One of the 3 Best Buy stores near me is having a going out of business sale the next 2 weeks. Has anyone else seen this in their neck of the woods, or is this just an isolated event?

I've been noticing Best Buy stores on financial watch lists pegged to not survive the near future. I guess that is happening sooner than expected?

Haven't been inside a Best Buy in quite some time. Ever since they shrank their CD department, I've had no need to go there.

Didn't know they were closing any stores, they bought out Future Shop here years ago(same type of store). If BB goes under then I guess so would FS...who would take over the need for TV, stereo ect? maybe the mom and pop stores come back, or maybe Walmart would take over everything?

It is kind of interesting but an electronics retailer that despite all that has happened and seems to have been been growing in recent years(around these parts anyway) and giving BB & FS a run for their money is the Canadian operation 2001 Stereo. Last spring I picked up a top end model Yamaha AVR for a great price and their stores actually are quite large(very deceiving from the outside in size)and I noticed a significantly larger number of choices in large screen model monitors from the various manufacturers than at the competition, at very competitive prices.

Like Circuit City(gone) and others, these large chain retailers in the US have been suffering somewhat more than their counterparts in Canada.

Article

I only go into a BB for a rare Blu-Ray deal. I used to love going into that store years ago...

I forget if I linked to this in a thread when the article came out (a month ago). From Forbes magazine: Why Best Buy is Going out of Business ... Gradually

It caused quite a stir. The CEO of Best Buy responded.

Finally, the author toots his own horn some more and continues to beat the dying horse here.

Hmmm. I ordered 4 blu-ray movies from Amazon yesterday at low sale prices. I guess this explains why.

My movie collection.

I appreciate the diversity in the marketplace, and the ability to go there and get something RIGHT NOW.

When I wanted a cheapish laptop for my daughter, the best value I found was at BB. When I wanted a particular brand of garbage disposal TODAY, the only place in town that had Waste King was BB.

There's a big difference - to me - between being able to get anything on the internet and HAVING to get everything via the internet.

Thanks for the link JP. I had no idea, though I admit there is nothing drawing me into the store.

My favourite line from the article:

"In many years (OK, many, many years) as an entrepreneur, investor, and consultant working with Fortune 500 companies, I’ve found there are two kinds of senior executives. There are those who see mistakes as an opportunity to improve their business and those who waste their energy explaining away real problems."

I've worked for both types and the latter are not a lot of fun to work for.

So, Wallyworld for direct pickup and Amazon for everything else?

Biggest problem buying music at Mall*Wart is that they censor what they'll put on their shelves.

Either CDs don't get displayed at all, or sometimes album art is forced to be covered up... like Anti-Flag's "The Terror State":



Bren R.

I'm not sure that's "the biggest" problem, but right on, brother.

Although some days I will go in and buy, say, a ski mask (I was going to say balaclava), duct tape, rope and ammunition at 3am just to see the looks I get.

Beats the night I was staying over at a friend's place and his wife asked him to run out for a few things... at the time, there was one 24 hour drug store open - in "the village". He picked them up, we got to the cashier and she was stifling a laugh.

That's when I realized there were two 20-something males buying a tub of Vaseline, condoms and Vagisil at midnight.

Bren R.

Agreed.

Wally World is a good for nothing POS.

I took advantage of their sale today and got Planet Earth (6 disk special edition) and The Complete Metropolis both for $50. Both Blu-ray.

I'm a bit surprised at how badly Best Buy appears to be doing. Everytime I stop by the NE Calgary store they seem to be busy. But on the other hand I, myself don't often buy movies, electronics and music there. Amazon.com is my mistress for all things physical media. I buy them from the States where the prices are better and there's no bilingual labels.

Best Buy has generally always been a store filled with young so-called "salespeople" who know very little about the equipment they are selling and whose main goal is to sell extended service contracts and regardless of what other stuff they sell, they will get fired if not enough of these contracts are sold.

Bayne, by the way, when it comes to movies specifically, check first with Amazon.ca because from my experience, Amazon.com isn't always the cheapest, especially when it comes to additional shipping and customs charges.