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Best Buy can kiss my fanny good-bye (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter General Malaise
- Start date
General Malaise
Footballguy
Okay Ken...you got me. I should be happy with what happened.Was Hollywood having a sale? Or did you get this DVD for $11.24 by mistake? Typically, sales are marked, otherwise I wonder about your motivation for buying this particular movie. Be honest Ken...did you buy this movie KNOWING it was on sale? Or was it just some kind of happy accident when you got the register? If it was a mistake entirely, then I question your honesty altogether. If Best Buy could have shown me proof that this DVD was $11.99 at any point in the last 30 days ANYWHERE in the nation, I would have been happy. But they could and did not. I find it VERY hard to believe that they would have sold this DVD for $11.99 within the last month and then marked it up 75% nation wide. That's bad business.You think it's okay that they'll sell this same DVD for $27.99, good for you. I for one think this is wrong. It's taking advantage of customers who were once accustomed to the understanding that they were always right.
Grackle Squad
Ninjas are so sweet
GM,
I'm sure you'll be quick to jump all over me as well, but I'll give you my opinion anyway. You lost your receipt, you should deal with it. Period. Why do I have this attitude, you ask? Because I was a department store manager for 4 years. And yes, retail does suck a big fat one.
Why does it suck a big fat one? Because for every person like you who is honest and just trying to make a return with no receipt, there are about 50 who are trying to rip the store off. Not having worked in retail you might not believe that, but I'm telling you the truth. I have no reason to make things up about it.
Put yourself in the store manager's shoes. First off, your whole day (and I mean, the WHOLE DAY) is spent listening to people ##### about this and gripe about that. Have you or anyone you know ever asked to speak to the store manager to tell them how great their store is, or how helpful you found their cashiers, or how impressed you are that every single light bulb in the store is on and that there are no leaks coming from the ceiling? I'd put my money on "No". Nobody ever does those things. The only thing the store manager gets to do all day is listen to people complain. Secondly, it's the holidays. Just consider the fact that not only has this person has had to listen to complaints all day, but they have been working open to close every day for about a month (I know I had to when I was a department store manager). Then think about the sheer volume of people that the manager is having to deal with during the holiday season. You were in the store for an hour shopping. He/she has been in the store 12-13 hours a day for a month listening to people complain. Compare the two.
Now, also consider the fact, as I mentioned before, that a very high percentage of the people the manager deals with on a daily basis are trying to rip them off. You have absolutely no frame of reference of what it is like. My favorite's from my retail days (and this happened much more than once, believe it or not) are the people that bring back shoes. No receipt, they looked like they had been worn for about 3-5 years, and this person tells me that their shoes wore out. They want another pair.
People do this sort of stuff ALL THE TIME! That's what a store manager deals with all day. That's why store policies are created. There was a store policy in place, and you tried to go against it. The store manager called you on it, and I commend him/her. Bottom line is, if you had your receipt, it would have been fine. You lost it, which is your fault, not theirs. They followed the policy that they had in place in just such an event. Case closed. You should move on.
As I said before, I'm sure you will lash out at me (just like all the posters above who didn't agree with you), and that's fine. But I think you should look at things from other people's perspectives before you throw a hissy fit and lose your cool. I lasted as a department store manager for 4 years before people like you drove me out of it. At my first store I was manager of, mine was the only store in the whole company that got a perfect customer service store from the company's secret shoppers. And yet, as good as the customer service was, I never had one single customer come up to me and tell me how much they liked my store or the people in it. All I ever heard were the complaints. People think that everything is always about them. If they're not satisfied, they DEMAND to see the manager. And there the poor manager is, having to have someone yell at them for the 187th time that day. Well personally, I'm glad that the manager didn't back down and followed the company policy. That's all that you can really ask of a store manager (unless you're one of these selfish customer types who thinks that everything is about them, and company policies shouldn't apply to them because they are special
)
PS - If you won't use the gift card, send it to me. I'll put it to good use.
I'm sure you'll be quick to jump all over me as well, but I'll give you my opinion anyway. You lost your receipt, you should deal with it. Period. Why do I have this attitude, you ask? Because I was a department store manager for 4 years. And yes, retail does suck a big fat one.
Why does it suck a big fat one? Because for every person like you who is honest and just trying to make a return with no receipt, there are about 50 who are trying to rip the store off. Not having worked in retail you might not believe that, but I'm telling you the truth. I have no reason to make things up about it.Put yourself in the store manager's shoes. First off, your whole day (and I mean, the WHOLE DAY) is spent listening to people ##### about this and gripe about that. Have you or anyone you know ever asked to speak to the store manager to tell them how great their store is, or how helpful you found their cashiers, or how impressed you are that every single light bulb in the store is on and that there are no leaks coming from the ceiling? I'd put my money on "No". Nobody ever does those things. The only thing the store manager gets to do all day is listen to people complain. Secondly, it's the holidays. Just consider the fact that not only has this person has had to listen to complaints all day, but they have been working open to close every day for about a month (I know I had to when I was a department store manager). Then think about the sheer volume of people that the manager is having to deal with during the holiday season. You were in the store for an hour shopping. He/she has been in the store 12-13 hours a day for a month listening to people complain. Compare the two.
Now, also consider the fact, as I mentioned before, that a very high percentage of the people the manager deals with on a daily basis are trying to rip them off. You have absolutely no frame of reference of what it is like. My favorite's from my retail days (and this happened much more than once, believe it or not) are the people that bring back shoes. No receipt, they looked like they had been worn for about 3-5 years, and this person tells me that their shoes wore out. They want another pair.
People do this sort of stuff ALL THE TIME! That's what a store manager deals with all day. That's why store policies are created. There was a store policy in place, and you tried to go against it. The store manager called you on it, and I commend him/her. Bottom line is, if you had your receipt, it would have been fine. You lost it, which is your fault, not theirs. They followed the policy that they had in place in just such an event. Case closed. You should move on.As I said before, I'm sure you will lash out at me (just like all the posters above who didn't agree with you), and that's fine. But I think you should look at things from other people's perspectives before you throw a hissy fit and lose your cool. I lasted as a department store manager for 4 years before people like you drove me out of it. At my first store I was manager of, mine was the only store in the whole company that got a perfect customer service store from the company's secret shoppers. And yet, as good as the customer service was, I never had one single customer come up to me and tell me how much they liked my store or the people in it. All I ever heard were the complaints. People think that everything is always about them. If they're not satisfied, they DEMAND to see the manager. And there the poor manager is, having to have someone yell at them for the 187th time that day. Well personally, I'm glad that the manager didn't back down and followed the company policy. That's all that you can really ask of a store manager (unless you're one of these selfish customer types who thinks that everything is about them, and company policies shouldn't apply to them because they are special
)PS - If you won't use the gift card, send it to me. I'll put it to good use.
PBateman
Footballguy
Loss Prevention at it's finest. Sorry, but if there weren't a bunch of ***la's out there, you wouldn't have any problems. 
Also, I agree with this policy, dude. 
Your responsibility to keep the receipt. If you were running a business, tyou would probably wish to operate it the same way.
Also, I agree with this policy, dude. Your responsibility to keep the receipt. If you were running a business, tyou would probably wish to operate it the same way.
bigbottom
Footballguy
All you can ask of a store manager is to follow company policy? Wow, that's quite a standard you're setting there. Don't worry about ensuring quality customer service. Don't worry about meeting the needs of the consumers who spend money in your store. Just make sure you follow company policy.Well personally, I'm glad that the manager didn't back down and followed the company policy. That's all that you can really ask of a store manager (unless you're one of these selfish customer types who thinks that everything is about them, and company policies shouldn't apply to them because they are special
TenTimes
Backhoe Operator
Why do you keep saying this? BestBuy sells the Lion King for $19.99, the same price you bought it for, yet for some reason you seem to think they are going to put it back on the shelf and add 8 bucks to the price. Is that 8 bucks a stocking fee or something? Do they charge more for items which were previously bought and then returned?
bigbottom
Footballguy
If it was my business, I would give the store manager some autonomy to make judgment calls in the interest of servicing customer needs. I wouldn't insist on hiring automatons to carry out overly formalistic company policies regardless of the individual circumstances.Loss Prevention at it's finest. Sorry, but if there weren't a bunch of ***la's out there, you wouldn't have any problems.
BassNBrew
Footballguy
:rotflmao: Yes, previous handled by the GM makes it a premium edition.Why do you keep saying this? BestBuy sells the Lion King for $19.99, the same price you bought it for, yet for some reason you seem to think they are going to put it back on the shelf and add 8 bucks to the price. Is that 8 bucks a stocking fee or something? Do they charge more for items which were previously bought and then returned?
popeye
Footballguy
I'm still trying to figure out where the $27.99 keeps coming up from. GM has stated on several occasions that $19.99 is teh stickered price for this item.
Their website says $19.99
They had a doorbuster special for $12.99 and for all they know you bought it that day and are trying to make $8.00 from them.
Their website says $19.99
They had a doorbuster special for $12.99 and for all they know you bought it that day and are trying to make $8.00 from them.
BassNBrew
Footballguy
What if his judgement was that GM was hungover.If it was my business, I would give the store manager some autonomy to make judgment calls in the interest of servicing customer needs. I wouldn't insist on hiring automatons to carry out overly formalistic company policies regardless of the individual circumstances.Loss Prevention at it's finest. Sorry, but if there weren't a bunch of ***la's out there, you wouldn't have any problems.
Grackle Squad
Ninjas are so sweet
Company policy is in place to insure that customer service is optimum. If manager's circumvented company policy everytime an incident occurred, just to make that customer happy, the store would close in a matter of months. To get upset because a manager followed company policy is ludicrous. Let's look at it in fantasy football terms. You (Owner A) are hung over on Sunday and don't wake up until 12:30, when you realize that you didn't set your lineup. The League Constitution (Company Policy) CLEARLY states that "if you don't get your lineup in on time, that you have to use the one from last week, regardless of byes or injuries". You ask the Commish (Store Manager) to set aside the League Constitution "just this once". After all, the world revolves around you. You're special. The Commish (Store Manager) refuses to honor your request because not only is it clearly stated in the Rules (Company Policy) what will happen, but he has to think about the interests of all the other owners in the league (other customers). That's why everybody adheres to the League Constitution, and that is why Store Managers adhere to the Company Policy. If you let one person slide, they all want to slide. You have no frame of reference in this matter either.
scorchy
Footballguy
Agreed bb, as long as they remember to fill out their TPS reports.If it was my business, I would give the store manager some autonomy to make judgment calls in the interest of servicing customer needs. I wouldn't insist on hiring automatons to carry out overly formalistic company policies regardless of the individual circumstances.Loss Prevention at it's finest. Sorry, but if there weren't a bunch of ***la's out there, you wouldn't have any problems.
popeye
Footballguy
Very nice retort and good job of using your analogy.Company policy is in place to insure that customer service is optimum. If manager's circumvented company policy everytime an incident occurred, just to make that customer happy, the store would close in a matter of months. To get upset because a manager followed company policy is ludicrous. Let's look at it in fantasy football terms. You (Owner A) are hung over on Sunday and don't wake up until 12:30, when you realize that you didn't set your lineup. The League Constitution (Company Policy) CLEARLY states that "if you don't get your lineup in on time, that you have to use the one from last week, regardless of byes or injuries". You ask the Commish (Store Manager) to set aside the League Constitution "just this once". After all, the world revolves around you. You're special. The Commish (Store Manager) refuses to honor your request because not only is it clearly stated in the Rules (Company Policy) what will happen, but he has to think about the interests of all the other owners in the league (other customers). That's why everybody adheres to the League Constitution, and that is why Store Managers adhere to the Company Policy. If you let one person slide, they all want to slide. You have no frame of reference in this matter either.
scorchy
Footballguy
The FF analogy is not remotely comparable. I am not a customer of a FF league. The "integrity" of your store would not be brought into question if you didn't abide by the rules in the same manner that it would in your FF scenario. If this were the case, then strict rules should be followed at all times and no allowances for discretion would ever be made. I know that the managers at many retail establishments are poor schlubs, but I still think they should be given the discretion to make decisions that may benefit the company. Also, unlike in a fantasy football, the failure to use discretion may have adverse consequences.As an example, i wrote earlier of them not allowing me to exchange the fullscreen version of a movie for the widescreen version due to company policy. Since that time (about 3 months ago), I've bought about 40 CDs and 10 DVDs just for myself, all from a competitor. While xmas shopping, I didn't set foot in best buy. Instead, I went to tweeter and cc, bought an IPod for the wife, a TiVO for my best friend, CDs for my niece, and a mini-stereo for my mother-in-law. Typically, I would have bought all that at Best Buy. So that's about $1500 in sales they lost just in 3 months from a refusal to make an exception to a policy.I know you say they don't care about my business. Fine. But I bet if given the opportunity to review the situation, someone much higher than the store manager would be smart enough to weigh the consequences of applying zero-tolerance, and agree that it wasn't worth it. Especially now that a competitor is feeding my CD/DVD addiction.Also, like I said earlier, it's about time these big-box stores make a policy that their salespeople know WTF they're talking about. Maybe if they spent more time on that instead of zero-tolerance return policies, their customers wouldn't be so annoyed at them all the time.Company policy is in place to insure that customer service is optimum. If manager's circumvented company policy everytime an incident occurred, just to make that customer happy, the store would close in a matter of months. To get upset because a manager followed company policy is ludicrous. Let's look at it in fantasy football terms. You (Owner A) are hung over on Sunday and don't wake up until 12:30, when you realize that you didn't set your lineup. The League Constitution (Company Policy) CLEARLY states that "if you don't get your lineup in on time, that you have to use the one from last week, regardless of byes or injuries". You ask the Commish (Store Manager) to set aside the League Constitution "just this once". After all, the world revolves around you. You're special. The Commish (Store Manager) refuses to honor your request because not only is it clearly stated in the Rules (Company Policy) what will happen, but he has to think about the interests of all the other owners in the league (other customers). That's why everybody adheres to the League Constitution, and that is why Store Managers adhere to the Company Policy. If you let one person slide, they all want to slide. You have no frame of reference in this matter either.
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General Malaise
Footballguy
Alright, this is for you and Ten Times....They booked a sale for $19.99.
They are going to put the DVD back on the shelf and sell it again for $19.99..
With me so far? That's two times they sold they same DVD for $19.99.. Once to me....once to somebody else. That's $39.98 in total bookings for the same DVD.
I got a store credit for $11.99. Back that out of the total $39.98 and you come up with $27.99 for the same DVD.
Can you not see that? It's elementary, my dear Watson.
General Malaise
Footballguy
Agreed bb, as long as they remember to fill out their TPS reports.If it was my business, I would give the store manager some autonomy to make judgment calls in the interest of servicing customer needs. I wouldn't insist on hiring automatons to carry out overly formalistic company policies regardless of the individual circumstances.Loss Prevention at it's finest. Sorry, but if there weren't a bunch of ***la's out there, you wouldn't have any problems.
very well said, master Scorch.They used to have policies like that, but people were constantly trying to screw them over.I had a buddy in high school that would switch tags out on items for fun & profit.My sister was an asst. manager at Target for a while when they had basically a "no questions asked" return policy. People would buy TV's the day before the Super Bowl and then return them the next day. People would buy a barbecue grill on July 3 and then return it on July 5 with burned charcoal briquettes in the bottom and demand a full refund.It's because individuals constantly took advantage of civil policies to the tune of millions of dollars that they had to come up with such stern return policies.The customers brought this upon themselves.
Grackle Squad
Ninjas are so sweet
I disagree. As a former retail manager AND a current fantasy football league commissioner, it makes perfect sense to me. The analogy is more than "remotely comparable", it's "spot on" if you ask me.
Store managers DO have this discretion, but do you really think that they should brush aside company policy for a customer who has admitted that:A) They were obviously hungover
B) Made loud angry demands
C) Knocked over a display upon storming out
D) Flipped off an employee
If I was that manager, I would have declined the request just on general principle. The more a person throws a fit, the less chance they have of getting what they want in my book. Ever seen "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas"? Just think about that scene where the angry Police Chief from Michigan is screaming at the gay guy behind the desk in the hotel. The desk clerk isn't going to do what the Police Chief wants, no matter how much he yells. This situation is kinda like that.
PS - Sorry if you don't get this analogy either.
Yeah, I think I read somewhere that Best Buy was in danger of going under. Now I know why.
No, customers will always be annoyed. Tell me, at this new store you are spending all your money in, have you told the manager how much you enjoy the service in his/her store?I didn't think so.
randall146
Footballguy
This thread makes me want to kill everybody.
Grackle Squad
Ninjas are so sweet
A voice of reason.
randall146
Footballguy
Actually, I should clarify. I don't want to kill GM, or the people supporting him. I don't want to kill ordinary honest people who just want to be nice to others, yet get what's coming to them.I want to kill the stores.I want to kill the jackholes whose dishonestly ruined it for the honest people.
Night Hawks
Footballguy
I haven't read the thread. But I agree with GM. He's wise. And I wish I was there to see someone doing this. Especially the kick and the flick. I'd have been rolling. 
Best Buy blows and I've boycotted them for five years or so for marking up "charity" CDs and keeping more profit than the charity the CDs were supposed to benefit.Yes, I realize one man's money means nothing. But it's about principle.
Best Buy blows and I've boycotted them for five years or so for marking up "charity" CDs and keeping more profit than the charity the CDs were supposed to benefit.Yes, I realize one man's money means nothing. But it's about principle.
bigbottom
Footballguy
Come and witness the Lord of department store managers, drunk with his own power. Perhaps next time, young GM, you will approach showing the respect and submissiveness fitting of retail royalty, but for now off with you!p.s. You're being inconsistent in your responses. On the one hand, you state that store managers should follow company policy without question. Then you state that they do have discretion and at least imply that had GM acted differently, you would have been more inclined to entertain his request.
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Sack-Religious
Footballguy
If they were having a sale, I was not aware of it. The person that rang me up was the store manager, whom I have dealt with in the past. As for my motivation for buying it, someone I know told me that they loved that movie and had never been able to find it. I told them I saw it at this particular store and that I would check for them. I grabbed it, it said the regular price. The computer rang it up at a lesser price, with the proper title.I'm not saying you should be happy getting a credit for less than you paid. Without a receipt, the store has no clue how much you paid for that particular item. I have always found when dealing with people, you need to keep your cool. Once you start showing aggitation or stop being courteous, then you are less likely to receive the treatment that you want.
I normally support Minnesota companies (Target over Walmart, 3M over whoever, Norwest banking, etc) as much as possible. Over the years Best Buy has simply made this impossible. Time after time after time I have received horrible service (most times no service at all), extremely long checkout times, horrendous checkout people, etc... I refuse to set foot in Best Buy and will never buy anything online, or accept gift cards to that store.
For a good read: http://www.bestbuysux.org
For a good read: http://www.bestbuysux.org
Sam Quentin
Footballguy
Or better yet, demand that they match the price.
top dog
Footballguy
I have another customer service story (somewhat related to this thread) that happened to me tonight. I went to our local Drug Mart to get a couple supplies (the 3 yr old is sick) and I asked the clerk who was stocking the shelves where the thermometers were. His response? "I have no idea." and then he walked away! 
If there was another drug store close by I would have left instantly.
If there was another drug store close by I would have left instantly.
Bill
Footballguy
very interesting thread- but i'm not sure what GM is upset about. he lost his receipt-so he gets sale price-thats standard operating procedure for most stores-or at least ones that want to stay in buisness. for any retailer to just carte blanche give regular price back(without a receipt) would be foolish-70-80 percent of items sold in stores are at sale price, and as far as the ones that are sold at full boat usually the customer comes back within a month to get a sales adjustment because it went on sale. sound buisness strategy if you ask me.
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ProudestMonkey
Footballguy
What's the record for nested quotes in a single post?Dude you brought your sister up. It's not my fault she was selling 8 track tapes in the 90's, so relax for a moment. And incase you did miss this line:Muff you don't deserve a response. My Sister didn't fubar and you know NOTHING about my sisters situation. You want to talk big biz. vs. small biz? - fine. You want to talk about which one generally gives better prices or customer service? - fine.No I don't think anyone could or would be wise to compete with a Best Buy in this climate. But I don't think it would be wise to open a general store today either. Some retailers outlive their practicality. My point was in relation to Mom and Pops who had established themselves in a market prior to a chain entering the picture. Those are the stores that I see compete. I wouldn't open a hardware store next to a Home Depot in 2003, but I can rattle off quite a few who've survived in my local area despite having 10 Home Depot's and Sears Hardware's within 15 miles of my doorstep(and 2 Lowe's on the way).Hey Muff, the "off your rocker" comment wasn't directed at you personally (I probably should have worded that differently).Off my rocker? I DO see some Mom and Pops able to survive and thrive in the face of the monolyths. You sister and ANY mom and pop do not have a divine right to stay in business. You sister obviously identifyed a market whenever she decided to open her store and was able to flourish until competition arrived in town. Now, I don't know you, your sister or her store, but I think I can infer a reasonable guesstimate that she must have been doing something VERY wrong to let even one of these giants sink her in a year's time. And I don't expect you to criticize your flesh and blood, but how do YOU know it wasn't her customer service or lack of competitive pricing that sank your sister? Would you really expect one of your friends to come up to you and tell you how much her store stinks?You're calling BS on a situation you know nothing about.I calling BS on this. If her pricing was better and her service was better, she'd still be in business. I find some of the crappiest service at Mom & Pop stores (and some of the best). Maybe it's from years of sitting on their butts when they were the only game in town.LOL! My sister's price structure and return policy had absolutely NOTHING to do with why they went under. They were very successful until the corporate monster came into town and gobbled them up. They just didn't have the same capital as the "big boys".Well what was your sister's price structure? What was her return policy? Our days of wishing for mom and pop's ignore the many problems in those stores. And in my experience, for every good mom and pop that goes under, you had three knuckleheads that were unwilling to adjust to the big corporate monster in their midst. I know they can better afford loss leaders and other gimmicks to bring foot traffic into the store, but most mom and pops do have the advantage of being the established vendor in town. That is unless they've already pissed off the local base and driven them away.This topic really pushes my buttons. I could give you a few dozen similar stories of where some "big name" store screwed me over. But the fact of the matter is that it's nobody's fault but OUR OWN. The mom and pop stores are gone because we sold our souls to the "big corporations". About 10 years back my sister owned a very profitable small electronics store. Profitable that is, until "Best Buy" and "Circuit City" came to town. They were out of business within a year because they just couldn't compete with the big guys. Saw the same thing happen to our small town video store - "Hollywood Video" came into town and sold video rentals for $1. The "mom and pop" video store went out of business in 3 months and then Hollywood changed their video rentals to $3. This has happened all across America. So what do we have now? Nothing but the same old stores EVERYWHERE you go. The malls look almost identical everywhere you go - Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse, Radio Shack, Best Buy, Wal-Mart (the WORST of them all). Personal service has been replaced with "corporate policies" that take common sense and throw it out the door because when you enter a store now, the "owner" is no longer there. The "owner" is some big, fat, rich, CEO who sets "corporate policies" and only looks at numbers (instead of customers) to determine how successful his business is.I'm not saying that you can't go to Olive Garden for dinner or Home Depot once in a while but when you constantly give your money to these big "super saver stores" and then expect fantastic customer service - Sorry your living in a dream world. WE made this bed, guess what? WE have to lie in it also. Maybe when we are all handing out friggin "smiley" stickers at Wal-Mart for minimum wage, then maybe somebody will get it... doubt it though......
Mom and Pops need to bring something to the table other than being local. I can try to patronize them all I want, but if I can't get a new release for a month, and I'll pay three times as much for it whe I get it, well life isn't short and it isn't a charity. Most have turned to porno, and that would be fulfilling a need not met by the big guys.
As for the other Mom and Pops, I'll support them the best I can, but business is Darwinian. If you can't compete, don't look for a consumer subsidity of mercy.
I'm not saying the big stores are all bad, the only point I'm trying to state is that on the average (not in all situations) you're going to lose common sense customer service in a big corporate store.
Bottom line is that change happens and people who don't or refuse to recognize this will go under. The small stores need to carve out their own niche...high-end product, used product, deliver it to your door, free installation.
You questioned her customer service and pricing? Customer service in their store was outstanding - anything extra they could do for their customers they did. Pricing? - You're absolutely right - their prices weren't as competitive as Best Buys and Circuit City's - That's my whole point! - There's NO WAY for a small time business to compete and give the same prices as a big corporation that can buy in large quatntities and sell for a reduced price. The main point of my original post wasn't to discuss my sisters situation ( I just used it as ONE example). The whole point of my post is to show that Customer Service is not what drives people from one business to another - it's usually price.
Anyone who thinks that some family could open up a small store next to one of the "big boys" and compete is off their rocker!
Too often Mom and Pops will piss and moan that their monopoly has been sunk and woe is me, and how will we compete? And some get out there and find a way. They will decrease their profit margins. A small profit is better than no profit, right? If Best Buy is selling CD's for 12 bucks, than a mom and pop has to be stupid, arrogant or ignorant to sell the same product for 18 bucks. No amount of customer service in the world is worth a 33 percent markup. They want to sell for 14 bucks, I'll consider it, and they will still make a small profit on the deal. And on up the food chain of electronics and all goods. Get busying selling or get busy closing.
But please don't take wild *** guesses about a situation you know nothing about.
My sisters business was doing very well for 10+ years. She didn't "all of a sudden" lose her business sense and "do something wrong" as you've stated. C'mon, your telling me that some schmo who takes out a loan to open up an electronics store can actually compete and beat out a Best Buy store? - You have got to be kidding!? My sister could NOT lower their prices(to compete) anymore and still stay in business. A big store can easily lower their prices more than the little guy and still keep going.
And I wouldn't call it a "wild ###" guess to suppose that something was fubar'ed with your sister's management. What sorts of changes did she try to compete with the chains? People are very much creatures of habit, and while some people would buy a widget from Hitler over Mother Theresa if he was selling a widget for a dollar less, most would not switch allegiances quite so fast. For her to go under inside of a year, even if the pricing was wildly uncompetitive(which is not your sister's fault as you say, and I'll give her that) smacks of there being a greater issue. I don't know what the problem was, can you enlighten us? Because if her customer service was that overwhelmingly over the top, I just don't see her folding after 10 years in 10 months. I"m not saying your sister is the anti-christ, but plenty of mom and pops have made a go of things without a 10 year jumpstart on the market.
But you know NOTHING about my sisters personal situation. And your beyond arrogant to think so.
Once again, and for the final time - THIS ISN'T ABOUT MY SISTER! I just simply used my sister as an example! My point is that in many situations there is no way the little guy can compete against a big store. Your comments are ignorant and I'm done with this conversation.
Go watch MTV Dude. I think the "Real World" is on for you.
or this
Of course I know nothing about your sister's situation, I admitted this and ASKED for more information. It's not my fault she ran her business into the toliet, I was trying to figure out what might have caused this situation.
Anyway, I'm off to watch the Real World
I would guess the clerk was a teenager who could really care less? Did you tell the store manager what happened or just steam about it and now won't return? If you did not talk to the store manager, then he will likely never know that there was a problem and be able to correct it. Some people call it tattle tailing, I think of it as improving customer relations.I have another customer service story (somewhat related to this thread) that happened to me tonight. I went to our local Drug Mart to get a couple supplies (the 3 yr old is sick) and I asked the clerk who was stocking the shelves where the thermometers were. His response? "I have no idea." and then he walked away!
top dog
Footballguy
Yes it was a teenage clerk. The funny thing was he appeared to be serious. I think he honestly had no idea where they were. If I thought he was just being a #### I would have called him on it. I can handle stupid customer service. I just can't handle rude customer service (my original Target post back on page 1 was about rude service)No I did not tell the manager. I also did not storm out and I will return. I'm pretty lazy and Drug Mart is just down the street from me.
To be honest, I just kinda shook the kid off and went off looking for the thermometers on my own. Ended up dropping $43.00 in there on a thermometer, humidifier, pull-ups, milk, and a couple other things I needed around the house.
Sam Quentin
Footballguy
It's called discretionHe wasn't returning 50 DVD'sIt was one DVD.I suppose he could have traveled halfway across the country, bought 1 DVD for 11.99 and then stodd in line for an hour to make 8 bucks. Kind of remimds me of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer and Newman filled a mail truck full of 5 cent returnables and tried to drive them to a state where they could get 10 cents. C'mon use some common sense.Ive been working in retail for awhile and can say thats our policy as well...no receipt...you get the lowest selling price which is usually the online price of the item...thats how it is. In an age of dishonesty you can't cut anyone slack...no matter how much you rant and rave theres tons of scams going around so without a recepit no one gets the benefit of the doubt. On a side note..its customers like you that make working in the retail industry a pain in the ### and the number one reason im on my way out soon to grad school no doubt.......you were drunk...u lost your receipt...####### live with it....its 8 bucks man....it probably cost you that much to get hungover rin the first place....you could have dealt with that way better.
Jim11
Footballguy
Hey, you didn't keep your receipt...you're bad, end of story.Nobody wants to take personal responsiblity.So I buy little GM the Lion King DVD for x-mas...I pay $19.99 for it last sunday morning. I pay cash. I'm pretty hungover from the night before. The receipt goes into some dark abyss I'll never retrieve.Little GM gets the Lion King from his aunt for Christmas. Mrs. GM tells me to return the one I got to Best Buy today. No problem. Well, one problem....I can't find the bloody receipt. But no worries, right? I mean it's unopened and in bright yellow letters it says "BEST BUY - $19.99".So I go in, I get in a long line and I wait. And I wait. It's a ####ing zoo in this hell hole. I finally get up to the return lady and she asks if I have a receipt. I told her I did not. So she then asks for my ID, phone number and writes down my address. She pops the info into her computer and then hands me a gift card for $11.99 and thanks me for shopping at Best Buy.Well....I got a big f'n problem. I told her that I paid $19.99 a week ago, why am I getting a store credit for only $11.99? It says on the DVD on a bright yellow sticker "$19.99". She tells me it is their policy to find the lowest price of an item within the last 30 days OF ANY BEST BUY STORE IN THE COUNTRY and give store credit for that price.
I generally take good customer service as icing to any good shopping experience anymore. That is, I don't expect it, but it certainly brightens my visit when it occurs.Living in New York, it amazes me when I visit other parts of the country where folks take the time to say "Welcome to blah blah blah" "Thank you!" "Come Again!" that sort of thing. In fact, I've gotten so jaded out here that I begin to wonder what's wrong with those folks. Why are they being so friendly? Do they want something from me? It sucks really.
General Malaise
Footballguy
okay Ken....so did you ask the manager why the DVD rang up for the sale price? was there any discourse to this matter? did you hold your breath and hope he didn't realize that you were getting a DVD for less than the sticker price?I'm as nice as the day is long. I'm overly nice. I smiled, said hello, asked how the clerk was doing, happily gave them my driver's license and phone number....But I am not going to continue the charade of decency when the person I'm dealing with fails to answer my inquiries or treats me with disdain. I'm their f'n customer for christ's sake. Without me and millions like me...there is no Best Buy. I don't get why this is lost on most of you.We are the customers. We keep businesses running. We should demand better from the people who take our money. I wasn't kicking and screaming off the bat. Those that know me here can attest to my civility and decency as a person. But what happened to me was wrong....wrong like that Nazis. In BIG LETTERS were the words BEST BUY - $19.99............no sticker residue over it suggesting any questionable behavior.I'm a nice guy...but I'm not going to sit back and take what happened to me with a smile just because I lost a receipt. All I asked for was proof that this DVD was $11.99 elsewhere and to explain to me why they would mark their prices up ~70% in 30 days. They didn't do that.It's my god #### right to voice my displeasure and if that means a swear or a middle finger, so be it.
Sam Quentin
Footballguy
The policy is short-sighted. Save 8 bucks today, lose thousands of dollars in future business. Great policy. :wacko:Loss Prevention at it's finest. Sorry, but if there weren't a bunch of ***la's out there, you wouldn't have any problems.
General Malaise
Footballguy
yeah, thanks Captain Obvious....this was stated several times.I guess people who send gifts are required to send receipts now too? Look, i'm old enough to remember a time when stores didn't operate this way...but now I'm required to keep every mother f'n scrap of paper for the rest of my bloody life because stores are no longer worried about their customers happines...just their own bottom line.Hey, you didn't keep your receipt...you're bad, end of story.Nobody wants to take personal responsiblity.So I buy little GM the Lion King DVD for x-mas...I pay $19.99 for it last sunday morning. I pay cash. I'm pretty hungover from the night before. The receipt goes into some dark abyss I'll never retrieve.Little GM gets the Lion King from his aunt for Christmas. Mrs. GM tells me to return the one I got to Best Buy today. No problem. Well, one problem....I can't find the bloody receipt. But no worries, right? I mean it's unopened and in bright yellow letters it says "BEST BUY - $19.99".So I go in, I get in a long line and I wait. And I wait. It's a ####ing zoo in this hell hole. I finally get up to the return lady and she asks if I have a receipt. I told her I did not. So she then asks for my ID, phone number and writes down my address. She pops the info into her computer and then hands me a gift card for $11.99 and thanks me for shopping at Best Buy.Well....I got a big f'n problem. I told her that I paid $19.99 a week ago, why am I getting a store credit for only $11.99? It says on the DVD on a bright yellow sticker "$19.99". She tells me it is their policy to find the lowest price of an item within the last 30 days OF ANY BEST BUY STORE IN THE COUNTRY and give store credit for that price.
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Sam Quentin
Footballguy
Hey everybody, next time you shop retail, please give the store manager a hug.
The Meathead
Footballguy
I'm in the market for a DVD recorder/player right now. Hey GM... why don't you post the store number or store location. I'll print this thing out and send it along with a letter to the CEO of Best Buy and explain that because of their policy, I won't be buying it from Best Buy.
General Malaise
Footballguy
makes it clear.but i wonder........what if I waited to return the DVD until next week? would I have gotten my $19.99 then? Let's say that $11.99 deal was over after a week. I'll say this.......Look - I know I acted like a child and I know I'm in the wrong for not having a receipts. But I'm now an expert on BBY return policies!I bought the Lion King DVD at Best Buy for $11.99 the day after Thanksgiving. Hope that helps (or exacerbates the situation).
Bill
Footballguy
not trying to make waves here but i have a quick question for GM....how many of those stores that you are old enough to remember are still in buisness after giving away all their profits(because of giving full refund without a receipt, (etc.))??? be honest!
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I've been generally on Best Buy's side in this whole deal, but I just wanted to let you know that I fully support the f-bomb, finger shooting, and sign kicking. Sometimes making a scene really makes a person feel better.makes it clear.but i wonder........what if I waited to return the DVD until next week? would I have gotten my $19.99 then? Let's say that $11.99 deal was over after a week. I'll say this.......Look - I know I acted like a child and I know I'm in the wrong for not having a receipts. But I'm now an expert on BBY return policies!
