Testimonial #41: The whole BestBuy story

Hello Everybody,

Hi, I'm an ex-cashier from a Best Buy in Northern Virginia and I've been Best Buy free for 6 months, since I quit/was fired.

I worked at Best Buy for three months over a year. But my first encounter with "the numbers" was long before that, two years before I was hired while I was purchasing a DVD player. I made my selection and was talking to a salesperson. He offered the Service plan and I said no thanks. He offered it again and told me that sometimes it starts to scratch the DVDs and so on and so forth. I said no again. He then got a manager, who proceeded to warn me that the laser reader tends to break after about 10 months with this model and that it would be in my best interest to purchase the PSP. I, at this point fed up, said "If its going to break, why am I buying it?" and placed it in the managers hands and walked out. Went to Circuit City, bought the same one, I've had that DVD player for 3 years now and nothing has gone wrong with it.

Either I forgave or forgot but either way I joined the Best Buy team in November of 2001, just before the Christmas season.

I was in Media for a few months and my supervisor was a dick. He didn't push accessories or PRPs too much but he was a dick in general. I was soon moved to OPS (cashiering) where i stayed for the remainder of my time at Best Buy.

Cashiers don't do any heavy Service Plan selling, but they do heavy Replacement Plan selling. We are suppossed to overcome three no's...THREE!! Thats rediculous. Thats what hold up the line!

"Excuse me sir, i would just like you to know that we offer a 2 year PRP on this product for only $XX and it covers normal wear and tear, dust, moisture -"

"No thanks"

"Okay sir, but I just want to let you know that sometimes the XXXX comes loose and the XXXXX breaks and it would be in your best interest to -"

"I said No"

"Well yes sir, I understand, but I just want to make sure that you're satisfied with -"

"I SAID NO AND I MEANT NO!"

(and we still have to overcome that last "no")

"Sir, we are not on commision, we just want to make sure you are completely -"

By this time he already walked out of the store in anger and vows never to come back, but he does. The way managers feel about this? They're fine with it. If the guy wasn't going to buy the plan anyway, then for him to not buy it only helps the store's numbers.

Thats why the lines go so slow.

Myself, I never asked more then twice...I'd say it once, and if they seemed iffy i would say it again. And then I'm done. I got my fair share of PSPs and PRPs but I wasn't THAT good, which is why they had a real trouble with me. I was very good with the customers. I got straight 5s on Customer Service and interaction on the weekly reviews, but I didn't sell enough Plans. I sold some but not "enough" This really frustrated them. They couldn't fire me because I WAS offering them, just didn't sell many. And I was completely nice to the customer. So, like the Bobs in Office Space, they tried to "fix the glitch" by not giving me any hours. I got 8 HOURS ONE WEEK!! 8! Then one week I got 0! I got 0 again! So I just stopped checking, and I haven't been there in my blues again.

The Service Plan itself isn't a bad deal, its the fact that they pressure it so much.

Interesting Story:

I forgot my belt one day, oh well, my manager forgets his all the time. But the GM of the Store saw I had no belt and "reported" me to my supervisor. He said "get a belt" I responded "I know, I have one, I just forgot it today", he said "no, get one NOW"

He forced me to leave (and to clock out mind you, i didn't get money for it) and go to the nearby TJ Maxx to buy a freagin' belt. WTF?? I should smack him with the damn belt

There is also a practice called "Ben's Revenge" that the Managers do to Cashiers they want fired. They put a extra $100 bill in their drawer, and when they are counted down they are $100 over, and if you are more then $50 over or under what you should have, you are fired on the spot.

GUIDE TO SCREWING THE HELL OUT OF BEST BUY

1) Purchase a product you want with the PSP, go back the next day and return the PSP, the return hurts them more then the buying it helps them, number-wise.

2) Buy a big ticket product, open it, return it the next day. You get full money back and they have to sell it as an "open box item" and lose money on it. When I was there they really stressed to make sure people go home with the one they want so they don't return it. Do this a lot. Like once a week to hurt the revenue.

3) This one takes some time but it is my favorite: Bring a bunch of popular products to a Best Buy Terminal and have someone give you a price check on all of them, you'll get pieces of paper that show the price on them. Stand by the products and when someone takes one, tell them that you are a best buy hater and that you have already printed off price sheets. Tell them to just take on to Circuit City and because of Circuit City's price guarantee, they'll get it for less (10% of the difference), of course you'll know exactly how cheap they'll be at circuit city.

4) Stand in line for a register, and say loudly so everybody hears you when someone in the line is offered a PSP or PRP: "These are terrible, I used to work for Best Buy and I know how much they get from these and how they are really a scam" I gurantee he wont' buy it.

Hope this helps.

- I'll tell ya my name later


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