Best Buy ad: Our people are better than Wal-Mart's

Now that Circuit City has enjoyed something of a last lap in physical retail, Best Buy seems to have decided to take on another large rifle in electronics retailing: Wal-Mart Stores.

Wal-Mart has been upgrading its electronics offering and Best Buy clearly sees the Arkansas retailer as a potential source of pain and anguish.

In Best Buy's new TV ad, we meet employee Rachel Muñoz from Best Buy store (No. 1,473, if you're interested) in McAllen, Texas.

Muñoz, who seems like a very nice woman, tells the story of how she took a call from a man who asked some searching questions about TVs. It transpires the man was not merely full of purchaser's angst, but also at Wal-Mart.

Muñoz recalls saying to him: "Well, you're obviously calling us because we're knowledgeable."

So she persuaded him to hotfoot it to store No. 1,473, where he became, Muñoz thinks, "a BestBuyer for life."

I must confess I did stop a little when I heard Muñoz's claim to knowledge. I read CNET's Sharon Vaknin's slightly sobering description of her experiences as a Best Buy employee. Example: "We have no formal training in consumer electronics."

But one's view of a retailer is always colored by one's own experience--very often the first experience--with the retailer's service.

I confess that at my local Best Buy (I'm sorry, I don't know the number of the store. Until today, I didn't know they had numbers like schools in Eastern Europe) it is very easy to get a "Hello, welcome to Best Buy" and a little more difficult to attract an associate's attention thereafter.

And once, when I inquired about buying a rather substantial sound system and TV, I was told I would have to wait 10 days for the Geek Squad to drive the two miles to my house to install it. Which the associates found terribly normal and I found terribly disappointing. (I bought elsewhere.)

Still, it is heartening to think a retailer might actually put itself in the position of using its customer service as a point of difference.

The only problem will be, naturally, delivering the service.

[Random_Walk]

You do know that placing oneself above Wal-Mart in employee knowledge is a pretty freakin' easy goalpost to hit, right? :)

Otherwise, yep... I empathize completely.

[shamanskyh]

+1

[MagiMamoru]

I would say it depends on the associate, some stores are better than others.

I get several complaints from my customers as a WalMart associate about the high pressure sales tactics of the Best Buy Associates. I take the time to find out my customers needs present and future. Now could I tell you for battem what Brand X offers over Brand Y and Z. Nope, I gave up caring some time ago after watching customers eyes roll over into the back of their heads with information dumps. I've learned form experience when a customer wants real tech information, my products are not going to meet their needs anyway.

[jd_mayo]

Walmart associate = for battem

Anybody else chuckle at that but me?

Sorry MagiMoru, but i think you mean verbatim.

[baggyguy1218]

I purchased my new LCD TV at Bestbuy not 500 yards from my home, at 8:30 pm no less. When I tried to get the 52" Samsung 650 series Box in my wifes Hatchback I found it short by about an inch. The guy helping me went inside and came back with an older man in a nicer shirt and he offered to put it in his truck and drive it to my home. I had geek squad coming to do a calibration and at first the associate helping me said I needed to have it delivered, but the manger guy offered to help and I had it home by 9pm.

Personally, if I would have gone to Wal-Mart, I would have had my translator ask if they had a way for me to get it home but I am 99.9% sure that would have been met with laughter (Walmart does not deliver, unless bought from online. If I am wrong I don't care). And the Bestbuy women who rang up my purchase was knowledgable enough to understand what I was looking for or wanted for that matter. I doubt one of the 65 year old cashiers working in my local Wal-Mart would not have had a clue what I was asking, nor would they have cared.

"For Battem!!"... that kills me. Seriously can someone fix that it hurts to see that.

[Dalkorian]

by jd_mayo June 17, 2009 7:40 PM PDT
Walmart associate = for battem

Anybody else chuckle at that but me?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Honestly, I had no idea what he was trying to say there, nor did I really care. That said, I did laugh when you pointed out what he was TRYING to say! Please don't fix it, leave it there for all history to record. THAT is what you get at prostitute-mart.

Prostitute-mart, selling your children's future for pennies on the dollar to people who couldn't afford to pay attention, let alone get a GED.

ROFLMAO!

[kenfreeman]

babbyguy1218, how many "women" did it take to ring you up? I've had to wait in line before, but I've never had to have multiple cashiers handle a single purchase before!

By the way, if you'd run your post through your translator, you'd realize you also meant to say "Personally, if I had gone to Wal-Mart" rather than "would have." My translator isn't sure what you mean by "I doubt one of the 65 year old cashiers working in my local Wal-Mart would not have had a clue what I was asking." Of course, as you say, "if I am wrong I don't care." So I assume that extends to all of your shortcomings.

[ochoa1]

+2

[cvaldes1831]

No surprise here. No one has ever walked into a fast food restaurant and received food that looks as good as what was played on the Super Bowl commercial.

It's all scripted out. Even reality TV producers have admitted that their shows are fake.

[jmartinbsu]

Actually those commercials are real employees with their own stories. . . I'm sure it's rehearsed a bit but the stories are all stories from the employee by the employee.

If I wanted to I could apply to be in one. . .The post links for us to apply at work a few time in the last 9 months.

As far as the post about "We have no formal training in consumer electronics", I actually laughed at that. Yeah, if the person she talked to actually said that, that is horrible. However, every single department I've ever worked in I've received formal training or had to pass some level of certification. Even this week I (and the rest of my store) am completing certification on different things. Yes, things like this have happened (at any job, anywhere). It's unavoidable. I feel that her experience is the exception though and not the expectation. . .

One thing I've found over the years is that many employees never realize that they are being "coached and trained" unless you specifically tell them, "Hey, right now, I am going to coach you and train you on X". Sounds ridiculous I know and I hate to belittle anyone's experience in life but I fear that this may also be the case for Sharon Vaknin as it is for so many people.

[kenfreeman]

It is unfortunate that Best Buy employees, surrounded by technology, like to imagine they know more about it. Real life experience (by shoppers, not employees) indicate otherwise. Real life, by the way, is not a "True Story starring an actual employee" posted to every web 2.0 site out there. It's unfortunate Best Buy feels they need to run ads which assert they are "knowledgeable" without doing a single thing to demonstrate it. The ad literally says the guy called up with a lot of questions, and she never even hints that she actually answered any of them. She simply told him to visit her store. Once there, I doubt the three 16 year olds in the television departments could be bothered to stop hanging out with each other to draw the short straw and repeat 1080p several times.

jmartinbsu.. I don't doubt Best Buy employees use and rely on technology. Your abundant grammar and punctuation errors demonstrate that without the use of a spellcheck (which, sadly, can only help you on the spelling), you'd be lost in this world. For example, what is "The post links for us at work a few time in the last 9 months" supposed to mean? I assume you meant to use "they" and "times." You probably also meant to put in some proper punctuation at some point, as well. Of course, you probably haven't taken your GED yet, so just remember to study up on your English language skills.

[saintseminole]

Your experience at Best Buy was almost the opposite of mine. My wife and I cannot get the "associates" to leave us alone. They're constantly coming up to us, wanting to help.

Most of the time, they're actually knowledgeable, but I'm one of those (apparently) rare beasts that likes to look around a while without having employees climbing all over me.

[karpenterskids]

Yeah, I think it just depends on which store you go to.


The employees are SUPPOSED to come up to you and ask if you need help, but some get their paycheck regardless, so they don't bother as much with it.



Now that I think about it, though...I prefer to browse in peace.
If I really need to ask a question, I can go get a sales-person myself.

[signal7svr]

And since when could a BestBuy employee answer any kind of a technical question about what they sell?

[solitare_pax]

At least you can locate Best Buy employees on the floor - the ones at Walmart scurry away like cockroaches, or say "This is not their department."

[bj2060]

I am a staff member at Best Buy, from the computers department, I can answer 99.9% of questions I'm asked regarding my department, and most from other departments as well. Staff are told not to fake that they know something, instead admit when you don't know, and work to find the solution, by either researching it on the computer using the resources available there, or finding another associate from that department to help the customer.

And yes, I know sometimes staff seem to be either hard to find, or always around when you don't want them, I recommend if anyone is having trouble getting help, ask the person in the yellow shirt at the front to get you someone, that is part of their job there.

[ikramerica--2008]

Best Buy is hit and miss, like any big store. The employee has to actually be interested in their job and want to know about their products.

If it were me, and my job was to work the TV department, I would, out of sheer boredom during slow hours, memorize all the specs of all the products and compare the pictures. What else is there to do?

It always amazes me when I go to a car dealer and know more about the cars than the salesman, who's job involves selling a few models of cars, nothing more. At least at a place like Best Buy, there is a lot more to learn about.

I always felt CC had more knowledgeable people until they fired them all in the great "cost saving measure" that somehow failed to save the company.

As for Walmart? They don't know anything. I prefer Target. Somehow, Target can train their people to know the products in their department and where to locate products that aren't in their department. I've never been to a target and asked someone where something was or if they have something at all and not gotten the right answer. I know that's a double negative, but it's true nonetheless. But most Targets have a relatively small electronics department.

[cv0721]

You do realize that Best Buy employs thousands of people, a good number of them could answer a technical question about what they sell, I know I could

[GKrynen]

The store number for most chain stores is printed on the receipt. If you do not purchase something one can normally be found in or around the trash right out the front door of the store.

[GKrynen]

Or the store number can be found by using their store locater feature on the website. Just saying, reports should expend a little energy/effort

[brianbot5000]

Anyone with enough knowledge about electronics - usefull knowledge - would not be working at Best Buy. Their employees are nothing more than late teen/early twenty losers who are too young or too stupid to be thinking of careers.

(Sorry - bad experiences at Best Buy have left me angry and jaded.)

[martin_c_e]

My experience has been some very knowledgeable employees at BestBuy and a Circuit City; mostly, they are self-taught. However, most of the clerks did not know much of anything about the digital television transition and almost nothing about HDRadio. They seem to know only about the stuff they can sell.

[panda630]

i have been working at best buy since i was 16 i am now 26. I have a bachelors degree in Aerospace Engineering and civil engineering, i am now working on my masters. The only reason i am still working at best buy is that their is no jobs in my area of expertise that would work with my school schedule. Please don't clump as all together, every store is different.

[cv0721]

I'm 17, its my first job and I have tons of useful knowledge about many of the products in the store, not just computers where I work, I'll be going to college after I graduate from high school and I hope to have a successful career

[traxx09]

"The only reason i am still working at best buy is that THEIR is NO jobs in my area of expertise" - panda360

Panda, do us all a favor, please label any structure that you engineer in the future as built by panda360. That way we'll know to stay far away. You can't even engineer a sentence correctly let alone a major structure. I can see why their ain't be no jobs in yer area of expertize.

As far as BB is concerned, the people who work there don't know anything beyond trying to sell me a $75 Monster Cable. Please, all your customers aren't that stupid.

[sdf0013]

This is a kind of odd problem that's been building in the industry. There have already been stories on Cnet that low end makers like Vizio have really built a business for themselves. Some of the brands like Sony have tweaked their own models to try to make some money off the lower end stuff. This is where Walmart plays. They want to be known as a destination as the lowest price on just about everything (or maybe everything). But, you're going to get pretty limited selection and certain no high-end. The reality of the story is that this guy probably didn't want to spend any money and is why he went to Walmart to begin with. If you want options, you goto Best Buy. But, and especially in this economy, people mostly care about price not options.

Still, the whole point about Vizio dominating the low-end and the recent stories about Best Buy only wanting to sell their store brand because of margin goes to show just how much of a threat Walmart is and thus why they ran this particular commercial.

I'm actually very sad to see a competitor (Circuit City) leave the market. I didn't care for them personally, but less competition is a bad bad thing! Even the manufacturers have said they don't like that it's only Walmart and Best Buy controlling most of the market at this point.

Hey Systemax! Bring back the retail stores while you're at it, but make them not suck.

[cdotspace]

I wonder if I should find the Best Buy employee that helped me pick out my TV last year. Maybe they'd get him to do a commercial. I called from within the store because I couldn't find anybody to help me.

[meletal]

I am sure i am inviting a bit of back lash, but the quality of the customer service at ANY store depends on the desire of the people hired there to interact,gain knowledge and please the customers . There are stores out there(even walmarts) that do provide good customer service and have good product knowledge. It all depends on the PEOPLE not the company in and of itself. People can put on a good face when they are getting hired, that doesnt always work out and it can be a long progress to either weed them out or help them to grow in their job.

[jmartinbsu]

No Back Lash Here.....

Amen.


If the employee chooses not to be engaged at work, then they are not engaged in being helpful to the customer.

[professionaladventurer]

All I can add is "yeah, I can read a box too." Which is what the guy does when I start asking questions at Best Buy (I don't go to Wal-Mart). Good on ya Sam Walton (No high school). But I hate your stores.

[toddbernhard]

OBVIOUSLY your mileage may vary, but folks who are technically inclined might want to work at BestBuy, whereas that's not likely the case at Wal-Mart.

Our firm's system administrator is brilliant and invaluable. And he got his start in BestBuy's Geek Squad. Sure there are plenty of average clerks at BestBuy, but when I was a budding computer geek (1983), I got a job at my local computer store. If I was starting out today, BestBuy might be a place I'd work, especially for the discount! Just saying there might be some diamonds in the rough... but I wouldn't look for them at Wal-Mart. Ever wonder why they have 'May I help you' on the back of their vests? It's because they always have their backs turned to you, and it's a "faux" way of appearing helpful. Like painting eyes on your eyelids to pretend you're awake!

With CircuitCity gone, BestBuy has their pick of employees and I think it's a good sign that they are going public with this distinction... It will force them to maintain (or obtain) a higher standard of service. They've set themselves up on a pedestal and now they need to deliver.

[assman]

When I goto electronic retailers (and I rarely do.. I buy everything online) I want the employees to just leave me alone until I'm ready purchase. They never know what they're talking about, better off looking up information online.

[ikramerica--2008]

True. I always know about the products I want to look at before I even enter. The days of relying on the person in the store to inform you are over. Back in the 80s, you basically could send away to the manufacturer for literature, or read magazines, to get info, but you still needed the store salesman to give information. So they were trained to do so. But also, prices were higher, as were margins, so they could afford to.

[terminalblue]

i worked three years at best buy and 5 years at walmart...walmart paid better and best buy trained better.

the training helped me feel more confident about the work that i did at best buy. at wal mart it was up to me to learn everything that i needed on my own, and as a result more mistakes happen. As a result i don't shop at wal-mart because of their artificial selection and pricing and i dont shop at best buy unless i know exactly what i am looking for.

seeing how merchandise is handled at wal mart (did you know their electronics come on the trucks as as motor oil and masengial ******?). At best buy they might not be on commission, but that doesnt mean they dont have goals to meet and they can be ruthless about doing so. I would rather deal with motivated (aggressive) sales people then poorly trained, unknowledgeable, associates, selling poorly handled, poorly made merchandise.

[ITcomposer]

I beg to differ, here in the east coast of florida the store i go to if i ask anyone in the tech department, (PC UPGRADES NOT GEEKSQUAD) a slightly advanced technical question i get a blank look from them, its as if i was talking to a wall or something, i tend to do more of my parts shopping in compusa now that they are starting to awaken from their grave. Your mileage will vary, its a matter of the attitude of the people in the store. For comparison the walmart nearby my house looks trashy, and the sales people there much like someone else commented already dissapear when i try to ask them anything.

[Marcia Boone]

Best Buy is less than 1 mile from my house and I can say that in 10 years, I have been there TWICE. Neither time did anyone in the store know what it was I asked for. I made a purchase once and it was not the correct item. I returned it and that was 8 years ago; my last visit. I had similar service in a large town in another part of my state.

A friend has been waiting since early May for their Geeks to come to her house and wipe a virus off her hard drive for $300. " Hope to be there next week", she said today. But, they are not sure if it is a virus or if she tried to download more than the memory could accept. She is not sure and neither are they~~but she can't use her desktop.

[ajbennett]

As an Best Buy Associate in the Home Theater department (Store #582, Springfield, PA) I completely agree, OUR PEOPLE ARE BETTER THAN WALMART'S... Of course, this is not saying much.

As for the no formal training, I'm not sure what Best Buy your friend was working at, but we have a training website, www.bestbuylearninglounge.com (best buy credentials required) complete with just about everything you could ever want to know about every single department and product in the store. Sure, not every new associate is going to know everything, but I make sure that ever person in my department is working on learnings and certifications at least once a week. Not to mention, all associates are required to be certified in the departments they serve, ensuring at least an understanding of the technology, even if they're not complete experts.

As for pricing, a recent survey was conducted on 90 different products that were common between Best Buy and Walmat (specifically home theater products), Best Buy had a lower price on 80% of them. Sure, at best buy you're final bill might be higher, but I guarantee that you're going to get all the accessories you need, a protection plan to make sure that you're TV is working at least 4 years down the road, and if you need help, someone to install it for you. In short, you will enjoy your home theater more.

As for those of you that have had "Pushy" sales people, I apologize. We do not aim to be pushy, we just want to make sure that you're getting everything you want and need. If you just want to look, be my guest, and we will be here to answer any questions you may come up with. All associates at Best Buy are Non-Commission, although, as some other post pointed out, we do have commitments to make as a department and store.

While some associates are 'kids' getting their first job, I know many associates at our store that have been with the company for 5+ years and know the products they sell like the back of their hands. I personally have a Bachelors Degree in Broadcasting. Sure, Best Buy isn't necessarily what I want to do with my life, but it's a great place to work part time as I work my way into the Film and Television Industry. It sure as hell beats Walmart.

[Fishdoc1]

You will be lucky if you can get 1 out of 10 people at retail stores that know how to help you. If you want to know any information about a certain product your best bet is to research it online. Most of your answers can be found in threaded discussions. AVSforums is a good start for electronics and this site. The days of customer service are far few inbetween.

[james.grimes]

As far as Wal-Mart is concerned, it depends from store to store; my customers tell me all of the time they would rather come to my store versus the one on the other side of town, just because we know our products. I actually take the time to learn the products that I sell-besides I know about most of them anyway. I hold an associates degree in Information Systems/Networking and a diploma by the same name. I am working on my bachelor's from Kaplan University online while working for Wal-Mart--besides the company's benefits package is helping to pay for Kaplan. That and all of the other benefits, Wal-Mart is a wonderful company to work for.

[taylor1277]

try calling the whitehall pa store,what a joke,i was in the area one day shopping,before i got to the store no one answered,so i went to the store to do my comparison shopping,usually done online,but i needed something while i was out,when i went into the store i called,and watched the phone,two people a guy and a girl chatting and laughing probably about how he would do her,didnt answer the phone- i hung up and walked over and asked why they dont answer the phone and thats what i got this isnbt their department,their watching the counter,like what its going to walk out of the store.