Author Topic: Silliness at Best Buy  (Read 4397 times)

DragonSlayer

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Silliness at Best Buy
« on: February 04, 2015, 11:25:27 AM »
So, I'm in line behind a guy who wants to buy some radio kit for his car. It rings up at $99, but he claims that it was $74 online. After a back and forth with the rep., it's decided that it really is $99. Okay, fine. But the guy doesn't have $99. He only brought enough cash for the $74 model (plus the pile of snacks he was buying for the three kids he had in tow.) He says he'll have to go back to the house for more money. Well, out pops the Best Buy rep to tell him that if he applies and gets the Best Buy credit card, he can just pay for that item right now, and then come into the store to pay it off immediately. Guy agrees and gets a credit card.

A) I would have just gone home and ordered the $74 model online, if that's really what the price was.
B) Now the guy has a credit card and what do you bet he doesn't pay it off right away, pays the minimum, and instead goes into debt.
C) If he'd ditched the pile of overpriced snacks and drinks, he likely would have had enough to buy the kit without taking the credit card, but he gave in when the kids started pitching fits.

Now, partly I blame BB for pushing their card, but I also know they saw an opportunity and took it. They're a business, after all and their credit card in someone's hands is gold to them. I also blame the guy for just not knowing any better. It was a radio kit. It's not like he has to have it today. Go home and order it online if you really saw the cheaper price and if you just can't wait, do store pickup and come back for it. (Although why BB stores won't match their online price eludes me, but that's likely why they're circling the drain these days.)

dycker1978

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Re: Silliness at Best Buy
« Reply #1 on: February 04, 2015, 11:36:46 AM »
I had to chime in on this thread... There was once not so long ago, I went to but a $25 keyboard or something like that at my local best buy.  I went to the till and wanted to pay cash( digging out from credit card hell, so all I used was cash at the time) and they could not take it.  Of the four tills in the store, not a single one of them had change... I put the keyboard down and went to the competition and bought one, and though how odd that was...

jrmrjnck

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Re: Silliness at Best Buy
« Reply #2 on: February 04, 2015, 11:48:51 AM »
Best Buy does match their online prices - the guy was probably confused or looking at a different model online. Best Buy also price matches all local retailers, as well as online ones like Amazon and Newegg, although few people seem to know this.

Wolf_Stache

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Re: Silliness at Best Buy
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2015, 11:51:43 AM »
seconding jrmrjnck,
Best buy does match their online store prices (which I've used to my advantage before to not have to pay shipping). But he probably got the model wrong.

But yes, why not ditch the snacks?

Kaspian

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Re: Silliness at Best Buy
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2015, 11:53:59 AM »
Getting sad, isn't it?  This happened to me not long ago at the Dollar Store.

Cashier:  "That's $3.70."
[I give her two $2 coins (yeah, I live in Canada)]
Cashier:  "Do you have change?"
Me:  "That is change."
Her (looking angry):  "Different change?"
Me:  "You mean *exact* change?"
Her: "Yes!!"
Me:  "Of course not or I would have given it to you."

She stormed off to a different counter to find me 30 cents.

Every time I witness something depressing in a big store part of me gets sad for a second and then I remember my S&P 500 index fund.  "OK, dummy in Best Buy--I'd advise against it and you can be financially stupid if you want.  But it's all better for me in the long run if you dig yourself a hole."

hunniebun

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Re: Silliness at Best Buy
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2015, 12:06:30 PM »
Okay - likely not the best move on this guys part. However, in his defense...have you ever had to run an errand with 3 little kids?  Most likely this poor sod only had a few minutes to get this errand done and just did whatever it took to get it done right then.  I have been guilty of this myself in the past...never to the extent of signing up for a credit card...but I have surely overpaid for an item and/add treats to my purchase because the choice is always time or money...and sometimes time wins out.   Now that I am the straight and MMM narrow...this happens less and less. I sometimes think it is good to remember that people often just chose the path of least resistance in the moment to get something done in the time they have. Smart? - no. Sometimes necessary? - maybe :)

KS

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Re: Silliness at Best Buy
« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2015, 04:35:18 PM »
Best Buy also price matches all local retailers, as well as online ones like Amazon and Newegg, although few people seem to know this.

Is this true? I had no idea... we have a bunch of money on a BB gift card from returning a well-intended but not-for-us expensive gift. We've been wondering how we'll ever spend that much there since the BB prices usually seem pretty inflated compared to other retailers (especially Amazon and other online ones). If they have such a good price match that would make using up that card so much easier since we won't feel like we're getting ripped off on the price of the item(s) just to use the card.

vivophoenix

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Re: Silliness at Best Buy
« Reply #7 on: February 05, 2015, 12:27:22 PM »
yes. they will look it up right then and there online


Best Buy also price matches all local retailers, as well as online ones like Amazon and Newegg, although few people seem to know this.

Is this true? I had no idea... we have a bunch of money on a BB gift card from returning a well-intended but not-for-us expensive gift. We've been wondering how we'll ever spend that much there since the BB prices usually seem pretty inflated compared to other retailers (especially Amazon and other online ones). If they have such a good price match that would make using up that card so much easier since we won't feel like we're getting ripped off on the price of the item(s) just to use the card.