Best Buy shrinks music section again

[Vic2012]

Well, your problem is that you're not in the South. You're in Florida.

Ok

And as far as those comments about the south and Florida I'm not sure exactly what areas are being commented on but I frequent the treasure coast quite often which is about 45 minutes north of West Palm Beach. The customer service in the Home Depot and Lowe's there is far superior to what you get in Long Island NY. In NY it's difficult to even find someone to help you out more or less deal with their attitude in Florida there usually waiting at the front door with a big smile and friendly greeting and then willing to personally escort you over the entire store to help with your needs. And don't even get me started on the difference with the supermarkets.
I lived most of my life in NY and love all that it has to offer but when it comes to shopping the customer service in the area of Florida I frequent makes for a much more pleasant shopping experience.

I think the reason for this is because in small town Florida a job at Walmart or Home Depot is probably about as good as it gets. These folks depend on those jobs so they try harder. I'm not putting them down in any way. They know that good customer service is their bread and butter. I really respect that. Even in Miami I've noticed that the service has gotten better at Home Depot in recent years.

[spellbound]

The music section without a doubt is steadily shrinking at Best Buys but seriously how many of their customers are making a special trip to the store to buy cd's or dvd's pertaining to music. If I happen to be in the store I usually check out their inventory but I rarely go there to just purchase it as I find it easier to just shop online and have it delivered to the house.

An excellent point. I don't know how many customers make a special trip to Best Buy for CD purchases. I, personally, usually (when I am not there specifically for something else, e.g. to view appliances to replace a broken one at home) go straight to the CD section when I walk in the door, but I did not make a special trip there for music. In years past, when they had a larger selection of CDs and lower prices, I might look up a new release I was interested in on their website. If the release was available at my local store for a good price, I might go get it at Best But, but not immediately. I would just plan to go there next time I was in the area, rather than make a special trip. If, however, their website indicated the nearest store the CD was available was in Sacramento on the other side of the Sierra Nevada, I knew then that I would not be purchasing the CD at Best Buy. I could order it from their website, but why, when they don't care enough to stock it in local stores? I am, of course, speaking only of fairly popular, non-prog albums. I already know the vendors who sell the progressive albums I want online, and I always check there first.

Other times, I would be in the area of Best Buy and stop in just to browse. Their shrinking CD section and recent price hike has put a huge damper on that activity. And you are correct, it is easier to shop online, if you know what you want. And it is convenient to have your order delivered to your home. But I like browsing for music (only music-otherwise I despise shopping), and enjoyed it for several decades before all the record/CD stores started disappearing. It is not wrong to shop online, it is just not what this dinosaur is accustomed to. In fact, were there any real record stores around, I wouldn't likely set foot in Best Buy at all; it is merely the last place here that sells new CDs. It is the last place in this area for a lot of things. All the audio equipment stores are gone. There is no place else to go if you seek component stereo, surround sound, or entertainment systems for your home. Not for us regular folks who might wear tennis shoes or an occasional python boot. We're all being pretty much forced to shop online these days. And when business at a store drops off, the current business model calls for raising prices, as if that is the way to get more customers. Post Office did the same thing. When too many people were opting for the alternative of email, the Post Office raised the price of postage stamps, driving potential customers away. That ignores the other pressures the post office operates under, as well as the fact that damn few people are capable of writing a coherent letter anymore. Chinese restaurants used to provide free tea with meals. Now many of them charge for it. It costs them next to nothing to make. I would much rather they make up for inflation and the fact that so many people can't afford to eat in restaurants any more by raising the price of each entree 5 cents and continuing the long tradition of providing free tea. But no, the current business model requires that you piss off your existing customers by charging them for something they used to get free. I'm not against change. I'm just against change for the worse. And I am sympathetic to the affect on small business of the current Depression, something everyone but the government and the wealthy are living in.

No matter how good your shit is, nobody is coming if you are a huge pain in the ass to deal with. You should not have to go on a safari to find a person to explain where a product is, to ask questions about a product or to get help carrying something to the register.

You are right. Bad customer service will be the death of many stores. Then we all eventually end up shopping online, where browsing is discouraged and there is no customer service at all. When I have been in Best Buy, I know that the only time I will be asked if I need assistance is within a minute of walking in the door. After that, they will avoid me out of fear I will ask them something requiring knowledge of the products they sell. Of course, if I am looking for CDs, I politely shoo them away, knowing my knowledge of music exceeds theirs (as does my knowledge of stereo equipment). Besides, anyone understanding fundamental alphabetical order can ascertain whether Best Buy stocks an album you seek within a few seconds. I have actually seen these employees spend ten minutes looking up an album on the store computer system for a customer, when a glance at their tiny CD rack would tell them if it is in stock. Not much incentive to ask for help, especially if your time is valuable and you don't tend to suffer fools gladly. This is not meant to impugn all Best Buy employees, many of whom are nice folks. Just the ones that are dumber than a box of rocks. A failure to hire knowledgeable people reflects on the company. Best Buy used to brag that their sales people do not work on commission. If this is still true, maybe they ought to pay their employees enough so that they try harder. So many businesses seem to no longer care about repeat business. But repeat business may be all you have from here on out. Potential new customers graduate college without jobs and under huge debt. Nothing they sell at Best buy is necessary for your survival. No surprise business is dropping off.

[happytheman]

I was in Walmart yesterday getting tires put on and killed some time looking around the entertainment section of the store and was astounded at the lack of music available.. talk about slim pickings.. they used to have two full rows jammed with stuff.. sign of the times for sure..

[trurl]

Florida is not The South. It's New York with palmetto bugs and gators.

OK, Jacksonville is The South. And Gainesville.