless associate. I got the "why should we hire you?" question. I told them point blank that everyone else they will interview will not know more about cell phones than me. iOS, Android, Mango...even freaken Symbian. From previous experience, I even already knew a lot about the Best Buy POS system.
And of course, I wasn't hired. Makes sense.

few people have the guts to hire someone who knows more then they do. but if they can and know not to get stabbed in the back they can ride on the shoulders of the people under them. there is a feeling that more is better. i have 5 people working for me and you have only 3. i must be more important then you. if you say you get just as much work done with 3 people you are called a ball buster and trouble making company a-kisser.

Idiots, both of you. They didn't want your farking knowledge. They wanted to know if you had what it takes to sell, to upsell, and to sell add-services.

YouPeopleAreCrazy: Best Buy sucks. Huge, sweaty, diseased donkey balls.

However...in this market, they are the only actual store where I can go and lay hands on something and see how it fits/looks. CircuitCity, gone. CompUSA, gone.
OK, there is OfficeMax/OfficeDepot. Not the same.

If I want a new monitor, I'd like to actually *look* at it first. Or a mouse. Does it fit my hand? How is the key feel on this keyboard? Is this laptop too small or large?

Newegg/Amazon/Frys all have better prices and service. But for some things...you just have to get up close and personal before the buy.

Thankfully I have Fry's Electronics.

Best Buy sucks. Huge, sweaty, diseased donkey balls.

However...in this market, they are the only actual store where I can go and lay hands on something and see how it fits/looks. CircuitCity, gone. CompUSA, gone.
OK, there is OfficeMax/OfficeDepot. Not the same.

If I want a new monitor, I'd like to actually *look* at it first. Or a mouse. Does it fit my hand? How is the key feel on this keyboard? Is this laptop too small or large?

Newegg/Amazon/Frys all have better prices and service. But for some things...you just have to get up close and personal before the buy.

brukmann: They did the equivalent of buying Apple, firing 80% of the workforce and replacing them with unskilled labor, then saying, "build the same product as your predecessor."

Maybe they should change their name to Cingular.

Who will I pay $100 to run Norton Antivirus on my computer now??

/could be worse. They could be the Teen Girl Squad.

Best Buy is done. They already run the cheap ass way. My younger sister worked there 4 years ago. I had to pick her up when her up every day before she got a car They make the evening crew vacuum, clean, and do everything a regular cleaning crew would do before they were let out. It didn't matter if it took a half hour to an hour past closing. Then, they frisked every employee on the way out, right in front of the entrance for everyone to see. They give a discount, but biatched when you used it, and they'd investigate if you bought 2 of anything, because they thought you were using it for family of friends.

They suck nuts in plain english. 8 bucks an hour to be treated like a criminal and servant. And they wonder why they're going the way of the Dodo?

NephilimNexus: And good riddance! Like the world needs people who charge $50 to spend literally ten seconds installing a RAM chip.

This is a bit pedantic but:

a) These "people" don't charge $50. BestBuy does. I imagine "these people" get paid a fraction of that. They're just working schleps like you and me.
b) You don't buy RAM in "chips", at least not for PCs.

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.

Former Geek here, I was one of the good ones (and yes, there are competent GS employees. But they are few and far between)

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I feel really bad for the install guys who are getting canned. They didn't even start out as "geeks", they used to be a separate entity entirely. When I was there (06-07) they were just the "Install" team who set up TVs and mounted home theater systems. After about 6 months, they became geeks. Now, they're getting laid off with other geeks.

Glad I got out when I did. Wasn't a bad job at all though, 12.50/hr and none of the work was really that hard. My co-workers though......that's another story.

These guys were totally worthless. I went to a Best Buy earlier this year to find some memory to upgrade my mid-2007 iMac. I asked the Geek Squad guy what memory would fit, and he was like, I dunno, I need a model number. I showed him a picture of it on my iPhone and the guy either didn't care or was so incompetent he couldn't look it up. So I went home, found some dirt cheap memory on Amazon and had it at my door 2 days later.

Thunderpipes: But Obama said the private sector is fine. I don't understand. We just added a gigantic 80,000 jobs too. Recovery!

Businesses that run stupidly and make stupid decisions get weeded out of the market. Firing so many employees that they have to cancel or reschedule appointments months out, when these appointments make Best Buy tons of money reeks of short term, really dumb thinking.

Well, it won't be long before all Best Buy employees get the ax. They've already closed hundreds of stores. I'll bet the employees participating in the con-call heard something along the lines of "In order to realign our business priorities, so that we may continue to add value to our customers' experience, we are making some important and exciting changes in our staff structure. Your manager will fill you in on the details sometime today."

The cowards can never be up front about laying off employees anymore and their dicks won't get hard if they don't present some absurd biz-speak flower song.

Oh "geek squad"; your incompetence and general surlyness knows no bounds. If they were really that good; they wouldn't have jobs at best buy working for minimum wage. My bet has always been; high school drop outs that payed attention the day that the computer/multimedia teacher showed them how to clean out the recycle bin.

/ that is all

Basically, why do I need help with my computer shopping when all I need to do is buy a Mac?

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.



/it's not jumping the shark if you don't come back down

Not a huge fan of BB but have gotten good deals on a 50" plasma, the stand, and a drier. But when I took an old HD to have my resume pulled of it they wanted $100 min. charge, not all the data, one file. Went across the street and bought a SATA combo enclosure for $30 and can run anything off the old HD. Fark em til I need another appliance.

Who would want a geek working for you anyway ? Wouldn't a nerd be better ?


Geek= wanna be
wanna be nerd
wanna be jock
wanna be stoner
wanna be thug

intelligent comment below: Geek Squad does tap a huge market, the majority of people can barely turn on their computer.

I think the notion that most people are thick, aging ass scratchers, hopelessly lost in a sea of elegant technology they couldn't *possibly* grasp is not only a crock of sh*t, but it's not keeping a lot of lights on or douchebags with MS certs in free range espresso and ironic T-Shirts, anymore. This is a good thing.

Fry's and Best Buy used to be almost exactly the same, except BB didn't have a restaurant in it.

Then BB went with cheaper idiotic workers, stocked less selection of products in the same real estate space, and never cared about lowering prices, just tricking idiots into warranty plans.

The writing has been on the door for a long time

Geek Squad does tap a huge market, the majority of people can barely turn on their computer.

NephilimNexus: And good riddance! Like the world needs people who charge $50 to spend literally ten seconds installing a RAM chip.

No it's very bad. Sane peoples with computer skills stays far away from "technical support". Who do you think the peoples who need help with installing an anti-virus and who blame you for the tv not working after you installed ms office on their computer will turn to?

mjohnson71: So once the Best Buys are gone, where do I go then? Not Target or Walmart because all they'll have is the TVs made to their specs. Then I'll be stuck with driving 300 or so miles to Chicago to find a Fry's or HHGregg.

HHGregg... unimpressive. It made Best Buy look like a Fry's in comparison. I wish them luck.

As for Fry's, there's just one store in the entire Chicago area, in Downers Grove. There are a couple of Micro Centers (one on the North Side near Elston and Diversey, the other in Westmont). Neither Fry's nor Micro Center are especially convenient for me, but it's better than nothing.

TigerDirect resurrected the CompUSA name, and they have a store in Naperville (right at the warehouse, so you can get just about anything there, but it's a long drive for me) and one in Orland Park (much closer but limited selection). Unfortunately, they're showing signs of shark jumping, as I started seeing small appliances there the last time I went.

Geek Squad = IRL AOL

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.

As a former Geek Squad employee, and now a real network engineer (It's real cause my job title says it!!! Thank YOU student loans!), I would like to offer to stab you in the face for your sly understated sarcasm.

I am enjoying this thread. I don't consider myself close to being computer savy and I know GS sucks. I used them once and I am still sticker shocked by what they charged. I don't worry about going to these guys now that two of my friends run a much better computer repair business. Lately a lot of new competition has been popping up for GS and more people are getting tired of them, so I can see why the downsizing. The only GS service I think no one else provides is the setting up electronics at your house. GS really is the Quickie Lube of computer repair.

For those in the Genesee county, MI area, check out the Frog. Frog charges less than GS and do a whole lot more. When they customize a pc tower, I have seen them even put a specialized kickin paint job on the box. They did a nice one for a veteran. My buddies work at the one in Mt. Morris. They were talking of doing college theme paint jobs on towers. I don't know if they gone through with that or not.

/didn't intend to sound like a commercial, but I do trust my friends over GS
//If you do happen in there tell big Mike and Dan 'Hi' for me

Big Man On Campus: Electronics retailers are doomed... DOOOOOMED.

in fact, retail in general is doomed in the U.S.... DOOOOOMED.

Find a job in an industry that produces something... hopefully something other than criminal enterprise, but if crime pays, ask about their fringe benefits.

I wouldn't say retail is DOOOOOMED; but there is too much of it. On a sq/ft per capita basis, there's no reason for the United States to have 10 times as much as other 1st world nations.

/We are all guilty of buying too much "stuff" and much of that "stuff" being made overseas.

Big Man On Campus: Electronics retailers are doomed... DOOOOOMED.

in fact, retail in general is doomed in the U.S.... DOOOOOMED.

Find a job in an industry that produces something... hopefully something other than criminal enterprise, but if crime pays, ask about their fringe benefits.

Ha! This is a service-based economy. Anything that produces something will be done offshore if it isn't already.

Electronics retailers are doomed... DOOOOOMED.

in fact, retail in general is doomed in the U.S.... DOOOOOMED.

Find a job in an industry that produces something... hopefully something other than criminal enterprise, but if crime pays, ask about their fringe benefits.

trappedspirit: I remember when you could get RAM chips and it was like $50 per megabyte. And the megabytes back then were HUGE!

...says someone who never bought the 64KB expansion pack for a TS-1000/ZX-81.

(To be honest, I can't remember the exact dollar amount, either, but on a per-MB basis,
it was a metric a$$load more than $50/MB.)

'Course, soldering old ferrite core memory back together was a great joy, too. Makes me
chuckle when some semiconductor company talks about MRAM, and how "new" it is. And
I'm not even that old...oh crap, maybe I am.

Private_Citizen: BB is Amazon's showroom. Want a new TV? Go down to BB and do some side-by-side comparison then go home and save money, tax and (prime) shipping costs. It adds up to hundreds in savings: I know because I did this about 2 weeks ago.

/GS? Never used them, felt bad for people who did.

So once the Best Buys are gone, where do I go then? Not Target or Walmart because all they'll have is the TVs made to their specs. Then I'll be stuck with driving 300 or so miles to Chicago to find a Fry's or HHGregg.

AverageAmericanGuy: Basically, why do I need help with my computer shopping when all I need to do is buy a Mac?

With that in mind:

Left over right.
And under and pull
Make a little loop
Now make another
One loop goes over and under the other.

I'm not sure I get the logic. The GS is charging exorbitant fees to "fix your computer" and is making good profits. So.. they lay off employees from this profitable part of the company? TFA says now installs had to be moved a few months out due to lack of personnel -- doesn't that imply the service is in demand? So they downsize a profitable, high-demand part of their company?

Gunderson:
This isn't about jobs....This is about kittens!

Do you have the original unshopped?

bdub77: 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.

I wouldn't say that about Lowe's; they tend to have a very cookie-cutter selection that doesn't fit well with the regional nature of construction. If you need a new fuse for your 75 year old fuse box that was made at a defunct factory down the street, there's no reason to bother with Lowe's. They won't have what you need.

Electronics stores don't have this problem.

bdub77: 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.

A few issues. Your working capital would be huge, your fixed period costs would also be huge, and given the economic loss to inventory depreciating, there would be a significant holding cost for inventory. Fry's does work this way, but they aren't particularily cheap.

A store like Newegg that can also take advantage of just-in-time inventory or drop shipping from the manufacturer is going to have a significant advantage over a large retail venture.

Best Buy did ok for a while, but online shopping undercut their main value proposition.

Trance750: 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

I used to work at a Gateway Store as a sales person. We were taught to upsale, but I became pretty good at sizing people up. I knew who I could up sale and who I couldn't. If you were my customer I would have sold you the cheapest POS I had and done fast so I could move on to someone else. What I lacked in big ticket sales I made up for in quantity.

Devo: BB did a good job installing my car stereo and speakers for a reasonable price.

BB almost refused to sell me the wiring harnesses to hook a Toyota radio to a Ford truck.

me: 'I have Ford truck, and a Toyota stereo, I need the wiring harnesses to mate them'
BB drone: "I don't think you can do that"
'dude....I need a wiring harness to mate with the back of this Toyota radio'
"OK, here"
'ok. Now pretend I'm a new customer. I need a wiring harness to mate with a Ford truck'
"OK, here it is"
'there....that was easy, wasn't it?'
"But you need someone to hook it up for you!"
'no...I can mate LF with LF and RR with RR just fine, thank you."

NightOwl2255: elvindeath: I can't understand why Best Buy would be in trouble. Doesn't everyone enjoy paying 3 times more than they have to for a product ?

But if BestBuy goes under, where will I buy my Monster Cables?

At least around here, if the Best Buys close, there won't be any brick and mortar electronics stores left except Radio Shack and one MicroCenter.

/Walmart and Target don't count.

84Charlie: Good. F*ck Best Buy.

THIS!

-csb-

I had a run-in with Best Buy about a decade ago... They lost my TV which was being repaired for the third time! I waited for an insane amount of time to get my TV back, only to have it sent back out for repairs again and again. Then, they tried to give me the run-around when I demanded they give me another TV, since they lost the other one. After that moment, I have boycotted Best Buy and warn anyone who listens to stay away.

Unfortunately, from the ashes of Best Buy, I predict another store will rise and commit the same consumer atrocities of days gone by.

Between Newegg and Amazon, I no longer need a physical place to buy my electronics. No complaints there!

-/csb-

Having worked at Geek Squad many moons ago........ I would get into trouble for actually hooking up customers computers on the work bench and working on them. The nerve of me! We were to hook them up remotely to "Agent Johnny Utah". We even had one guy whose sole purpose was to come in early Saturday mornings and do the pre-install/customization/optimization on all the laptops before they went out on the floor. I gave them the t(- -t)

Think of all the found pr0n that will no longer be dumped on to the net when the Geek Squad is no longer around to ravage your personal files.

Hell, how else are we going to catch all the kid-touchers that are stupid enough to bring their PC into BestBuy?

WhippingBoy: Geek Squad once offered to install a hard drive for me for $50.
It was an external USB hard drive.

/true story

Don't doubt that one bit. I'm sure somebody, somewhere took the bait, however.

People like this profits off of stupidity, which isn't always a bad thing, IMO.

My CSB:

The place I used to work for had to repair a Best Buy Vice President's PC after one of those idiot Geek Squad guys somehow managed to break the on-board video connector on the machine's motherboard.

Turns out the PC had died and the Geek Squad was supposed to install a new mobo. The new mobo was a different model than the old and the idiot was trying to use the cover plate from the previous board, which had the video cut out in a different place. I still to this day can't figure out how that guy could not see the problem.

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.

They are still way under-qualified for a job at GameStop. Those people have 7334 skillz.

Best buy is good for when you need to go look at feel something before you buy it on Newegg.
/I give them credit for matching Microcenter's ad prices

iheartscotch: Oh "geek squad"; your incompetence and general surlyness knows no bounds. If they were really that good; they wouldn't have jobs at best buy working for minimum wage. My bet has always been; high school drop outs that payed attention the day that the computer/multimedia teacher showed them how to clean out the recycle bin.

/ that is all

Geek Squad doesn't have real geeks.

IIRC someone here gave their experience applying for Geek Squad, and was turned down based on the criteria of having some actual experience working with computers. Geek Squad is a second front for the salespeople, their primary objective is to sell a new computer. Failing that, secondary target is ridiculously overpriced parts and services. Nothing requires or benefits from competence here. Competence and an actual desire to fix a computer would only be a hindrance to their plan.

Magnanimous_J: The problem is that Best Buy (like Circuit City before them) employs nothing but functioning retards to work the floor

You make this sound almost as if it isn't the case with the Retail Industry in general.

/Also you get what you pay for
//the savings isn't always passed on to the customer, of course.

Cyno01: Ha, and my ex employer spent millions to half assedly roll out a geek squad competitor with absolutely 3 hours of training for one employee per store.

I bought a phone headset at Office Max the other day. They were really pushing their 'Free PC checkup' and pestering me to buy a ream of copy paper.

No, you aren't touching my computer. Ever.

And no, I don't need Geek Squad to 'tune' my television to make the picture look better.

What killed Circuit City was when they got rid of all the commissioned salesmen and switched to minimum wage retail lackeys.

If a person knows what they want already, they likely won't buy from Best Buy because their prices are higher. But someone who needs a consultation to help make the decision would shop at a retail shop. The problem is that Best Buy (like Circuit City before them) employs nothing but functioning retards to work the floor, so besides instant gratification, there is no benefit of shopping at BB.

Anavrinman: BB also realizes that their sales people suck. Part of this is a hope that they can still drain money out of people who don't know better, the other is that it takes time and resources that they either don't have or don't want to invest right now to train their floor staff. It IS a priority for them, and I'm pretty sure that you'll see a turnaround of this (more knowledgeable floor staff) when/if they reduce the size of their workforce.

You could have a nice career in politics if you wanted it.

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.

I can't tell if you need to increase or decrease the dosage of whatever you're on... I do so love you Pocket Ninja

8/10, but only because my younger brother once equated what I do (IA, with strong programming and pentesting background) to Geek Squad.

(yeah, I know you're not trolling... a little sensitive to anyone equating those guys with IT skills)

/FWIW: he was serious. Rest of family now keeps him away from any technology or sharp objects

Costner
July 6, 2012 10:06 AM

"Unless the Geek Squad techs are worse than no tech at all."

Kinda answered your own question on that one.

What Best Buy seems to ignore is that some customers become more knowledgeable about PCs and technology over time.

This man has never had to do IT support.

No, really.

Well, forget all about that hogwash, because the company has told its employees that it is laying off at least 650 Geek Squad staffers in the coming weeks.

So what's that 1/2 a geek per store?

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.

Well, they've got quick fix discs anyways, that's... about it. I've benefited from those discs on multiple occasions though, so I'm not biatching. I do all my own repairs generally, but my ex geek-squad buddy made life a lot easier a few times when I've royally farked my machine, most of them aren't any more well trained than us hobbyists though, they're not friggin' programmers or anything.

Since when is farking hardware assembly or basic software management a marketable skill though? I've always just assumed you're a tard if you can't manage that, it's at the point those are just basic life skills. I'm starting to think I might be much more valuable in the market than I thought. I was absolutely shocked that my buddy's dad couldn't wire a breaker without my help the other day, are most people really that helpless with technology? I understand most uneducated people likely couldn't pull an acid/base alkaloid extraction or build a cutting laser from scattered parts, but goddamn. Assembling a computer? That's not even a task, give me a bowl of pot or twenty bucks, or just be a good friend and I'll have it done and booted in less than half an hour.

Come on, I farking hate working on computers(mainly because the issues are all from programming and I'm mechanically minded, I'm much better when I can see the parts) but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to assemble one or to solve most software issues that may arise from malware or misuse. I get that the IT guys want to maintain their positions... but computers and networks are pretty damned simple to deal with as long as you're more literate than a chimp. Programmers are the only computer people with any actual skill, if you grew up in this era and can't fix a computer(hardware or software) you're farking hopeless.

/pretty sure I just got trolled actually
//doesn't make what I said any less relevant.

Thunderpipes: But Obama said the private sector is fine. I don't understand. We just added a gigantic 80,000 jobs too. Recovery!

Yeah, it's Obamas fault that Best Buy sucks.

Vote Romney if you like Best Buy.

kliq
I was looking for an extra paycheck a few years back before I got my real job. The local Best Buy was hiring for a part-time wireless associate. I got the "why should we hire you?" question. I told them point blank that everyone else they will interview will not know more about cell phones than me. iOS, Android, Mango...even freaken Symbian. From previous experience, I even already knew a lot about the Best Buy POS system.
And of course, I wasn't hired. Makes sense.

few people have the guts to hire someone who knows more then they do. but if they can and know not to get stabbed in the back they can ride on the shoulders of the people under them. there is a feeling that more is better. i have 5 people working for me and you have only 3. i must be more important then you. if you say you get just as much work done with 3 people you are called a ball buster and trouble making company a-kisser.

Bah, the only thing Best Buy was good for was installing that intoxilizer thingie on my car that the judge said I had to have. I do give them points for not being judgemental about it.

Not exactly a fan of Best Buy myself, but I will say there is something of value to a big box electronics store if you're a consumer that is relatively knowledgeable but also not too picky about what you want to buy. My Brother-in-law manages a high-end electronics store on the east coast, and even if you know exactly what pricey, mammoth plasma TV you want to buy (just as an example), you're going to get a full tour and 15 minute soliloquy on each brand no matter what given their sales pitches.

Dimensio:
Quasar: Well that's just great. Here I am with $125 and a PS3 I haven't plugged in yet. Now what am I supposed to do?

I am in a substantially worse situation. My television malfunctioned and, to allow easier access to the repair technician, I disconnected all devices from it. If I am unable to arrange a timely appointment with a Geek Squad representative I do not know how my Nintendo Wii, my Sets Saturn, my Sets Dreamcast, my Microsoft XBOX, my Microsoft XBOX 360, my Sony Playstation 3, my computer, my audio receiver or my antenna will be reconnected once the television is repaired.

Considering I recently saved my mother-in-law about $150 by flipping a switch on the back of her TV (the only switch there, practically labeled "flip this switch to totally fix your audio volume problem, Margo"), I think you guys are seriously overestimating the complexity of the issues that most electronics customers are "challenged" by.

I was looking for an extra paycheck a few years back before I got my real job. The local Best Buy was hiring for a part-time wireless associate. I got the "why should we hire you?" question. I told them point blank that everyone else they will interview will not know more about cell phones than me. iOS, Android, Mango...even freaken Symbian. From previous experience, I even already knew a lot about the Best Buy POS system.

And of course, I wasn't hired. Makes sense.

This is a good thing. 650 lazy, unmotivated, so-called tech workers are now free to spend 24 hours a day in mom's basement. Who will pay for the Cheetos and Mountain Dew?

Thus completing the circle that began with their acquisition of Geek Squad. Typical American Business Model MBA decisions.

They did the equivalent of buying Apple, firing 80% of the workforce and replacing them with unskilled labor, then saying, "build the same product as your predecessor."

The only thing that allowed them to forge ahead with this model was the public's ignorance about computer maintenance. The average person doesn't know what great computer service is like.

Sounds like BB is on it's last legs, Where will I go now to get my overpriced games?

Recently went to get Sin and Punishment for the Wii. BB had it for $50. Walked across the street to Kmart and they had it for $5. Probably the last time i'll end up going to BB.

/csb

Best Buy is pretty damn incompetent, but there's not much they can do about this one.
As the consumer market moves toward tablets, sane security defaults, a removal of cruft, sealed all-in-ones and cloud backup/restore, they simply don't need a geek squad.

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?

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

Don't you people look at the big picture....Now who is going to leak all those pics and WMV's from customers hard drives onto the internet.




This isn't about jobs....This is about kittens!

ATTENTION NECKBEARDS, DON'T BOTHER APPLYING TO GAMESTOP, THEY ALREADY HAVE THEIR CRANKY, FAT BASTARD QUOTA.

/and they ain't long for this world either.

//Try Planet Comics......oh wait.

///FARK is about to get a lot more cranky posts.

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.

Are you two new here or something?

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.

In addition, these employees worked in an environment rich with marketing and sales strategies. The combination of deep technical skills and strong understanding of sales and marketing will provide the high tech industry with an abundance of of technical sales professionals and product managers.

God bless you sir.

Future Comcast customer service agents.

So Best Buy is soon to join the realm of the not so dearly departed greats...

Circuit City
Incredible Universe (Radio Shack+)
Sun TV

HH Gregg, youre next.

Modguy: I take it you're not familiar with Pocket Ninja.



Apparently not.

I am, however, caught up on the Thunderanus meme. Surprised people still fall for him.

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.

I got this far, scrolled up....yep, Pocket Ninja.

HOW do you make something so ridiculous seem so plausible??

I'll go with the Nerd Herd....

Oh no! A company with thousands and thousands of employees is laying off a few hundred! That's not at all a totally normal and common occurence!

elvindeath: I can't understand why Best Buy would be in trouble. Doesn't everyone enjoy paying 3 times more than they have to for a product ?

The only allure to shopping at Best Buy (and one I've taken advantage of in the past) is ridiculously generous financing terms. If someone's going to let me hold on to my $3,000 for an extra 3 years and earn interest on it, then I'm happy to oblige them.

Before Best Buy came along, prices were much higher for electronics because of the smaller businesses. Everyone hated Best Buy and Walmart for hurting the high-priced, but smaller, competition. Yet we all flocked to those stores to save big bucks.

Then the internet came into its own and we saw prices drop even lower. Best Buy made some bad strategic moves by building too many stores and jacking up prices.
However, it is in the works that they are going to be shuttering a lot of stores, and having their bigger ones act as satellite warehouses.
There will be smaller stores around town, which may not have that TV in stock. But they can deliver it to your house in a couple hours.

Hopefully they get their shiat together.

And good riddance! Like the world needs people who charge $50 to spend literally ten seconds installing a RAM chip.

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.

Where can I purchase tickets to hear the rest of your material? ;-)

[ Open on interior, computer store ]

Customer: I run a small business out of my home, and I'm looking for a personal computer with a Pentium Processor.

Leon: Well, this computer over here really kicks ass. So, will that be cash or charge?

Customer: Th-this is nice, but it doesn't have a Pentium Processor.

Leon: No, but you got to ask yourself, in 1997, who really needs one of those Pa-sonium Pa-cess-isers?

Customer: Pentium Processors. And, yes, I do.

Leon: Yeah, but this computer isboss! [ mumbles ]

Customer: It may be boss, but I need a Pentium Processor. Do you even know what one is?

Leon: Well.. I-I worked in this store since it was an Orange Julius, so.. no, I don't..

Customer: Well.. can I talk to someone who does know?

Leon: Sure, I'll get someone.. [ he walks to a back room, then resurfaces a moment later ] No one knows.

Customer: No one in the store knows what a Pentium Processor is??

Leon: No, no. As a matter of fact, I asked a lot of people. In fact, Doug the manager told me that you're probably a crazy street person coming off the street, just talking gibberish words.

Customer: Pentium Processor isn't gibberish! Anyone who works in a computer store should know that!

Leon: Are you calling Doug, my manager, a liar?

Customer: This.. this is ridiculous!

Leon: I'll tell you what is ridiculous. I'll tell you - you know, in this day and age, for a crazy guy to come in this store asking for a Kryptonite Processor-izer.

Wallace: [ entering the scene ] I'm sorry.. is there a problem here?

Customer: Yes, there is. Are you Doug, the manager?

Wallace: Uh, there's no Doug working here. I'm Wallace.

Customer: [ confused ] Okay, well.. this guy told me you don't have Pentium Processors.

Wallace: [ pointing forward ] Well, here's one right here.

Customer: [ relieved ] Thank you!

Wallace: Sure. Pleasure to help. You got this one there, Leon?

Leon: No problem, Doug! [ Wallace exits to back of store ]

Customer: His name's Wallace!

Leon: No, I forget sometimes.. you see, my old manager at the Orange Julius is named Doug, and, uh.. anyway, I think I should tell you, the.. uh.. computer you're looking at is for gays.

Customer: What?!

Leon: Gays, gays, gays, gays.. [ looking around the store ] You know what you want? You want one of these computers over here where the food comes out of, you know? It's right here.. [ points to a vending machine ] This is a "Star Trek" computer..

Customer: That's.. that's a vending machine..

Leon: No, no, no.. it's a very tricky computer. If you push A-1, these chips come out like that. But you have to be very smart to operate it, because.. uh.. you have to be kind of like Captain Clark.

Customer: You mean, Captain Kirk.

Leon: [ thinking about it ] Clark. Captain Clark. [ pause ] Do you want an Orange Julius?

Customer: [ upset, looking around frantically ] Can we get Wallace back in here?!

Wallace: [ walking back in ] There you are! Is everything alright?

Leon: [ smiling, pointing to vending machine ] He wants to buy this computer.

Wallace: I'm sorry, Sir. That's not a computer, that's a vending machine.

Customer: I don't want to buy the vending machine.

Leon: Aw, but, come on, can't we make him a special deal, or something? This is a good one..

Wallace: Well.. I guess we can call the manufacturer..

Customer: [ furious ] No! I don't want to buy that!

Wallace: I'm terribly sorry, Sir. Was there a problem with this computer here? [ acknowledges the one he pointed out earlier ]

Customer: He said it was for gays!

Wallace: [ thinking how to remedy the situation ] You're doing a great job, Leon! [ pulls customer aside, as Leon exits to back room ] Can I talk to you over here for a second, Sir?

Customer: What is this guy's problem?

Wallace: Look.. uh.. that's Leon. He's a good guy. He used to work at the Orange Julius that was here before..

Customer: Yeah.. he told me..

Wallace: Well, when they closed the Orange Julius, he wouldn't leave. So, the day we moved in, we found him sleeping in the back on the floor. He stood up with a cup of nails and said, "Uh, do you want to buy a cup of Orange Julius?"

Customer: [ shocked ] Oh, my God..

Wallace: Yeah.. so, just do the guy a favor - buy the vending machine.

Customer: What?! No! I'm not..

Wallace: Look, it's not that much money. It's, like, $3,900.

Leon: [ walking back in ] Doug? Doug? I just got the paperwork started for this Star Trek Potato Chip machine computer..

Wallace: [ encouraging ] Alright! Good job, Leon! Will that be cash or charge, sir?

Customer: [ angry ] I'm not buying the vending machine!

Leon: Look, Mister, you seem nice, but.. the truth is, I don't, I don't got much, you know? [ piano music over background ] A couple years ago.. I was working.. at Julius, and I was a bigshot! I really was. But then they shut us down.. and I tried to open my own Orange Julius, but everyone got sick, really sick, and some died and everything. But.. I don't know.. maybe I'm just not a lucky guy.. and, and, and, and.. maybe, a guy like me doesn't deserve anything like that..

Customer: No, Leon. You're a wonderful man. With a big heart. And I think today's your lucky day. Because, I'm Samuel K. Julius, grandson of the founder of Orange Julius.

Leon: [ excited ] YOU ARE?!!

Customer: Yes, I am. And I think you're just the man to head up our brand new European division. How does that sound, Leon? Would you like to sell Orange Juliuses in Germany?

Leon: WOULD I EVER!! [ hugs customer ]

[ cut to Leon working counter of Orange Julius in Germany ]

Leon: [ Says "Welcome to Orange Julius" in German ] It's a dream come true!!

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.

A+ would LOL again. I love you, you're like this little ninja that fits in my pocket.

Thunderpipes: But Obama said the private sector is fine. I don't understand. We just added a gigantic 80,000 jobs too. Recovery!

How can you sleep with Obama staring down on you trying to ruin your life all the time?

Thunderpipes: But Obama said the private sector is fine.

How are the people that run the private sector doing? Probably sweating their brows over all the regulations and taxes that are preventing them from hiring more people amirite?

Well, I guess this means I'll do what I always do.

This article is so irrelevant. If you didn't see THIS coming, you were a fool.

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.

You are a bad man.

But Obama said the private sector is fine. I don't understand. We just added a gigantic 80,000 jobs too. Recovery!

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.

You just keep making sure you stay on people's favorites lists...

I blame system restore.

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.

Are they all filipino?

Mugato: ManateeGag: He's not sure if he wants to take the severance and find something else, or try to get something else with BB. I suggested to him to go with option A.

No kidding. Best Buy in general doesn't have long to live.

Made some good money shorting Radio Shack the last few years. Maybe time to switch to Best Buy.