Milt Findley Loc: Southeastern Wisconsin

By the time I buy a piece of gear, I know a lot more about it than the guy selling it to me, no matter where he works. I read this forum every day. It suits me fine that Best Buy is in the equipment business, in fact, my original 7D and lens came from there.

The only thing I have ever purchased in a retail camera store is a UV filter. Mostly because I don't like dealing with attitudes.

sirlensalot Loc: Arizona

Uhhh....... I think Best Buy is a retail camera store as well?
The attitudes I encounter in one vs, the other is camera store staff are more helpful along with a lot of knowledge. Never had an attitude issue with either. Sorry you did.

cneajna Loc: Port Angeles, WA

Interesting. The last time I was at our BB (not that long ago) they were carrying the higher end cameras, but NOT the 4/3 mirrorless cameras or lenses. I thought that was kind of weird since so many camera companies are making a mirrorless model now. I haven't looked at their camera section since. I wonder if they'll carry Sony's full frame mirrorless?

singleviking Loc: Lake Sebu Eco Park, Philippines

Yes things are surely changing. There used to be people in RadioShacks that had at last hobbyist knowledge about electronics and they had a rudimentary repair capability, but those days are now gone. Now they have clerks and register operators that have difficulty even scanning items for price at check out.

The bigbox stores have noticed this trend and changed their philosophy to increase sales with the inclusion of some top-of-the-line items, but when the sales staff was last week selling appliances and this week selling cameras, the informed sales assistance model seems to fall short of it's mark. They expect the customer to do their own product research and comparison before coming into the store. If you don't, you're in for a bilking and end up with dissatisfaction in your purchase and extended warranties that accomplish nothing but empty your wallet of spare cash.

The days of the old family run photo shop with knowledgeable staff are falling by the wayside due to stores like WALMART and KMART and BestBuy. Even SEARS APPLIANCE used to have knowledgeable sales staff that worked on commission and knew their products but that practice went away as well.

It's a consumer society that relies on disposable and replaceable items to maintain product production lines in China and South-east Asia.

Thank goodness for stores like B&H, ADORAMA, and a few camera franchised dealers for still having knowledgeable staff that can direct customers to products that fill their needs.
Most consumers don't realize that CANON and NIKON require dealers to sell new equipment at suggested retail pricing schedules and the discounts are set through the corporate office. Selling for less gets your franchise revoked. Trade-in items are the exception. I think MTShooter can verify that.

Even Amazon has a customer question and answer section that is answered by product owners some of whom have the knowledge to answer intelligently and eloquently. The online store/internet sales for high priced equipment purchases is a buyer beware market place unless you go through a reputable vendor.

cneajna Loc: Port Angeles, WA

I agree and while this is NOT photo/camera related, I see the same thing in sewing machines. I repair and refurbish old machines to keep them out of the landfill. Most need very little done to them other than a good cleaning and oiling before they can be put back into use. It's kind of sad. Yeah, they don't have a lot of built in fancy stitches, but they still sew great and rarely (if ever) break. I'm not against progress or new machines (they serve a purpose and fill a need that old machines cannot), but you can't beat an old machine for the amount and type of sewing you can do with it. :) I should know, I own about 50 machines (some just for the collectible aspect) and have fixed or refurbished several hundred. I'm self-taught and still learning. :)

markly86 Loc: Humboldt County CA

Best Buy is just a demostration spot for Amazon (or B&H). You go there to see the physical products before you buy fresher more up to date products online. I was in a Best Buy on Wednesday looking at laptops and it was just sad. Unknowledgeable staff selling out of date equipment to people who had no idea what they were looking at. Their business model is unsustainable and it's just a matter a time before they follow Circuit City to the grave.

singleviking Loc: Lake Sebu Eco Park, Philippines

I think that the consumer going into your BestBuy store is window shopping. The staff is there to assist in checkout for all your impulse buying and large appliance purchases. They cater to the mass market crowd.
The Geek Squad can only perform prescribed program repairs through software checking routines. All hardware failures are sent back to the manufacturer's service organization if still under warranty. The good staff stay until a better job offering comes along or they graduate from college.

Kuzano

One of the ways to provide a mix of local support and on line buying is to shop/research web sites for the larger, and local stores.

For instance. Go online with Best Buy, where you can find all their merchandise. Do your looking at specs and prices. Order on-line but have the merchandise shipped to your local store, where they may not have the merchandise.

In fact, a few years ago, best buy was found having local web sites set up for the individual store, and with higher prices than the main online site. They got caught, and they would have been anyway.

But now, if you buy online, and have the merchandise shipped to the store, there is no extra cost for shipping and at least at the job level, you are providing support.

Staples is another. If it's not in the store, look online. If you take the online information into the store, and they have the merchandise shipped, it's very often a one day turnaround, and someone in the store's employ is supported by your transaction with the company. Or you can go into the store and they can look up the price, and they can have it shipped. But make sure you have at least checked the on line price before doing that. Just in case there are some differences between what the store quotes and the on line site shows.

I realize this is not the kind of support one feels when buying from a locally owned brick and mortar establishment. But it gives you access to a larger inventory, and the lower prices of on line.

I will add that the internet is NOT AUTOMATICALLY an assurance of lowest prices. As the internet gets used more and more, on line merchants have caused prices to creep up and/or manipulated shipping for profits.

I always check local before making the order, or ask a local merchant the price they can give me if they order direct from the MFR.

I appreciate that local owners should be allowed to survive in their business, and I also believe that the disparity between "supposedly" less expensive prices on line, and from local store owners is becoming smaller as time goes on.

The people who simply assume that on line is always cheaper may be surprised if they stop buying based on that assumption, and check on every deal they consider.

Local business that have survived the internet to this point, are, I believe, past the hump on most losses due to the internet.

Just as eBay is more confusing, and no longer the "place to get great deals", even shopping on eBay rerquires astute research and price comparisons to what your neighbor may be able to do for you in his/her locally owned business.

Blindly buy on the internet and you may be getting screwed, and it may be more painful economically than you think.

I teach about 3 classes per quarter on eBay at the local community college, and it's a lot more work to make a buck on eBay than it was fifteen years ago, plus a lot more confusing, and with a lot more risk and overpricing.

I buy and sell computer laptops and film camera's on ebay for many years now, and it's a different ball game than it was in 1998

paul_m Loc: living in VA

i'm surprised that no one has mentioned that if you want something photo related, ask the sales rep if they would match the b&h photo price. they have to go to a computer and look it up, then get a manager to override the best buy price. it's worked for me many times........ have your stuff or accessories right then and there!!! at the b&h price. but i STILL by my cameras, for 25 years now, from b&h!!!! their customer service is outstanding!!

Kmgw9v Loc: Miami, Florida

I have no ill-will against Best Buy, and I confess that I will go there to physically handle a camera that I might consider buying. But, I would not buy a $3000.00 body at Best Buy because as I said earlier in this thread, in my area, they leave bodies on display with no lenses on them. That is telling for me. Further, I don't know how many other customers also played with the camera, before me.
I will add that in my experience, every time I have asked a sales person to hold a camera at Best Buy, I know more about the camera than the sales person.
After making a decision, I usually order from B&H. I hate to see local camera stores disappearing as we all do, but one cannot stop what's coming.

Ralloh Loc: Ohio

That is why they are called "Display Models". Sometimes they will sell them at a greatly reduced price and can be a very good deal.

singleviking Loc: Lake Sebu Eco Park, Philippines

I think you will find that they return the "floor models" to be refurbished before sale. They may sell returned merchandise at somewhat reduced prices but I've never seen them as a bargain. I think both NIKON and CANON request that display models not be sold until refurb is performed and then they sell them on their own site.

jfn007 Loc: Close to the middle of nowhere.

I live in Mexifornia, near LA. The local Best Buy always sells me Nikon equipment for the same price as B and H. This includes our onerous sales tax. Never had any problems with this local Best Buy.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I've rarely found any sales associate at any BB who was knowledgeable about anything more than the price of an item, or the payment plan. This is not aimed at all, but the ones with whom I've dealt, it's been the case.
--Bob

edmcdowell Loc: Bonaire, Georgia

Remember, Best Buy has a restocking fee so best check what it is before buying with the idea of maybe returning.