Testimonial #29: More insider "Numbers" info

I can confirm the 'Numbers' system absolutely. I worked at a Best Buy for a total of nearly six months, and it was the most harrowing job experience I have ever had. When I was hired, I was told that it was a non-commission sales job, and that there wasn't nearly as much pressure at a job like this as compared to an actual commissioned job. I found out exactly what a load of crap that was. Not only do they drill their 'Numbers' and what the numbers mean to you personally both first thing in the morning and last thing at night into your head, but they do it in a Big Brother-style manner that boggles the mind. They cheer, and clap, and rah-rah their love for Best Brother, I mean Best Buy every chance they get. How someone could get so enthusiastic about dicking over Joe Customer in any way they can, I will never understand. I refused to clap or even participate in this inane exercise, and there were times where I was told I am not a 'team player' because of this. Once, several of us were told that if we didn't clap, we'd run a lap. Which meant instead of finishing up their propaganda session and going back to cleaning the frigging store so we could get out of there, whoever didn't clap would have to run a lap around the store. Naturally, I refused to clap, yell, scream, or even speak. I was told to run a lap. I refused to do that as well. I am not one of those 'If it isn't in my job description, I ain't doin' it' people, because I like to help out, but in this case, this shit was NOT in my job description. Nowhere in any interview, description, or conversation with any manager was I told I would be subjected to ages-old brainwashing techniques. I was pulled aside the next day that I worked after this incident and I was asked whether or not I would like to continue working for Best Buy. At the time, I needed the job more than I needed my pride, so I said yes. I was told that I needed to get more enthused about Best Buy and its great opportunities. I brealy concealed my contempt. Well, let me tell you about the VERY first time I realized this place was full of jackasses. Everyone who has ever worked for that company has seen at least one of their little corporate propaganda training films. These all star the same guy, a low-level beyond-nobody who is the most retardedly corporate talking head I have ever seen. This guy exudes an aura of 'failed actor'. I can only hope that he goes home every night and cries himself to sleep or looks himself in the mirror and says, "Who am I? What have I done? God, What have I done?" All the bombardment of 'we love Best Buy' corporate buzzword bullshit is enough to bend the mind, which is what they are hoping for. Here's the best part: I've actually been TOLD by managers to not sell a product we definitely had in stock to a customer because they didn't want the Performance Service Plan, accessories, or any digital services. Last time I checked, refusing a sale to a customer because they would not buy more product was illegal. I was told to tell them we don't have it. They make their money off the Performance Service Plans, or PSPs, because they are basically free money. No percentage is cordoned off of that PSP purchase to pay a manufacturer. It is free money to Best Buy, which is why employees call a solo PSP purchase 'Air Cheese'. That jacks up the departments numbers like nothing else. The motivation to sell, besides a manager breathing down your neck with a current copy of the 'Numbers', is that the more you sell, the more hours you can have. They stalk you, telling you that at least 5 MSNs need to go out that day (They push MSN dial-up, when MSN and other companies are offering DSL and Cable services for the same prices), and if you want hours (more hours=more earned money for you) you have to sell more. During a conversation with a manager: Me: "So if I sell enough PSPs and accessories, I get more hours?" Manager: "Yup. More revenue, more budget for hours." Me: "So the more I sell, the more opportunity I HAVE to sell?" Manager: "Well..." Me: "Some incentive." Managers at Best Buy may be the sneakiest people I've ever met, but they aren't the brightest. At any retail establishment, you will have a couple of people who get very loud and angry and will have to be escorted off the property. At Best Buy, this happens nearly EVERY DAY. After a while, I realized that it's not the demographic of the area. Its Best Buy's beaurocratic policies. Most people get so fed up trying to get their problem fixed, their money back, or a replacement that they just give up. My moment of clarity came when I was pitching a digital camera to a customer and talking up the product, its accessories ("Yes, sir, you TOTALLY need that 512MB CompactFlash card! Absolutely! And what would you do without that microphone/headset/cellphone/PDA/Squeegee/Shiwalla Wash/Flowbee attachment to your camera?") and I stopped in mid-pitch. I realized I was totally bullshitting this poor guy and it needed to stop. From that moment on, I did everything in my power to sabotage the 'Numbers'. Please, people, do not buy from that place. They will take you for everything you've got if they can, and once you've bought from them, trying to get your money/life/pride back is nearly impossible.

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