Thomas Veil
Mar 3, 08:36 PM
Just found out about the anti-gay stuff myself. This be the language: (http://news.firedoglake.com/2011/03/03/ohio-sb-5-includes-anti-gay-marriage-language/)
Sec. 3101.01 of S.B. 5: … A marriage may only be entered into by one man and one woman. Any marriage between persons of the same sex is against the strong public policy of this state. Any marriage between persons of the same sex shall have no legal force or effect in this state and, if attempted to be entered into in this state, is void ab initio and shall not be recognized by this state. The recognition or extension by the state of the specific statutory benefits of a legal marriage to non-marital relationships between persons of the same sex or different sexes is against the strong public policy of this state. Any public act, record or judicial proceeding of this state, as defined in section 9.82 of the Revised Code, that extends the specific statutory benefits of legal marriage to non-marital relationships between persons of the same sex or different sexes is void.
And this be the entire bill. (http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_SB_5_PS_N.html)
These people are completely out of control (per NT1440).
Sec. 3101.01 of S.B. 5: … A marriage may only be entered into by one man and one woman. Any marriage between persons of the same sex is against the strong public policy of this state. Any marriage between persons of the same sex shall have no legal force or effect in this state and, if attempted to be entered into in this state, is void ab initio and shall not be recognized by this state. The recognition or extension by the state of the specific statutory benefits of a legal marriage to non-marital relationships between persons of the same sex or different sexes is against the strong public policy of this state. Any public act, record or judicial proceeding of this state, as defined in section 9.82 of the Revised Code, that extends the specific statutory benefits of legal marriage to non-marital relationships between persons of the same sex or different sexes is void.
And this be the entire bill. (http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/BillText129/129_SB_5_PS_N.html)
These people are completely out of control (per NT1440).
fidelisimo
May 3, 10:01 PM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8H7)
I really like the tone of these commercials.
Also, I enjoy that they keep saying magic or magical; only because I know how angry people (trolls, mostly) here get about it.
Apple commercials are bright, uplifting and show how technology enhances the human experience. They show people using iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, etc in everyday situations. However Android Zoom, BB Playbook, Tab are dark, joyless with people abducted by aliens, enveloped and overpowered by machines, etc.
I really like the tone of these commercials.
Also, I enjoy that they keep saying magic or magical; only because I know how angry people (trolls, mostly) here get about it.
Apple commercials are bright, uplifting and show how technology enhances the human experience. They show people using iPads, iPhones, MacBooks, etc in everyday situations. However Android Zoom, BB Playbook, Tab are dark, joyless with people abducted by aliens, enveloped and overpowered by machines, etc.
sheepopo39
Apr 29, 06:53 PM
I agree. I am using scroll reverser on Snow Leopard right now and enjoy it a lot. After about a day or two it becomes more natural.
I booted into snow leopard on another partition after using Lion for a while and I had trouble not scrolling inversely. I've gotten quite used to it.
I booted into snow leopard on another partition after using Lion for a while and I had trouble not scrolling inversely. I've gotten quite used to it.
Mac Fly (film)
Oct 19, 11:42 AM
Split twice so that's 1600 shares now. $125K - you got him beat ;)
So you only payed $1600 for them, and now they're worth $125,000. You legend!! Good luck..
So you only payed $1600 for them, and now they're worth $125,000. You legend!! Good luck..
baryon
Sep 29, 07:55 AM
If the garage is detached, what does he do when it's raining?
You know, like, use an umbrella, or, like, run.
You know, like, use an umbrella, or, like, run.
HyperZboy
Apr 9, 08:31 PM
Oh crap. 400 fear-mongering posts in the other thread were for naught. :eek:
LOL!
Come on people, think next time. Like Apple gives a rat's ass how their retailers horde iPads when Apple themselves can't even supply them.
HAHA!
Seems like half the people here have worked at Best Buy and the other half hate Best Buy and refuse to shop there. Yet both groups know equally as much about Best Buy's retail marketing plans as well.
Hmmm, what are the statistical chances of that happening? :D
Earth to Geeks... You think Apple doesn't specifically ship certain stock just for a promotion? (therefor it's not considered "stock" the day or week before)
Apple even ships stuff with orders to merchants not to open boxes until a certain day/time.
Not to mention, we know Apple has been having supply problems. So I see nothing wrong with Best Buy conserving stock for a promotion. This a whole lot of nothing except to the fanatics on geek websites who worship at the alter of Steve Jobs and have no lives.
If all these people posting really worked in retail, I'm convinced it must have really been at McDonald's, not Best Buy! I'm told by a reliable source they really will sell all of the Big Macs they have on hand. LOL
The only thing I've learned here is that the average Best Buy employee is not in the loop to know what they're talking about nor is the average Best Buy customer. Show me a local manager and I'd still think they're out of the loop. Unless somebody from corporate or a regional manager goes public or Apple or Best Buy makes a statement, this story is a whole lot about nothing.
LOL!
Come on people, think next time. Like Apple gives a rat's ass how their retailers horde iPads when Apple themselves can't even supply them.
HAHA!
Seems like half the people here have worked at Best Buy and the other half hate Best Buy and refuse to shop there. Yet both groups know equally as much about Best Buy's retail marketing plans as well.
Hmmm, what are the statistical chances of that happening? :D
Earth to Geeks... You think Apple doesn't specifically ship certain stock just for a promotion? (therefor it's not considered "stock" the day or week before)
Apple even ships stuff with orders to merchants not to open boxes until a certain day/time.
Not to mention, we know Apple has been having supply problems. So I see nothing wrong with Best Buy conserving stock for a promotion. This a whole lot of nothing except to the fanatics on geek websites who worship at the alter of Steve Jobs and have no lives.
If all these people posting really worked in retail, I'm convinced it must have really been at McDonald's, not Best Buy! I'm told by a reliable source they really will sell all of the Big Macs they have on hand. LOL
The only thing I've learned here is that the average Best Buy employee is not in the loop to know what they're talking about nor is the average Best Buy customer. Show me a local manager and I'd still think they're out of the loop. Unless somebody from corporate or a regional manager goes public or Apple or Best Buy makes a statement, this story is a whole lot about nothing.
fanboy05
Mar 17, 08:54 AM
:eek:
I feel bad when i forget to return a pen to the bank when I borrow one to write a check ect...
I guess this is a reminder that there are people of all kinds in this world. :(
I feel bad when i forget to return a pen to the bank when I borrow one to write a check ect...
I guess this is a reminder that there are people of all kinds in this world. :(
JackAxe
May 2, 05:35 PM
Hopefully it'll fix the bug I get when I want to have a song on repeat, seems to ignore the first song played and then it works on the second :(
You should submit that to Apple here;
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
And keep on it everytime there's an update and no resolve. I sent them several feedbacks about Apple Lossless skipping, which they eventually resolved.
You should submit that to Apple here;
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
And keep on it everytime there's an update and no resolve. I sent them several feedbacks about Apple Lossless skipping, which they eventually resolved.
html
Apr 15, 10:57 PM
Seeing as that it doesn't have any place for the antenna (like the black area towards the top of the 3G iPad), i'm very skeptical with this picture.
First thing that occurred to me, too. These are fake.:(
First thing that occurred to me, too. These are fake.:(
polzii
May 3, 11:37 PM
Ordered one from macmall for a friend on April 19th. Got it on April 28th. No tax and shipping was 9 bucks. Dunno why folks keep going to the b&m stores
rdowns
Apr 27, 05:44 PM
Oh no.
talking to a friend at the shared open area locker room.
at some point I said something to the affect, she started really working it and it eventually got hard.
Nice trip to HR.
Subject matter; an expoy based resin.
I can't imagine the accusations that would take place with a unisex bathroom in the united states. Lawyers would take up residence out side of the bathrooms along with a whole new array of tv commercials
Where do you get these things?
There are many unisex bathrooms in NYC. Never heard of a lawsuit.
talking to a friend at the shared open area locker room.
at some point I said something to the affect, she started really working it and it eventually got hard.
Nice trip to HR.
Subject matter; an expoy based resin.
I can't imagine the accusations that would take place with a unisex bathroom in the united states. Lawyers would take up residence out side of the bathrooms along with a whole new array of tv commercials
Where do you get these things?
There are many unisex bathrooms in NYC. Never heard of a lawsuit.
mmcc
Mar 29, 03:54 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't the Windows Live Marketplace in Windows Vista a integrated (badly integrated but still integrated), App Store before it was discontinued due to lack of consumers and made to redirect to a Microsoft website that sold some products?
I believe Microsoft did partner with Digital River to bring 3rd party products to such a store. However it was badly organized, poorly promoted and ultimately drew little business as you indicate since it offered customers little or no benefit over direct purchases from the developer. Developers lost interest. It morphed into the current MS/DR relationship where DR handles much of the on-line sales of MS products.
I sort of hope developers lose interest in the Mac App Store as well. ;) Unfortunately, consumers love the basement pricing.
I believe Microsoft did partner with Digital River to bring 3rd party products to such a store. However it was badly organized, poorly promoted and ultimately drew little business as you indicate since it offered customers little or no benefit over direct purchases from the developer. Developers lost interest. It morphed into the current MS/DR relationship where DR handles much of the on-line sales of MS products.
I sort of hope developers lose interest in the Mac App Store as well. ;) Unfortunately, consumers love the basement pricing.
ikir
Apr 30, 06:59 AM
Nooooo i loved the slider style and animation.
Avatar74
Jan 16, 10:31 AM
Well, then try to run Aperture on your PB. Good luck.
No money from me until MBP is state of the art. I'm not going to pay nearly $ 3.000 in January 2008 for a notebook without SSE4 and Blue-Ray.
I just sold my shares.
John:
My point was to ask the guy what exactly he does that demands that kind of firepower. Computers these days are overpowered for what 90% of the population does. However, Aperture is a perfect example of an application that needs more firepower... Thanks for pointing that out. It is a professional application that is useful, almost necessary, to professional photographers but a complete luxury for anyone else.
If you can justify the purchase of Aperture to manage images from your $10,000 mega-res SLR, then you can probably afford a desktop workstation to handle it... and write it off as a business expense.
But otherwise, I'm asking why does the poster in particular to whom I responded need more than that in a MacBook Air? Not because I want him to buy one. Clearly he could buy a MacBook or a MacBook Pro that better suits him. But you have to understand I see way too many people complaining every year that Apple hasn't produced the gadget to snatch up the money burning a hole in their pockets since... oh, a year ago when they bought that year's latest and greatest.
People say "I'm ready for a new computer" six months to a year after they just bought one... and I find that patently absurd when 90% of the time, the person speaking uses said computer for: internet, email, word processing, music and consumer photo/video.
No money from me until MBP is state of the art. I'm not going to pay nearly $ 3.000 in January 2008 for a notebook without SSE4 and Blue-Ray.
I just sold my shares.
John:
My point was to ask the guy what exactly he does that demands that kind of firepower. Computers these days are overpowered for what 90% of the population does. However, Aperture is a perfect example of an application that needs more firepower... Thanks for pointing that out. It is a professional application that is useful, almost necessary, to professional photographers but a complete luxury for anyone else.
If you can justify the purchase of Aperture to manage images from your $10,000 mega-res SLR, then you can probably afford a desktop workstation to handle it... and write it off as a business expense.
But otherwise, I'm asking why does the poster in particular to whom I responded need more than that in a MacBook Air? Not because I want him to buy one. Clearly he could buy a MacBook or a MacBook Pro that better suits him. But you have to understand I see way too many people complaining every year that Apple hasn't produced the gadget to snatch up the money burning a hole in their pockets since... oh, a year ago when they bought that year's latest and greatest.
People say "I'm ready for a new computer" six months to a year after they just bought one... and I find that patently absurd when 90% of the time, the person speaking uses said computer for: internet, email, word processing, music and consumer photo/video.
LarryC
Mar 25, 12:11 AM
I'm still waiting for Apple to realize what a horrible mistake they made and give us OS 9.3 :D Yeah baby, 9.3 that's what we really need!
I wonder how many versions of OS X there will be? And when we will get to OS XI?
I wonder how many versions of OS X there will be? And when we will get to OS XI?
Eye4Desyn
Apr 16, 07:15 AM
I want My next iPhone to look like this,
222383
That would be nice - although I would question the size of apps on home screen and the location of the 3G antenna radio. Would be more convincing if it were up top (iPad 3G cue). Seems like it would conflict with the 30-pin receiver and speaker components.
222383
That would be nice - although I would question the size of apps on home screen and the location of the 3G antenna radio. Would be more convincing if it were up top (iPad 3G cue). Seems like it would conflict with the 30-pin receiver and speaker components.
*LTD*
Mar 24, 03:47 PM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8F190)
Happy Birthday, iOS.
;)
Happy Birthday, iOS.
;)
DeathChill
May 3, 09:29 PM
I really like the tone of these commercials.
Also, I enjoy that they keep saying magic or magical; only because I know how angry people (trolls, mostly) here get about it.
Also, I enjoy that they keep saying magic or magical; only because I know how angry people (trolls, mostly) here get about it.
BBEmployee
Apr 8, 02:42 PM
I'm a current employee at Best Buy and thought I'd offer my two cents on a few issues.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
First, I don't really like Best Buy. I got a job there to work for around 4 hours a week to get the generous discount. It's particularly generous when dealing with open-box items. Even so, I am miserable leading up to heading in and I do not enjoy the time that I spend there. Thankfully, I have a good full-time job plus a lot of side work and I'm planning on quitting in the next month or so as the thrill of the discount has long worn off.
That said, I have no problem being very open and honest about Best Buy and my experiences there.
In regards to the iPad situation, I haven't been in since this issue came up and won't be in for awhile, so I don't really know what the buzz is on this matter exactly. I do know that they wouldn't put a freeze on selling new iPad 2 stock if they regularly had it for a random promotion, if only for the very reason that many think caused the initial problem: quota.
I'm betting 1 of 2 things happened:
1) They did indeed get in trouble with Apple for something. Sure, it's possible, and it's the easiest reasonable conclusion. I don't know why this would be though, and I'm skeptical about the whole hording thing. And again, this is coming from someone who has access to the inventory systems and all the places that would hide "horded" iPads. Plus, I have a good enough relationship with multiple managers (ones who know the score about Best Buy in an objective world...) who would be honest about this with me.
Generally speaking, when they say there are no iPads for sale, there are no iPads for sale. It's really that simple. Demand is real, and supply is lacking. When we have them for sale, they're in the cages, and this would occur after passing through the pre-order system. White Verizon iPads tend to be the ones most often available, usually just a couple, and they're gone almost immediately all the same.
Another factor in the equation though is processing shipments. I saw someone noted that after an open-box controversy between two customers, the manager was able to procure a new iPad 2 for a disappointed customer when apparently there were none for sale. Well, there probably weren't. He either bumped someone back on the pre-order list to be nice to the pissed off customer in the store or perhaps a shipment came in on the truck that had yet to be processed and he worked it out with the ops team to get them to process one so he could get it out. Oftentimes the managers do actually try to make the customer happy, even if it's somewhat unreasonable. The ops guys have their procedures, and it's rarely slimy in intent so much as rooted in overall efficiency, so sometimes a shipment won't go to the floor for sales until the next day because the processing takes time. If the manager pushes to work something out in that situation, the manager is doing you a favor and pissing off some ops guys to do so.
Anyways, on to the 2nd scenario...
2) This is what I'd really venture to bet is the problem: the pre-order system is a huge mess. It was a rush job authorized by corporate at the last minute and handled by less-than-informed employees who were also in a rush. From day 1 it was clear that problems were going to creep up, and they absolutely have. Nobody in store is happy about it. The employees don't like telling customers that they have to wait on a pre-order list, they don't like the 48 hour pickup window, they don't like having to deal with customers pissing and moaning and crying about conspiracy theories when only a 64 GB white Verizon iPad 2 is available once in a blue moon when a pre-order turns it down. It's not fun, for anyone, and unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it.
So what I'm guessing is really happening is that Best Buy is just digging out of this pre-order mess as fast as possible and skipping anything else until they get past the ramifications of a stupid decision. Considering there's little to skip seeing as supply is so low and we rarely have the most in-demand models available anyways, it's easier for them to just bow out of this for a couple of weeks and in a sense re-launch the normal sales when supplies are less constrained and they don't have a stupid pre-order process hanging over their heads. It's a cut and dry move that will allow them to gear up again in a more normal, focused way. Considering how things have gone there in the last month in dealing with anything iPad related, this might be the best decision for them.
All in all, Best Buy is Best Buy: a brick and mortar retailer lost in an internet-connected world. Best Buy isn't nearly as evil as they are lost and longing for the 20th century. Sure, there's a lot of margin on accessories, but it's because there's more often than not no margin on anything else. They don't make much money at all on TV's and Computers anymore. If they're on sale, and at Best Buy, almost everything is always "On Sale," it's likely at cost or within a few dollars of cost. There's little margin in the shrinking physical media world either. The only departments with major products that have margin still are appliances and for certain stores, musical instruments. This is why Best Buy will likely be dead in 5 years if they don't drastically change their business model. They did a better job at adapting to the new world than other electronics chains, but they haven't done nearly enough. It's not an easy business at this point though as it has as much to do with dealing with suppliers suffering the same pinch and customers who want to have it all but don't want to pay for it.
Also, in regards to stupid employees and sleazy mangers, yeah, they do exist. But more employees know their stuff than you might think. And there are quite a few managers who actually do care about trying to do a good job and help the customer.
As far as the employees, the biggest shock to me after working at Best Buy was realizing that so much of the supposed employee ignorance has more to do with incessantly having to dumb things down to the most absurd of levels with customers. 90% of the people who come in are nice people who just don't know much of anything about what they're buying. You have to learn to communicate on their level and not over-complicate things for them. It's easy to get stuck in that default mode and you have to actively snap yourself out of it on the rare occasion when you get customers who can actually hold their own in a conversation about the technology. And make no mistake, it's a huge relief for most of us when that happens because most of us that work there actually are pretty excited about the technology.
Now on the other hand, sleazy managers and supervisors can screw so much of this up. While most of the employees aren't making a career out of working at Best Buy, the sups and managers typically are on some level at least, and it takes a certain, umm, level of person to get, err, stuck, yes, at that level if you know what I mean. There's a lot of inconsistency in these types of people. If you get good ones though, they tend to hire good employees and foster a good environment for customers. My store has good management. It's the only thing that makes it remotely tolerable to me. The employees actually know their stuff and are honest with the customers. They also work as a team because the management pushes it and thankfully we don't have commission to muck things up. And customers do love us for it. You'd be shocked by how often a selling relationship turns into a friendship practically at our particular store. We get invited out after work all the time. Honesty goes a long ways, and when you're helping people save money by making sure they make a smart decision for their needs, it goes a long ways. And our managers are objective enough (and not locked into Best Buy corporate brainwash mode) to know that the only thing Best Buy has to offer over Amazon is the possibility of a good customer service experience. They do all they reasonably can to ensure that it happens.
But again, this simply isn't the case everywhere at all, and it so often boils down to the luck of the draw on management. Good managers hire good people leading to good teams leading to generally happy customers and good sales. Bad managers hire their dumb friends, play games with customers, lie, cheat, and usually they don't put up good numbers.
At the end of the day though, the good stores and the bad stores are equally screwed because the industry is a mess, the world is changing, and Best Buy corporate utterly and completely lacks the talent and leadership to be innovative in the 21st century. They refuse to reasonably acknowledge change, they're too scared to piss off manufacturers who have lines all across the store that vary dramatically when it comes to success and quality, and they're wildly inconsistent and disorganized with their processes and as they put it, "solutions." As said, if things don't drastically change, and I don't believe they will without a major shift in leadership, they'll be dead in 5 years. It's a sinking ship. I'll be happy to be out of there.
Again, I don't think they're near as evil and corrupt as they are just lost. When you're lost, things can get confusing real fast. Bear in mind that oftentimes when employees appear aloof, they're probably confused because corporate changes things all the time and does little to help keep us informed of these changes. Also, don't mistake conspiracy theories for sheer stupidity. Like we saw in this whole conversation, people will say some wild things. It's easy to think it from the outside. I can assure you from the inside, that oftentimes what looks like scheming and maneuvering is really just disorganization, stupidity and/or confusion due to the muddled processes and the ever-foggy way in which corporate outlines these processes.
I don't blame people for not liking Best Buy. I don't like them either. Just go easy on the guys on the floor and in the back. Unless they're the total goof-off employees which do exist, what you're pissed about is probably not their fault at all.
linux2mac
Mar 24, 08:42 PM
As a switcher in I feel I have to give a big thanks to Microsoft and Windows Vista - after all, if Vista hadn't been so terrible, I might not have switched ;)
+1
Same here. Went to Linux then to Mac.
+1
Same here. Went to Linux then to Mac.
*LTD*
Apr 23, 12:04 PM
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/8H7)
The issue is that there is no issue. Just an opportunity for headlines.
The issue is that there is no issue. Just an opportunity for headlines.
this is funah
Sep 12, 08:13 AM
i just hope that iTunes 7 has better video handling... the video podcasts tend to overload the CPU, making me just open them in QT
Blacknblue
Jan 10, 07:13 AM
Steve Jobs will end his presentation with "a great communicator" ad lib
story about a little girl who had her science project presentation absolutely
ruined because the CD player in the classroom would NOT play the tracks she
meticulously downloaded from the itunes store. The class gets restless and bored, turns mean and chants her to tears with the refrain: "She can't
make it work! She can't make it work! She is such a jerk! She can't make it
work!" He'll end with an aggresive campaign to take Amazon by storm with
all music all platforms! He finishes with a 3D rendering of Amazons being
routed through the jungle with gurgling quicksand swallowing them one by one. The last one holds the ipod above the sand untill it slowly sinks into
the mire like the dinosaurs in the La Brea Tar Pits!
story about a little girl who had her science project presentation absolutely
ruined because the CD player in the classroom would NOT play the tracks she
meticulously downloaded from the itunes store. The class gets restless and bored, turns mean and chants her to tears with the refrain: "She can't
make it work! She can't make it work! She is such a jerk! She can't make it
work!" He'll end with an aggresive campaign to take Amazon by storm with
all music all platforms! He finishes with a 3D rendering of Amazons being
routed through the jungle with gurgling quicksand swallowing them one by one. The last one holds the ipod above the sand untill it slowly sinks into
the mire like the dinosaurs in the La Brea Tar Pits!
Thex1138
Sep 29, 11:27 PM
The prototyping lab :rolleyes:
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