Ron Mexico
Vienna, VA
Male, 36
I worked at the Westwood, CA Best Buy, just long enough to qualify for the employee discount, buy a bunch of stuff for me and my friends, and then bail. I worked in the "Digital Imaging" section (think: digital cameras and assorted accessories). I can't complain too much...the discount was meh. Working in this Best Buy meant I got to see two celebs in the store (Alan Alda just off his West Wing Emmy nom), Ryan Phillipe, and a pre-HIMYM Neal Patrick Harris at the Harris Teeter.
Ah, the Black Friday con. So if you believe the newspapers (and I do), in general Black Friday is kind of a con. Black Friday's origins, I believe, stem from the notion that BF was the start of the Xmas holiday shopping season - when retailers who were highly dependent on making a profit for the year during the holiday shopping season had their finances turn from the red (financial losses) into the black (profits). Obviously, it's turned into a new "holiday" celebrating America's unrelenting penchant for materialism. In general, BB and other retailers like Wal-Mart and Target put out a few "door-buster" type specials of merchandise that is artificially cheap (like 50" LED LCD TVs for $400) in the hopes of luring people to try to get those door busters - though most fail because they aren't the diehards that get in line out in the cold hours before, and there's only a few in stock of the door-busters. Retailers try to create a frenzy of buying though in general, with the exception of the door-buster specials, the prices are okay, not phenomenal (I believe, in general, the best prices are to be had online with different retailers like Amazon). If you're shopping for specific merchandise that you absolutely must have on BF, it's not a bad time to shop, though it really varies depending on what you want to buy. For example, toys are generally best bought closer to Xmas, not on BF. I'd advise checking out sites like dealnews.com to read more about the best deals and how to get them. Some items are very seasonal too - for example, with TVs, it's often good to buy last year's models when the new models are coming out (much like cars). If you are really on the hunt for something, but can afford to be patient, i'd advise monitoring sites like dealnews.com and slickdeals.net for the item that you want.
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The interview I had was with the department manager (for digital imaging) and one of the store managers. It was pretty relaxed; it felt more like a general fit interview. There wasn't a lot of questions testing my knowledge of the product, which kind of surprised me.
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Yes, Best Buy will price match Amazon and many other retailers:
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Payment-Pricing/Best-Buy-Low-Price-Guarantee/pcmcat297300050000.c?id=pcmcat297300050000
Online or In Store: Find a Lower Price and We'll Match It.
If you find a lower price on a qualifying product at a local retail competitor?s store or a designated major online retailer, we will match the price. At the time of purchase, we will match the current pre-tax price for new, identical, immediately available products from a local retail competitor's store and these designated major online retailers: Amazon.com, Apple.com, Bhphotovideo.com, Buy.com, Crutchfield.com, Dell.com, Frys.com, hhgregg.com, HP.com, HomeDepot.com, Lowes.com, Newegg.com, OfficeDepot.com, OfficeMax.com, Sears.com, Staples.com, Target.com, TigerDirect.com and Walmart.com. We will match prices between our stores and BestBuy.com®. We will also match prices post purchase if we lower our price within 15 days of your purchase.
GFE.
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Funny question....they might be. IF you are purchasing a bunch of stuff, and that stuff includes a bunch of high margin items, a manager might be able to work with you on a deal; if you're buying grey area stuff like open box items, there's possibly even more latitude for the department manager to work with you. So for example, if you're buying a new TV and audio receiver, and all the cables and speaker wiring (which are very high margin, either from outrageously priced Monster cables or their internal brand stuff), the Home Theater manager might be able to give you a deal. If you don't ask, you don't get, so don't be shy about asking...Best Buy knows that they're competing against tough retailers, Walmart, Target, and Amazon, and they don't want to lose big juicy sales.
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Hollywood Executive Assistant
Are Hollywood execs as nightmarish as depicted on TV?
Veterinarian
Do you think keeping monkeys as pets is a bad idea?
McDonald's Manager
Did you have to deal with a lot of disrespectful customers? What would they say?
Hello Andrew. When I worked there, the BB discount didn't kick in until a couple months in. The discount varied depending on the item purchased; basically, we were paying a markup above Best Buy's cost. For items that were tremendously marked up (think: accessories) the discount was considerable. For items that were not marked up much, like Apple products, or video game consoles, there was basically no discount.
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Just specific people. I think most sales floor associates didn't wear them. Security and management personnel generally wore them when I worked there.
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That's right, you caught me. I haven't worked @ BB since about 2006. But to be fair, I do make clear that I don't work there anymore...and in fact, the location has been closed!
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