In-store pickup needs to work every time. It doesn't
I like the idea of in-store pickup that Best Buy and other retailers offer. When you're in a hurry to get a product that's available at a retail location near you, you can go online, buy the product just as you normally would, if it was getting shipped to you, but opt instead to pick it up at your local retail outlet.
You don't typically save money over retail, but you do ideally get the product in your hands right away. You don't have to deal with looking for it at the store or standing in the register lines, since you've paid online already. Plus, you guarantee that when you get to the store, the item will be there for you, not sold out. In theory, at least.
In practice, it's a disaster. I've used in-store pickup at Best Buy more than once, and it hasn't worked. The first time, the site said my item (a camera) was available for in-store pickup, so I paid online, selected the in-store pickup option, and ran down to the store a couple hours later.
I went to the pick-up counter, explained why I was there, and waited a good 10 minutes before the representative came back and told me that the store had no record of me purchasing that product with in-store pickup.
A few weeks later, I purchased a product online for in-store pickup, and when I got to the store, it had a record of my purchase but couldn't find the item. One last time (in the name of research), I did everything the way it should be done through the site, only to find that it was sold out when I got to the store.
Explaining my issue and the fact that the Best Buy Web site told me the device was in-stock and that I had already bought it, I was told to come back in "a couple of days," and they should have one for me.
I'm not alone.
CNET editor Rafe Needleman experienced a similar issue and vowed to "never use Best Buy in-store pickup again." Technologizer blogger Harry McCracken told Rafe via Twitter when Rafe first mentioned his issue with Best Buy that "the first (and last?) time" he used Best Buy's service, he was forced to "wait for eons, then discovered it wasn't in stock, after all."
Rafe asked his readers and Twitter followers to tell him about their experiences with in-store pickup. While many respondents said they liked the service, plenty also said they had significant problems.
Looking for some sort of defense--or at the very least, justification for these issues--I contacted Best Buy and explained to them that at least three technology writers faced issues with the company's in-store pickup service, and my editor's anecdotal research turned up less than rosy reports about the consistency of its service. I also sent the company questions asking representatives to discuss their vision for in-store pickup and how they plan to improve it in the future. All I received was a two-sentence response.
"We are sorry you and your editor had poor experiences with our in-store pickup," a company representative wrote. "Last quarter alone, 36 percent of our total online sales came from in-store pickup, and overall, our customers told us they were happy with their experiences."
That response is a joke, right? That is Best Buy's justification for a poor customer experience? What about those customers who weren't "happy" with their experiences? I hate to say it, but I think the fall of Circuit City has gone to the heads of some of Best Buy's executives, and they think their company is bulletproof. Reality check: it's not.
Check stores? Will it be there?
(Credit: Don Reisinger/CNET)The reality is that even 90 percent satisfaction isn't good enough. The point of using in-store pickup is to give the customer a predictable shopping experience. If they want to roll the dice, after all, they could just head to the store without doing any online research on product availability ahead of time.
In-store pickup is supposed to eliminate the variability. With in-store pickup, you will, in theory, enjoy a predictable experience: you surf to the company's Web site, use the search box to find the product you want, add it to your shopping cart, select in-store pickup, and pay for it.
You'll then receive directions on when to get to the store and where to pick up your product. You drive to the store, go to the pickup counter, tell them who you are and what you bought, they find it within seconds because it's there, and you walk out with your new purchase. The pitch is that it works just like that every time and brings the predictability of online purchasing into the otherwise variable world of in-store purchasing. But it just doesn't.
I realize that 100 percent consistency in any retail operation is nearly impossible, but because consumers are expecting predictability, one bad experience will make them wonder if in-store pickup is really worth it. In-store pickup cannot work unless customer satisfaction with it begins to approach the reliability of online purchasing (which, to be fair, isn't perfect, either). One bad experience, and the chances of that customer using that service again are slim. Worse, they tell their friends.
Predictability is paramount with in-store pickup, but based on my experiences and others' over the past few months (at least using Best Buy), it is anything but. What's stopping me from buying products online from Amazon, knowing from experience that the service will be the same every time? Given the state of Best Buy's in-store pickup, nothing.
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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
Rafe Needleman, Harry McCracken and ??? Who's the third prominent technology writer?
That's how it works in the warehouses I have worked in: anything electronic in nature is scanned and re-scanned numerous times to make sure you are putting the right item in the box before you close it.
Never had a problem with CCout of 5 uses, but BB has goofed 1 of the 3 times I have used them this way and I never used it again and instead went back to rock solid responses from online companies like Amazon and NewEgg.
I would rather wait a few days and not have to worry about it, than drive across town to be blown off.
Time after time Cnet publishes poorly written and badly edited -- if edited at all -- articles. I'll grant that Best Buy is not my favorite place to shop, but Cnet is no better at reporting than Best Buy is at customer service.
Not sure if they still do it...but if they failed to have the product for you within a certain time frame....(5min)...you get an additional discount.
I usually got the discount. nuf said.
Now, the product knowledge of some Best Buy employees..., that's another story!
Expecting a national accounting system to be 100% accurate all the time within several hours is foolish.
If you want to complain about poor customer service, give some egregious examples, like DHL claiming a package was delivered when they put it in an open box near some mailboxes two miles away.
Perhaps it's more foolish for Best Buy to advertise that as being possible and then not delivering. Weird for us, as the consumers, to expect the service as advertised.
I don't quite remember what it was but it was popular years ago and I thought I would order online and pick it up in store, big mistake, I thought it would reserved for me. The sales reps, there didn't care, they just kept giving away stuff.
Once I was standing in line and I saw a sales rep go into the back where the pickup items are placed to be ready and he took off the customer's packaging slip and sold it to a customer that was in store at that time. That's when I learnt that you have a 50-50 shot at getting the item with in store pick up.
Its a good option unless some nut job sells it before you even get there. I think that from the time you place the order online till the time they get the order at the store (including the website verifying who you are and whether you have credit on the card) it takes about 10-15 mins for them to get the order on their screen in the store to find the item and start packaging it for pick up.
This has happened to me too much so I've given up on Best Buy's in-store pickup. It seems like a great idea but I don't think the folks who came up with this idea have gone around to different stores and tried this purchase option. The managers should go to each others nearby stores about 4 to 8 times in one month and report to each other their experiences. Once they have to endure this seriously flawed experience I bet they'll get it together.
I think it makes sense though what timme7395 did - just reserve your purchase via online store pickup, show up with the confirmation in hand that it's ready for pickup, skip the typically long customer service/in-store pickup line, grab it off the shelf, ring it up, split and cancel the order when you leave. At least you're then assured (hopefully) of the product being available for purchase.
Sometimes they "forget" to start it. I just quickly remind them or press the button myself to start the time. That gets them going. Each time I do in-store pick up they usually can't get my order in timely so I get the $10 off.
So yes In-store doesn't work as advertise but when you can get $10 off might as well.
Had a ugly experince buying my plasma TV in store - let alone online with pick up in store option. I think the root of their problem is inventory management and as somebody cited - "CC's demise"
I can say, I've used the Best Buy instore pick up dozens upon dozens of times for all kinds of things; DVDs, video games, gadgets, computer stuff, and many things. There was only one single instance when a product I ordered was not in stock.
The one time that the product was not in stock I actually got a phone call from Best Buy within an hour of the order saying the product I ordered was not in stock at the store 5 miles from my home, as a remedy they offered to over night it to my house from their warehouse at no extra charge. This was for an Xbox controller, special Halo edition one.
Maybe you guys need some lucky charms.
It's is a fact of life that there is no such thing as perfection. People, policies, procedures, programs, the internet, the universe are all defective to some degree. Your patience and understanding of this needs to work every time. It doesn't.
I understand, you ordered an new toy and had to wait. That can be very frustrating. I see your side, I feel your pain. I also try to see the bigger picture and apply some perspective. At this very minute there are people being persecuted and exterminated. Human decency needs to work every time. It doesn't. I'm sure that those people would be shocked if they heard about how you were treated by Best Buy.
I'm also impressed with how you tossed your credentials at the Best Buy guy. I'm sure he was probably very upset that the organization disappointed not only a customer but a prominent technology writer. Had they only known. Maybe you should have flashed the badge before you started the transaction. I think Best Buy's policy is that prominent technology writers go right to the front of the line. Your self importance needs to work every time. It doesn't.
And that brings us here. You have turned cnet into your own soapbox. Instead of an article about technology by a prominent technology writer, we get the "I'll teach them" rant. I'm curious now about the items that you needed so urgently that prompted this article. It must have been very important. I don't remember Best Buy carrying dialysis machines. Do they have home defibrillators? I can definitely see where this would be upsetting. Grandpa is going into cardiac arrest, you jump online order the home defibrillator then race down to Best Buy to pick it up knowing that every second counts! You get there and find out that you have to wait a "good ten minutes". Holy crap man! Grandpa is dying. Quick flash the Prominent Technology Writer badge, it's a matter of life and death! The heart needs to work every time. It doesn't.
So here you have an opportunity. You've identified a glaring weakness in a great market. You can provide this desired yet missing service. Get it right and you'll be very successful.
Looking forward to more articles:
? Pizza Delivery needs to work every time. It doesn't.
? The Drive-Thru needs to work every time. It doesn't.
? The toilet needs to work every time. It doesn't.
? The car needs to work every time. It doesn't.
? The DVR needs to work every time. It doesn't.
? A light bulb needs to work every time. It doesn't.
? Viagra needs to work every time. It doesn't.
? Common sense needs to work every time. It doesn't.
It's "The Digital Home", not "What's Cutting Edge in Technology". It's a digital home service that needs to be fixed pretty quickly if brick and mortar electronics stores want to stay in business.
And if you can't get your Viagra to work, keep it to yourself because we don't care.
It's "Best Buy" not "Brain Surgery". You have to set expectations realistically or you will always be disappointed. For example, when you go to the DMV you have a certain set of expectations. I think the author is setting his expectations a little too high for Best Buy prices. I'm sure that you can find a specialized store where you can get 100% satisfaction and only pay 3 times what you'd pay at Best Buy.
I'm not affiliated with Best Buy but I would conclude that they are operating at a level of success that they find acceptable. Of course you would want to achieve as much as you can but there are limitations. Suppose that it takes 100 man hours per day for one Best Buy to be 100% on in-store pick up but it only take 20 man hours to make 85%. Does the market [what you are willing to pay] tell me that I'm going to give the 20 man hours and hope that the Prominent Technical Writers understand? Maybe if In-Store pick up was 60% of business instead of 3% it might push ahead in priority.
Would it be bad if brick and mortor electronics stores go out of business if they operate at such an allegedly poor level? Obviously, the market will decide if Best Buy's In-Store pick up is good enough. My guess is that the demographics of the day indicate that In-Store pick up is not the deal breaker that Don thinks it is. We all know that outstanding execution of in-store pick up didn't save Circuit City.
There are probably many more important factors involved in the success of a consumer electronics shop. Maybe as the population evolves we'll see the elimination of all brick and mortor stores. Really apart from shoes and food, I shop exclusively online. I never use in-store pick up. Apart from food, everything else can wait for shipment.
So let's recap. It's just electronics, appliances, games, movies, music and software. Nothing you can't live without. It operates to serve a certain segment of the population. It carries costs to keep it in sync with that population. Sometimes those costs will limit what is attainable. The organization considers what rate of success is acceptable and weighs that when considering those costs. People shop at Best Buy because they feel that Best Buy is good enough to earn their business and that there is perceived value there.
Hope this clears things up.
Speaking of levels of whining and whether it's worth it: Who do you suppose has spent more time whining... you about the article or Don during the article? My money is on you. I'd guess Don slapped this together in 5 minutes.
To you point on whether Best Buy should worry about customer service on something utilized by such a small portion of the population. You really are a visionary. You should write a book on how to ignore the future and focus only on the daily fires in life. Nothing can be gained by looking ahead or planning. Hopefully you are not in charge of anything significant.
I have no doubt that Don slapped this together in 5 minutes. He's a prominent technical writer slapping pieces together is his at least part time job. i never claimed that Don is a tool. I was suggesting that if he believes anything will work every time, he is naive. I was also trying to put the situation into perspective. With everything going on in this world especially in the current global economy, doesn't seem a little silly to be so upset over In-Store pick up mishaps?
The really humourous part of this is that you attempt to mock me by calling me a visionary then try to convince me that carry out is futuristic. McDonald's has been doing carry out for 70 years with debatable success. Just because you add an online element does not make a concept futuristic. In-Store pick up [Carry out] is not the future. This article is not about improving the human condition through the digital home. It's about a guy who didn't get the new iPod on opening day.
Hopefully someday you'll recognize significance.
BTW "every time" doesn't mean "every time". Lightbulbs don't work every time, but if 1 out of 10 times you flipped the switch it didn't work, you'd be annoyed. Not as annoyed as if your "heart stopped working" but annoyed. Understand where your over the top analogies are falling appart now?
Light bulbs fail, like everythiing else but you still use them because you find the failure rate acceptable and approach the light bulb with a reasonable set of expectations. Likewise, people will continue to use Best Buy as long as the failure rate is acceptable. I'm sure that Best Buy as an organization never intends to deliver less than perfection but people are involved. Actually people selected by the limited pay rate are involved and there will be failures. Budgets are finite. This works against Best Buy in that they can only afford to have a limited inventory, a limited number of people willing to work for a limited wage to support the operation. It works for Best Buy in that their customers also have limited budgets and view Best Buy as a place to get good deals on stuff even if they have to wait in line or come back if something is sold out. Best Buy has to follow the money and support who is supplying most of it. Today, it is not the In-store pick up people.
That being said. I would like to engage in some collaboration. We have differing views on the philosophical substance of the article. Let's combine our differening perspectives and see if we might come up with some solututions. Who knows we might come up with something that Best Buy might use to increase their success.
The problem we face is that when a client orders a product online for In-Store pick up. They expect to select the item, select where they will pick it up, pay for it, then go to the preselected location and have it waiting ready to go.
The first problem I see is the inventory management. I'm sure Best Buy can account for every item in the store but according to that system, an item is in stock even if it is in the hands of another client who has taken it off the shelf but has not checked out. I suppose you could have "designated" inventory in back but you could potentially miss a sale if the on the floor stuff sold out and you don't have any non-designated stock left. the resverse is also true. You could at this point transfer stock from "designated" to showroom. This leads to another problem. At what point is the item "spoken for" in the online shopping cart. I would expect that thousands of shopping carts per day are abandoned. You can't really hold that item until the check out is clear or you might find everything tied up in bogus carts.This could be a problem if the online shopper sees stock when he puts it in the cart but the item sells out in the store before he checks out. Perhaps we could run one last inventory check at check out and halt the sale at that point. While that save the shopper a trip or allows them to select another pickup store, it still feels like failure. We could simply have insane amounts of inventory on the more popular items but as you know, in this industry in particular popularity is fleeting. It also is probably cost and space prohibitive. We have to find that sweet spot that keeps us stocked but not over stocked.
This does kind of explain Don's success rate. Given Don's job, he probably is seeking the most sought after stuff out there. After all, he needs to give us the scoop on the latest. I would guess that he'd have no trouble with in-store if he were looking for something fairly common and not too desirable. What about people that select in-store then go to the wrong store? That made me think of another inventory transaction we need to account for, the store to store. One Best Buy runs out of an item and transfers a few from another local Best Buy.
I think I'm going to have to run some tests and try in-store pick up to see what it runs like. Having never used this service, I have questions.
Any ideas on managing this inventory?
Best Buy doesn't need us to brain storm on how to manage this process. Since you haven't used it, let me describe it to you: I order. I wait 20 minutes for the store to confirm that it actually is in stock. I get an email that says come and get it. I go to the store and wait behind everyone that is returning Blu-Rays because they didn't realize their upconverting DVD player doesn't play BD and hope they got it right. That 20 minute wait should garuntee they get it right. Plenty of time to go get the item off the floor and put it behind the counter. I paid for it. Save it for me. The say they're verifying it's in stock, so verify it. You'd have to be a moron to screw that up more than every once in a very very great while= article on the fact that the service doesn't work and needs fixing.
You seem like a nice enough guy and it's been entertaining sparring with you, but I'm not up for fixing BB's issue. I've given up on them, and I'm pretty sure that's the point of this article.
- by B-Ri March 18, 2009 8:08 AM PDT
- The real issue here is people. Anyone that shops retail should know that you always have mixed experiences. Customer Service is probably one of the hardest jobs to do. You have to cater to people of all stripes. Some are patient, some impatient. Some understanding, some belligerent. You have to remember that the people that are serving you are human. They have failings, issues, feelings just like you. I can guarantee that no retail company has a policy in place to provide bad customer service. But like technology the problem comes when humans enter the equation.
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