Re:Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon
by joshlegs on Thursday July 19, 2018 @11:23AM
(#17567172)
I mean, convenience has a cost/value. Moseying to your local retailer and walking out with a thing has value. Now, whether that's ~$194 of value, IDK.
But like the original commenter, the thing I love about Best Buy (and other mortar and brick retailers) is the "I dont have to wait on shipping and lost orders" thing.
Re:Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon
by mgbmtl on Thursday July 19, 2018 @11:24AM
(#17567175)
Oddly, I've had the opposite experience (in Canada): the online price would be the same as on Amazon. I wanted it now, so I went to the store (even though I hate driving to the suburbs/shopping mall), only to see that the item was 10% cheaper in the store.
(we always pay taxes for online purchases, so taxes are a non-issue)
Re:Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon
by gnicholas on Thursday July 19, 2018 @06:02PM
(#17570726)
How strange! I’d think that anyone who caught onto this pattern would check the in-store price before completing the pickup. If the price is lower in-store, you could just cancel the online order and purchase off the shelf!
Re:Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon
by mgbmtl on Saturday July 21, 2018 @11:55AM
(#17582387)
Ah, to clarify: I would not bother ordering online, so it was a pleasant surprise to find the lower price in-store.
Re:Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon
by sjg007 on Thursday July 19, 2018 @02:45PM
(#17569226)
I think the line that they use is that bestbuy.com is a different business then best buy. something like that.
Re:Best Buy Is Thriving in the Age of Amazon
by dhimes on Thursday July 19, 2018 @06:17PM
(#17570824)
A lot of stores have that model- effectively putting online in competition with brick and mortar. I heard the founder of Staples (Stemberg) speak to this early in e-retail. Somebody asked how they were handling the upcoming online pressure, and he said they made it a separate unit with their own strategies, etc.
You think it is free to have that building, that staff, the parking lot, the electricity??
I saw a deal for a 48” Vizio TV on bestbuy.com for $206 (in 2016, this was a screaming deal). I ordered for in-store pickup. When I went to the store, I saw the TV was listed for sale at $400 or so, with no indication of a better price online.
So Best Buy makes tons of money off folks who wander in, while doing good volume on online sales with lower margins.