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.
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.
I don't know what percentage of sales are returned, but it's definitely a percentage high enough to warrant attention by the company. Enough that policies have changed so that certain items, like laptops, have more restrictive policies rather than the very American open ended 30 day style return policy.
It's not all bad though, since Best Buy sometimes sells good condition returned items as "Open Box" buys at a slight discount.
Sadly, you can imagine there's no shortage of scammers out there. People trying to return "sealed items" that were opened and had the item switched out for something else, etc. One person returned a USB cable as a much more expensive Firewire cable. Returns are significant enough to ding retailer bottom lines that they have to put policies in place because of abusers.
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.
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.
School Bus Driver
Audiologist
Personal Injury Lawyer
Just specific people. I think most sales floor associates didn't wear them. Security and management personnel generally wore them when I worked there.
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!
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.
-OR-
(max 20 characters - letters, numbers, and underscores only. Note that your username is private, and you have the option to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)
(A valid e-mail address is required. Your e-mail will not be shared with anyone.)
(min 5 characters)
By checking this box, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to Jobstr.com’s Terms and Privacy Policy.
-OR-
(Don't worry: you'll be able to choose an alias when asking questions or hosting a Q&A.)