Best Buy to close 50 stores and lay off employees

[PixarFan2006]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/lauraheller ... itability/

Thoughts?

I am kind of mixed on this. They were always kind of overpriced when it came to DVDs and video games (save for sales).

[Scarred4life]

Yeah, they are a bit pricier than other stores. Even Future Shop has cheaper prices, and it's owned by the same company.

[Jules]

Cutting 50 stores!? Then how many does it have in the entire country?

[Alphapanchito]

I heard recently that there are a little over 850 Best Buy storefronts. In America, that is.

[dvdjunkie]

We have three large B&M Best Buy stores here in Wichita, and each one of our Malls has a Best Buy Electronics Kiosk in place. All seem to be doing a booming business.

I have contacted two of the three Best Buy managers and have been told that one of our stores is part of the closing, which the schedule has not been announced as yet. Hope it is not the one just down the street, that I can walk to when the weather is good.

Sad, the techno-illiterates like myself are getting pushed aside for the betterment of those who are techn-geeks.

Don't understand all this technology stuff, but a friend of mine put it all in place, so I don't feel so bad.

All of those people who can afford the "luxury" of owning iPads, SmartPhones, and such are making it hard for those of us who find that just having a cell phone for inbound and outbound calls as a necessity.

The whole world in the last 10 years has gone technology-crazy, and our friends and loved ones are paying the price of this ignorance. When was the last time any of you wrote a letter to someone, that needed an envelope and stamp on it to be delivered. We have all gotten so used to pulling up our friends on our "luxurious" SmartPhones, we have forgotten how to talk to someone in person, or visit a friend in need in person. Think about it. Could you do without your computer or your phone for just one day?

Sorry for the rant, but it really ticks me off about people who can't do things without their lap tops or SmartPhones.

[DarthPrime]

It doesn't surprise me. At least in my area Best Buy has gone downhill the past several years. A lot of their items are over priced unless you go on release week, or get a deal. Customer service is also suffering compared to just 5 years ago.

There are so many alternatives now to Best Buy that its hurt their store. I sort of feel like my store "gave up" when Circuit City went out of business. They used to be really good, but when the competition went out they started their downhill slide.

Sad, the techno-illiterates like myself are getting pushed aside for the betterment of those who are techn-geeks.

Don't understand all this technology stuff, but a friend of mine put it all in place, so I don't feel so bad.

All of those people who can afford the "luxury" of owning iPads, SmartPhones, and such are making it hard for those of us who find that just having a cell phone for inbound and outbound calls as a necessity.

The whole world in the last 10 years has gone technology-crazy, and our friends and loved ones are paying the price of this ignorance. When was the last time any of you wrote a letter to someone, that needed an envelope and stamp on it to be delivered. We have all gotten so used to pulling up our friends on our "luxurious" SmartPhones, we have forgotten how to talk to someone in person, or visit a friend in need in person. Think about it. Could you do without your computer or your phone for just one day?

Sorry for the rant, but it really ticks me off about people who can't do things without their lap tops or SmartPhones.

Phone? Yes... I actually don't have a cell phone at all anymore. I rarely used it, so I cancelled the plan.

Computer? No way. I work from home, so I have to have my computer each day. If it wasn't for work, then yeah I could probably learn to live without it, but it would be hard.

[Elladorine]

All of those people who can afford the "luxury" of owning iPads, SmartPhones, and such are making it hard for those of us who find that just having a cell phone for inbound and outbound calls as a necessity.

The whole world in the last 10 years has gone technology-crazy, and our friends and loved ones are paying the price of this ignorance. When was the last time any of you wrote a letter to someone, that needed an envelope and stamp on it to be delivered. We have all gotten so used to pulling up our friends on our "luxurious" SmartPhones, we have forgotten how to talk to someone in person, or visit a friend in need in person. Think about it. Could you do without your computer or your phone for just one day?

If people are still contacting each other and communicating in some way, how is it ignorant? What price are we paying, exactly? Are you suggesting that technology has somehow replaced "real" contact? For most of the people I know, technology has not replaced anything at all, it has only enhanced their experiences.

If it hadn't been for my laptop, I'd have never met my husband. If it hadn't been for my laptop and the initial cell phone he sent me, we wouldn't have been able to stay in contact so well early on in our relationship. I suppose we could have written letters instead, but that would have kept things a lot slower and more difficult for us while we were apart.

As it is now, I live thousands of miles away from everyone I grew up with. Using this technology is the easiest way for us to keep in touch. Would I prefer to talk to my friends and family in person more often? Sure! But it's not always feasible. Is it nice to send and receive letters? Sure, and I still do it. I just received something last night from a friend on the other side of the country and plan on sending a response soon. But I see no reason to complain unless you're secretly feeling left behind with it all.

But to get back on topic, I'm hoping we won't lose any of the Vegas locations (we've got Mobile locations here too). The prices seem competitive and now that we no longer have Suncoast it's sometimes the only option we have to buy a movie in person. Best Buy should probably continue to focus on adapting to online sales and pickup in order to stay relevant.

[slave2moonlight]

I hate to see Best Buy go. When it comes to tech stuff, I usually shop there. When it comes to DVDs/blus, I find they have the biggest selection for a brick and mortar store that isn't outrageously priced, like at Barnes and Noble, even though not all the prices are good. Every Sunday, I read the DVD/Blu-Ray deals in the weekly ads for two stores, Best Buy and Target, in addition to checking out Wal-Mart's DVD section nearly every time I shop there, which is once a week minimum, probably, with the occasional exception. I do most of my purchasing in brick and mortar stores still, as I am choosy about the condition of an item (I've received things in not the best shape, even from Amazon, in the past through snail mail, and I am not one for purely digital products yet, even music; I don't own an ipod or iphone). I also don't have a solid home address yet to be receiving things at.

I didn't read the article, but I know they just opened a new Best Buy last year in the area my sister used to live in, which is like half an hour away, and driving from there to here, one passes at least 3 more along the highway, so... maybe they do have too many, I don't know. I grew up in a small city, though an ever growing one surrounded by other small, ever growing cities. When I left a couple years ago (I go back often though, for now), there were approx. 3 Best Buys within not too much driving distance from my house. I of course never minded this, because sometimes things in their ad weren't in stock at the closest one.

[Flanger-Hanger]

I heard elsewhere that this past Christmas, Best Buy had more online sales than in store ones. If that's the case I could see why there would be a desire to cut down on the number of the physical locations.

[milojthatch]

I heard elsewhere that this past Christmas, Best Buy had more online sales than in store ones. If that's the case I could see why there would be a desire to cut down on the number of the physical locations.

I heard that too. I'm not surprised that this is happening, regardless of online sales. I don't think it's fully the economy to blame either, I also feel it's also Best Buy and their business plans. I think even if the economy was fully booming, something like this would be happening.

[PixarFan2006]

Update on the situation.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/cab/abn/y12/m04/i16/s03

[Elladorine]

Update on the situation.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/cab/abn/y12/m04/i16/s03

Looks like there aren't any plans to close down my local ones.

[magicalwands]

The whole world in the last 10 years has gone technology-crazy, and our friends and loved ones are paying the price of this ignorance. When was the last time any of you wrote a letter to someone, that needed an envelope and stamp on it to be delivered. We have all gotten so used to pulling up our friends on our "luxurious" SmartPhones, we have forgotten how to talk to someone in person, or visit a friend in need in person. Think about it. Could you do without your computer or your phone for just one day?

If people are still contacting each other and communicating in some way, how is it ignorant? What price are we paying, exactly? Are you suggesting that technology has somehow replaced "real" contact? For most of the people I know, technology has not replaced anything at all, it has only enhanced their experiences.

To add my perspective on our technology-crave generation. The technology is FINE, until it distracts us from our friends. People are addicted their phones to the point they can't help but check for texts/fb updates when they're hanging with their friends. I admit I have trouble with it too now that I have an iPhone. It really irks me to ponder how I am spending time with one friend, but texting to another friend. Then when I hang out with that friend, it's vice versa. It really minimizes human interaction because part of the time I was on my phone. Sorry if this is preachy! I only mean to tell everyone to exercise caution.

One Best Buy near me is closing. I thought it was because the shopping center it is located in is not a very populated place, thus they are just closing that one. It's good to hear there ARE 800 Best Buys out there left.

[Elladorine]

If people are still contacting each other and communicating in some way, how is it ignorant? What price are we paying, exactly? Are you suggesting that technology has somehow replaced "real" contact? For most of the people I know, technology has not replaced anything at all, it has only enhanced their experiences.

To add my perspective on our technology-crave generation. The technology is FINE, until it distracts us from our friends. People are addicted their phones to the point they can't help but check for texts/fb updates when they're hanging with their friends. I admit I have trouble with it too now that I have an iPhone. It really irks me to ponder how I am spending time with one friend, but texting to another friend. Then when I hang out with that friend, it's vice versa. It really minimizes human interaction because part of the time I was on my phone. Sorry if this is preachy! I only mean to tell everyone to exercise caution.

Everything in moderation, right? But believe me, I hear what you're saying and completely agree.

Reminds me of my old best friend back in 2006. She was having a hard time with her personal life, and got completely obsessed with texting the long-distance friends she'd made on Myspace. I remember her complaining about going way over on her text plan, even though she got a package for 10,000 each month (the extra texts would easily add $100 in addition to her plan each billing cycle)! It was impossible to have a conversation with her, as she spent every waking moment staring down at her phone, typing on her little keypad. He mom threatened to take her phone away at her grandmother's birthday party because she couldn't set it down long enough to even say happy birthday (and she wasn't a teenager, she was a grown woman in her mid-20's). I'm surprised she didn't lose her job over it at the time, as all she did at our work was text (our boss never worked on-site with us but had to have heard about her habits regardless). Once her life was in a better place, she lost her texting addiction and eventually apologized to her friends and family for putting people she barely knew on a pedestal and ignoring the loved ones in her life. She and I are still friends, and maybe it's ironic that we mostly keep in touch through Facebook these days. We've both since moved though; me to another part of the country and her to another country altogether. I'm just glad we're still friends and continue to keep in touch, whatever the means.

Once again, everything in moderation. Technology is a big part of our lives these days, and I agree that it's not a problem unless it takes priority over our friends and family. People just have to be aware of what they're doing and who their actions are affecting. Anyway, I didn't mean to skew things so off-topic from the original point of this thread, it's just that I'm so sick of the seeing the rose-colored glasses, the flippant bashing, and the sweeping generalizations about kids these days. I don't believe that waiting days or weeks for a letter to be delivered is somehow "better" than being able to communicate with someone in real time, nor that everyone that has a smart phone is obsessed with them (I have an iPhone myself). I don't mean to come off as preachy either but I've seen both ends of the spectrum, and maybe I resent hearing an assumption that someone like me has no respect for the loved ones in my life just because I interact with people online and through my phone.

Just sayin'.

[Semaj]

Update on the situation.

http://www.auctionbytes.com/cab/cab/abn/y12/m04/i16/s03

Looks like there aren't any plans to close down my local ones.

Or mine.

[milojthatch]

Even though I'm currently not in LA, I'm sad to see the UCLA store (Westwood, CA) closing. I had a lot of great memories at that store. Good times.

[SpringHeelJack]

The one closest to me is one of the closing ones. They shipped their music and movies out to other stores, so I have no reason to hit them up. So long, you miserable bastards.