# The Decline of Car Audio at... Best Buy?!



## rton20s

Best Buy? Really? Why would I even bring them up? Well, a couple of reasons. In this forum alone, I have noticed that quite a few people got their start there, or found employment there at some point. Beyond that is the fact that, for some, it is the only nearby location to purchase/experience car audio. And for even more, it might the place where they got their first real exposure to car audio as they walked the aisles with their parents who were shopping for a nice washer/dryer set. 

So, on to my observations...

Several years ago, we started to see things happening with Best Buy car audio like the cross-marketing with WCC. While of little consequence to most car audio guys "in the know," it provided some better/additional options for people just getting into the hobby or limited to Best Buy for purchases. The WCC rebranded Diamond Audio gear was pretty decent, and at the end of the run with BB was very reasonable to buy. (The WCC gear was carried at my local BB.)

A couple of years later we saw even higher levels of cross-branding/cross marketing between the two companies on the car audio/customization side. The pair introduced their "7 Steps of Customization." I won't get into the steps, but it was broadening the offerings of the Best Buy Car Audio/Customization department including offerings like custom wheels and tires and vinyl graphics. Apparently this was probably only done in certain test markets or "flagship" stores as none of the three Best Buys local to me ever had any indication of this being offered. 

Fast forward to the weekend that just passed. I had to run by Best Buy for something else anyway, so I thought I would check out their car audio section. I checked online prior to going to see if the stores carried the Pioneer TS-D1720C. Of the three stores I could visit, one had them in stock, but I thought another, larger store might have some on their demo board. Unbeknownst to me, the two BBs I ended up visiting had just undergone renovation. 

What I found when I arrived at each store was that both had eliminated the car audio/accessories corners completely! Each store had previously had a dedicated store corner with at least 5 display board with multiple head units. component and/or coax speaker, amplifiers and subwoofers. Now each store had reduced their car audio section to a single aisle adjacent to the "Windows" branded computer section. They still had about the same number of demo board, but they were much smaller. I didn't see a single subwoofer connected to the boards or even a set of component speakers. For the most part it seemed like the options they wanted to present were cheap coax speakers powered off of the head unit. (And of course, no TS-D1720Cs to be found.)

Now, this very well may be the best move for Best Buy as a company. They probably know as well, or better, than any other retailer which of their products sell and make money and which don't. I see it as a bad thing though for the potential car audio customer, as well as the guys working at Best Buy doing the installs. (Not that they ever really got a chance to do real custom work.) 

So, what was my point with all of this? I'm really not sure. But Best Buy had been one of those places where any kid could walk in and have some sort of experience with car audio without being intimidated. Even if he did end up getting bad advice from the sales clerk. It looks like that option might be going away. There are certainly "professional" car audio shops in my area that I wouldn't send a car audio "newb" into. Shops that still make me feel uncomfortable the second I walk in, even 18 years after I had my first system installed.


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## sirbOOm

Best Buy is failing as a company fundamentally.

Their car audio section has NEVER been well maintained. I cannot tell you how many times speakers didn't work, radios didn't work, or subwoofers were blown. Hell, I blew one of them on accident because everything was improperly set. The salesperson didn't know anything about anything and their product line wasn't even fully on display.

I did get my head unit there for well over half off - they were clearing out Alpine.


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## PPI_GUY

The store closest to me (Nicholasville Rd, Lexington, KY) always seemed to have a decent car audio section. They didn't mind you "auditioning" subs or head units and amps at all. Now, I don't get in there anywhere as often as I did so, I can't say what the situation is right now but, in the past it wasn't terrible. 
If they have decided to reduce their assortment and floor space dedicated to car audio, you can bet it's a direct response to a decline in sales of that department across the country. Probably directly attributable to better sounding factory equipment and the rise of online mail order and Ebay. 

Not having to compete with BB could be welcomed news to mom & pop/brick & mortar stores though.


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## rton20s

It seems their big push here, after the remodels, is higher end kitchen equipment (Viking and the like). I've never felt the car audio sections were great, but they did at least function at my local stores. One of the things they have FINALLY started doing right, is (selectively) price matching online competitors. When I purchased my Pioneer Plasma several years ago from Costco, I tried to get my local BB to price match. They would not price match the online price of a brick and mortar store only a block away! 

If you want to talk about dead boards... I went to the most "reputable" shop in town on the same day to try and demo the same speakers. They had one set in a box and they had the (now discontinued, but identical) TS-D720C on a board. The entire board was out of date and non-functional. No demo for me, and all the salesman could bother to do is quote me the retail price. When asked for what else he would recommend at the price point his response was, "We sell JL and Focal." Wow, thanks! 

Back to Best Buy... if the selection of "nicer" equipment goes away, it also eliminates the deals guys like us jump on. Heck, there have been two hovering at the top of the in the "Hot Deals" forum for weeks. Like I said in the initial post, it might be the right move for Best Buy, but I don't think it is good for car audio enthusiasts.


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## .69077

I worked at Circuit City in 12 volt (sales and installs) for a short time between high school and enlisting in the Navy. To me CC always took it more seriously than Best Buy.

More than once at CC we Dynamatted an entire vehicle and made a few custom enclosures (never fiberglass, just MDF and carpet and vinyl). But even then when I could get amazing deals direct from MTX and Polk I had Extant and MB Quart, lol.


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## rton20s

I would tend to agree that CC>BB for car audio. However, they are no more. Well... a shell of their former self propped up by Tiger Direct.


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## Hillbilly SQ

I got my first real exposure to car audio at BB back in the late 90's. My whole first system (headunit plus 4 coax speakers) was bought and installed there. I miss the old BB car audio section. There is this one shop in West Little Rock that will trash every brand they don't carry and try to tell you their entry level stuff will blow away their competitors high end stuff. They even went as far as buying subs from their big box competitors and putting them on their demo board to compare against their Kicker and Crossfire subs years ago. They may or may not have had the big box subs rigged to sound terrible. I don't know for sure so won't go there. They always made me feel uncomfortable when I was in there to the point I make sure to tell people to stay away. The owner is a jerk and thinks his **** never stinks. I've heard other stories about his conduct from other businesses he has dealt with for his personal stuff.


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## ATOMICTECH62

A few years ago I went to BB to get some PS3 games for Christmas gifts.I wondered over to the 12volt section where 3 employees were tossing a Nerf football to each other.I was walking back and forth looking at everything very carefully like I was interested in buying something but confused.The whole time they were tossing the football and making small talk.After about 15 minutes I ask one of them if any of the Kenwood decks could take a hard drive or had DSP.Without stopping tossing the football he said"Some of them might,look on their website"
I have not been in a BB since.
This is probably one reason for the decline.

The whole time I was there about 10 other people had walked up and walked away also.


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## squeak9798

Car audio section at my local BB has been dead for years. The majority of the area that used to be car audio was changed to GPS and boom boxes. What's left is more "integration" type accessories with about half a wall of actual audio products.


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## sierrarider

I walked into my local BB the other day and could not believe the decline in quality of inventory, especially in car audio. I don't even think I saw anything that I would consider mid grade. Perhaps it's a sign of the economy?
I went in the store primarily because I noticed it added the "high end" Magnolia home stereo and theater section. While I felt there was some decent equipment, it is not at the level of what I was seeing a few years ago.
I see no reason not to visit local retailers for quality service and equipment aside from the deals to be found by shopping on the internet.


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## rton20s

Knowledge and and helpfulness of the 12v staff at my local BB has always been poor. At least they always seemed to have a half way decent selection of their product lines in there past.


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## DBlevel

BB has never been much for car audio. Low end supply for the masses. 

Back in the mid 90's was a great place to buy the newest CD's coming out specially since I worked there and always got mine out the box fresh off the fedex/UPS truck!

Employees discount was always a plus as well!


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## knever3

For my personal experience. I was awarded my foot in the door at the most reputable big box electronics retailer in Michigan. I was hired in to work in the Car Stereo department. I loved every minute of it, talking to different people who wanted something more. Most 98% of these people wanted just a CD player, some wanted cheap subs and an amp and maybe others wanted a set or two of coaxes. Of that remaining 2% the people were either getting their money the crooked way or completely ignorant as a customer. 

We carried brands such as La Sound, Crunch, Cerwin Vega, Blaupunkt, Pioneer, Sony, Aiwa, later Rockford and Orion's low line The Hott Setup. Of these brands what sticks out in my mind was I loved Blaupunkt and Cerwin vega's XL series. Their Vega series never impressed me, I wish we got the AI series but they were to high end. The Hott Setup ran HOT. Pioneer was always just consistant, not great but worked everytime. When Sony sent us to training on their new product line "Xplode!" it was a joke, the product was not attractive and it under performed. EVERYONE loved Aiwa's blue display, that's why the whole industry turned to blue and hasn't gone back since. "Alpine green RIP" We never carried Alpine, even though it was my favorite brand and still is for the most part. I loved the PRE AiNet DigitalMax and my dream is to have a 6012ex sub someday.

I had great success with Best Buy, I moved to the install bay and adored that job! I then was awarded the Car Audio Supervisor position with monthy bonuses! I ran a tight ship and made bonuses consistantly. A while later I moved back into the install bay as the Install Supervisor. This was the icing on the cake. I had employees, made the schedules, worked with the budgets, traveled to training from manufactures etc.

I parted with them in 2001 and saw the writing on the wall early on. As soon as XM radio came into the market and the new multiplex systems starting to change the way we integrate car stereo the whole market changed. Since the ipod and navigation has changed everything once again. They don't do any amp or sub installs anymore. There is a store in my city now, albiet a bit smaller they don't handle appliances. I went there to get a access steering wheel controller by chance an actual store might have one on the shelf. I asked who ever I could find and they said they didn't have a install employee anymore, they quit. I said "you don't do installs anymore?" I convinced someone to let me into the install bay to grab what I wanted and walked out.

When I started the buisness was on fire, the groath was booming with computers being a major part of their business, car audio was actually making a similar margin because of the high markup of car audio products. When the founder of Bestbuy was ousted because of a internal relationship that ruined it for me. It was a wholesome company that really cared for their employees, employees that were NOT on commission. That was always hard to convey to customers that cross shopped our competition who got the "ART VAN" treatment.

What a shame, I put in the BOOM ROOM and someday they will take it down. I put that right up there with taking down a beloved historic building that brought so many good memories.


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## AAAAAAA

The last best buy I visited had no more car audio section at all. That section was always dead, no one was ever there.


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## slowsedan01

My first exposure to car audio came at Best Buy when I was about 13, which would have been around 1993. At the time I remember they carried Pioneer, Hifonics, Cerwin-Vega, probably more I just can't remember. As stated by another poster it was a really low pressure, low intimidation way to get into the hobby. The store I frequented even had a mockup plastic Dodge Viper that simulated a door speaker install, dash, rear deck, even subs and amps in the trunk. There was a switcher in the center console so you could change settings, it was really cool to experience as a kid. Later, while in college I took a job where I worked in Home Theater but would "float" to Car-Fi if needed.


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## Jeepwalker

The traditional type of car stereo installation is going to be increasingly difficult to do in the very near future because most car makers are switching over to an integrated Digital Instrumentation Cluster/radio/gps/alarm ...touch-screen system. It's also going to be extremely difficult for car audio manufacturers to come up with integration packages that run the gamut of all car manufacturers' different systems, unless ya go with a detached system that operates indepenently of the digital instrumentation Cluster. 

Add to that, that many younger drivers get more jazzed over new cell phone apps (who can blame them?) and, heck, the number of young drivers with licenses has been on the decline for years. Integration with phone and apps should help a lot tho.

Plus, a lot of online competition from Amazon and others.


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## Jeepwalker

I was going to say, the same sort of decline has happened in home audio a number of years ago.


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## sirbOOm

Just create a deck that replicates my iOS or Android screen COMPLETELY, gives me a USB spot to connect to it, and plays sound with an orientation toward SQ, and that's all I need. I do not need a CD player. I do not need navigation when Google Maps is better anyway. I do not need a slow interface with menus 5 clicks deep. Etc., etc., etc. Just mirror my mobile device screen, make it bigger... done.

Aka... iPad or Android tablet integration.


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## slowsedan01

sirbOOm said:


> Just create a deck that replicates my iOS or Android screen COMPLETELY, gives me a USB spot to connect to it, and plays sound with an orientation toward SQ, and that's all I need. I do not need a CD player. I do not need navigation when Google Maps is better anyway. I do not need a slow interface with menus 5 clicks deep. Etc., etc., etc. Just mirror my mobile device screen, make it bigger... done.
> 
> Aka... iPad or Android tablet integration.


While your at it, make a hideaway version also w/ a video output with select able resolution that can be connected to factory infotainment screens.


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## PPI_GUY

sirbOOm said:


> Just create a deck that replicates my iOS or Android screen COMPLETELY, gives me a USB spot to connect to it, *and plays sound with an orientation toward SQ*, and that's all I need. I do not need a CD player. I do not need navigation when Google Maps is better anyway. I do not need a slow interface with menus 5 clicks deep. Etc., etc., etc. Just mirror my mobile device screen, make it bigger... done.
> 
> Aka... iPad or Android tablet integration.


Won't happen. The niche market like you'll find here at DYMA doesn't exist across a broad spectrum of the buying public. The popularity of compressed audio storage is evidence of that. 99.99% of all music that is being carried around on portable devices/phones, etc. is terrible quality. But, no one cares anymore. The recording industry is slowly succumbing to garbage mastering designed for low quality storage and playback. RIP, dynamic headroom.


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## nittanylion64

Luckily the BB I worked at still has the same install supervisor who knows his ****. I had to leave because of availability reasons, but I really liked that job. In my humble opinion, this company started heading down when they no longer tethered you to your section. Once you weren't a specialist in one thing, you didn't know anything. 
My old supervisor is still fighting the good fight. I don't see it lasting too much longer. The hours for the bay are continually getting cut. 
I tried and tried to convince the higher ups to let us do a "little" custom work. When I finally did, the GM was moved to another store.
Right now the Car FI section is basically the area where the shoplifters get their merchandise.
Sad, really


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## damonryoung

rton20s said:


> Knowledge and and helpfulness of the 12v staff at my local BB has always been poor. At least they always seemed to have a half way decent selection of their product lines in there past.


I worked for BB early this millennium as a supervisor in home audio and then in computers. During those years the 12v department was almost always the red headed step child in the stores I worked in. It very rarely had more than one product specialist at a time and if that person went on break the department was typically "manned" by someone else in a nearby department who usually did their best to stay away from the 12v products during that break... 

Overall I see this as a decline of the car audio market as a whole, even if most of us wouldn't purchase our components from them in the first place.


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## rton20s

PPI_GUY said:


> Won't happen. The niche market like you'll find here at DYMA doesn't exist across a broad spectrum of the buying public. The popularity of compressed audio storage is evidence of that. 99.99% of all music that is being carried around on portable devices/phones, etc. is terrible quality. But, no one cares anymore. The recording industry is slowly succumbing to garbage mastering designed for low quality storage and playback. RIP, dynamic headroom.


Where the heck is PONO! Pono Music - high-quality music initiative from Neil Young


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## Angrywhopper

This isn't specific to car audio. I'm a member on a blu ray forum, and there's lots of changes happening at BB in that department as well. It's called a *planogram* and the one BB is deploying has car audio and physical media (cds/movies/games etc) taking a back seat with very limited quantity's and floor space allocated to them. 

BB is targeting a different clientle going forward. Appliances and specialty centers (Magnolia, Google, Samsung) will be taking over much of the floor space. It only makes financial business sense for them...


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## rton20s

What you describe is quite apparent at the local BBs I visited.


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## smgreen20

I haven't been to this section of the forum for a while so I'm going to revive this topic only to say, as gas as I know the only BB that had a custom install bay in the US was the one here in Lafayette, IN. An old school mate of mine was the head Installer there and left to do a TV show for boats then on to MTV 'so pimp my ride for a season. 

That current store still has a decent display but the rest of the store keeps getting made over.


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## Victor_inox

current best buy business model failed, they trying to make it with new google and Samsung sections.
People don`t care about loss less audio no more. 99.9% of modern music is complete crap not deserved anything better 128Kps stream. 
Car audio companies will sell online only, retail stores era is over.


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## Tobtech

The BB in La Habra replaced most of their car audio with pro audio.


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## Victor_inox

Tobtech said:


> The BB in La Habra replaced most of their car audio with pro audio.


BB selling pro audio move was stupid, every store in Denver area tried that and 
failed, all inventory vent on sale at 70 90% off. I `ve got a lot of great things cheaper then dirt. 
IMHO they need to move to online sales and bring their prices to amazon level to survive .


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## GERMANIKS

One of the BB store 12v section must be doing well though as one BB installer was awarded top 100 installer last year.
No idea what shop it is sorry


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## I800C0LLECT

At one point Circuit City was pretty big into car audio. It wasn't executed well EVERYWHERE. But they even had some competition vehicles and did fancy installs for car dealerships.

Looks like BB is headed the same direction!


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## bassfromspace

Back in the day, you could put together a pretty formidable system at BB. 

I still think B&M's have the leg up on internet retailers. Most are too busy being jackwads to even notice it.


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## Silvercoat

I currently work as an MECP Advanced Certified installer at Best Buy. (some folks don't care about MECP but it is a good basis to have) I have been working as a car audio installer for about 5 years now and I would agree with most of you that Best Buy is doing a lot of things wrong. The issues I come across as an installer are a few things. We are limited in custom work at my location (custom boxes/ fiberglass/paint etc) which sometimes hurts us but not always. All of the normal stuff, decks, amps,sub,speakers, alarms we can do no problem. 

The big issues the company has is a complex and unorganized product base, as well as underwhelming sales staff across the entire store. While some of our installers are hacks and there is good proof of that, there are quite a few good installers as well. We are treated as the black sheep of the store, but often we are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate folks in the store. 

What we really lack is specialized sales staff who are consistent and knowledgeable, as well as a simple consistent basis for sales product and install standards. With better monitored training and install quality, along with a simple sales and demonstration staff car audio can not only be easy for customers, but also a lot more enjoyable. Car audio is not dead, but it has changed quite a bit. Modern needs for most consumers are not terribly complex. Bluetooth decks, factory speaker upgrades, subwoofers, remote starts are still big sellers. What the company needs to focus on is make the process more enjoyable and easier for customers.


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## Dakotademon7

I was just there this past weekend. The first time in over a year. I found the store to be limited on what they have now for car audio. They used to have a nice speaker room that you could try out subs and loaded boxes. They had the head unit display board but no speakers hooked up. They had about 3 loaded box setups but all had low end subs. All the subs in the store are low end subs. They had some nice head units but everything else reminded me of the Walmart audio section.


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## BigDNY

I stopped using BB for anything car audio years ago after a sales guy told me the 0 gauge power wire already in my car would "over power" the amp I was looking and I should switch to 8 gauge since it was recommend for that amp.


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## Sleeves

Silvercoat said:


> I currently work as an MECP Advanced Certified installer at Best Buy. (some folks don't care about MECP but it is a good basis to have) I have been working as a car audio installer for about 5 years now and I would agree with most of you that Best Buy is doing a lot of things wrong. The issues I come across as an installer are a few things. We are limited in custom work at my location (custom boxes/ fiberglass/paint etc) which sometimes hurts us but not always. All of the normal stuff, decks, amps,sub,speakers, alarms we can do no problem.
> 
> The big issues the company has is a complex and unorganized product base, as well as underwhelming sales staff across the entire store. While some of our installers are hacks and there is good proof of that, there are quite a few good installers as well. We are treated as the black sheep of the store, but often we are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate folks in the store.
> 
> What we really lack is specialized sales staff who are consistent and knowledgeable, as well as a simple consistent basis for sales product and install standards. With better monitored training and install quality, along with a simple sales and demonstration staff car audio can not only be easy for customers, but also a lot more enjoyable. Car audio is not dead, but it has changed quite a bit. Modern needs for most consumers are not terribly complex. Bluetooth decks, factory speaker upgrades, subwoofers, remote starts are still big sellers. What the company needs to focus on is make the process more enjoyable and easier for customers.


Silver, as a former BB Autotech Lead (and Master certified if anyone cares) I've tried fighting this battle a couple of times since I joined this board. There's just too much stereotyped animosity towards BB in general on here for me to waste my time with it anymore. FWIW, I know you're right.


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## Hoptologist

Sleeves said:


> Silver, as a former BB Autotech Lead (and Master certified if anyone cares) I've tried fighting this battle a couple of times since I joined this board. There's just too much stereotyped animosity towards BB in general on here for me to waste my time with it anymore. FWIW, I know you're right.


I used to work at BB too. It's not just their car audio department that gets a bad rep, it's their entire store. Most of the people working at the BB's I've been to aren't enthusiasts, they are just there because that is where they were able to find work. As such, they are often times not the most knowledgeable sources of information. 

Their home theater department gets an especially bad rep on forums and among video/audio enthusiasts because a lot of them push LED's over Plasmas for best PQ with the belief that brighter=better, most don't know what flashlighting is, the difference between IR and burn in, they don't keep up with current trends in the industry, their below average calibration service, and many are just misinformed in general. I've been told things that just aren't true, such as 3D TV's offer better 2D performance than non-3D TV's (false), and when I was shopping a couple years ago, that the LG LM6200 had identical PQ compared to the LM7600 (also false), among other things that I've forgotten. 

At my BB, the most knowledgeable people work in the mobile phone department. They know more about TV's and computers than the sales reps in the TV and computer departments. This is because they are enthusiasts for technology in general, and enjoy staying up to date with information and all the forum/gadget/tech-blog/review sites likes Tomshardware, Engadget, AVS, etc. 

All of this bad rep/lack of knowledgeable people can be applied to any store, Target, Sears, Walmart, it doesn't matter. It all comes down to whether the sales rep is an enthusiast/has an above-average interest, or whether they know just enough to cater to the average person. Thankfully, there are still specialty shops and of course forums like DIY where information and knowledge is shared and accessible.


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## truckerfte

My first exposure to audio was at BB many moons ago. The store in Amarillo actually kept a demo car in the audio section. Iirc, a ford dealership supplied the cars. And yes, its all but dead now. About three years ago I purchased about 20 10 inch boxes from their eBay liquidation company..for a dollar each. There had been in the stores just a few weeks before for close to $150. 

These days car audio guys who can diy have turned to the internet for the "best buy"


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## Acampbell128

Ive noticed the decline in Car audio at my local best buy. the car audio section is this puny 5 ft wide test board which most speakers don't work on. I also noticed that Best Buy has cut the majority of their pc components also.


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## JCJetta

In 1993 I was a high school kid and a Best Buy opened up in the "big city" of Lansing, Michigan - and it was a thing of amazement to me. The plastic Dodge Viper playing 
"Love In an Elevator" could be heard from the front of the store. It was a treat to go to that store. 

In 1998-2000 I was a "Roadshop" employee at the new Circuit City, where we _were_ on commission; although even then it was apparent CC was trying to mimic Best Buy - that was before all the isht went down with CC. I made good money for retail, I had customers that asked for me by name, and of course I had darn good equipment in my car. 

Margins on car audio stuff was insane back then, so there was money to be made.

We could rip out a deck-and-four in a Grand Am or Crapalier in 15 minutes; Christmas time was Remote Start Central. Spring time brought BOGO subs, and I sold over 200 Road Thunder subs in a month, beating some Texas store. It was an exciting time for car audio then. 

My last visit to a Best Buy a few months ago was to pick up a new CD. I'd venture that easily 10% of the floor was bare. While I did walk around for a moment, I didn't bother to check out any car audio. The only person that acknowledged me was the cashier that rang me up.


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## nittanylion64

^^^^^^ 
Exactly!!! I used to work for BB for about 6 yrs. I feel as though I watched the couple stores (and maybe) the company I worked for lose its' passion for gizmo awesomeness!! I was tethered to the CarFi section when I first started. Lived and breathed the stuff. I moved to the install bay. It was great! Eventually, while I was in the bay everyone in the store started to have to sell everything..... It all started with those dang "personal shopper" experiments that were terrible!! Then, I began to have to sell stuff, from Computers to TV's to Appliances, if I didn't have an install. I knew/know car audio. I don't know comps and fridges!!! I quickly began the guy who was reading the price tag along with the customer..... I really do think the company is salvageable, unfortunately, like my current profession (school counselor), the remedy will be money and staffing!! But, with shareholders to report to, I don't see an increase in personnel spending happening... I just need them to look good again next Christmas, so I can sell my stock!!!


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## RNBRAD

Most everything is moving to internet sales. Ease of buying, endless shopping/selections with all the information you could ever want at a better price. Heck if I could buy my groceries from home I would.


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## Victor_inox

RNBRAD said:


> Most everything is moving to internet sales. Ease of buying, endless shopping/selections with all the information you could ever want at a better price. Heck if I could buy my groceries from home I would.


 online sales is cheaper and less troubles, BTW Amazon started "amazon Fresh" Groceries delivery. So we going to leave out homes for work and fun only. two big chains around here safeway and king soopers do delivery as well. Check your locals. 
What will happen with tax revenue generated by all these local sales is unknown to me.


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## RNBRAD

Victor_inox said:


> online sales is cheaper and less troubles, BTW Amazon started "amazon Fresh" Groceries delivery. So we going to leave out homes for work and fun only. two big chains around here safeway and king soopers do delivery as well. Check your locals.
> What will happen with tax revenue generated by all these local sales is unknown to me.


Oh man that would be awesome!! Use those drones like Amazon is working with and discovering your out of milk with a full bowl of cereal is just a click away from delivery. Now if I can just figure out how to work from home I'll never have to leave. :laugh:


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## Angrywhopper

I was in my local Best Buy tonight. It was like walking into a completely different store.

Appliances. Appliances everywhere! Half the store was fridges, dish washers, washers, dryers, microwaves etc. Fully staffed with employees. And guess what, lots of customers! 

Samsung and Microsoft each get a nice little section of the store. Computers, tablets, phones all around.

TV section had a lot of higher end models. 

Magnolia section was redesigned and impressive! Seeing brands like McIntosh caused me to be very shocked! 

CAR AUDIO. Not shocking. At all. 
When I say this, I mean it. The car audio section was LITERALLY 1 isle. Not a section. Not multiple isles. 1 row of product. Not even a full isle. It was a 'short' isle. Zero help or staff in sight. What made me chuckle was the 3 large step ladders that are used to get to high shelves. They were "stored" in the car audio section lol. I really think there was more candy at the checkout stand than there was car audio. Obviously this is a dead section at Best Buy. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## rton20s

From a business standpoint, the direction they are headed seems to make sense. I'm sure Microsoft, Samsung, and possibly Apple are paying a premium for the dedicated floor space. Having trained, educated sales associates (whether employed by Best Buy or the manufacturer) is definitely a good thing for them. If I am going to have a kid 6 months out of high school talking down to me, it is at least nice if they actually know what they are talking about. 

My local Best Buy is a non-magnolia store. Their TV selection is fine, I suppose, but I don't see myself buying from them. I probably wouldn't even bother using it as an Amazon/B&H/whichever online vendor show room. You simply can't trust the way the TVs are setup in the store. For the average Joe, I do think that Best Buy is still the "go to" brick and mortar for a new TV or home theater equipment. 

On the car audio front, there is just no money in it for them. I'm sure they are taking a page from Walmart. Have one small aisle in the back where non-enthusiasts can pick up something "cheap" to enhance the stereo in their busted '92 Caprice. 

And then there were the appliances. I really think this is the one place where Best Buy can stay competitive in the longer term. Very few people are doing online shopping for a new washer, or dryer, or stove. Sure, they might be doing research, but they are buying locally. Here they have to compete with Sears and the big box hardware stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. They don't have to worry about a plethora of online vendors with low overhead and razor thin margins... yet.


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## theoldguy

this thread title cracks me up. To say that the car audio at BB is declining is to imply that it was above ground level at some point. I have never seen anything but terrible results come from that store (install related). Power wires up and over the engine (plastic sheathing melted off on the hot engine metal and the wire grounding out), amp grounds to painted metal - just basic stuff that is really screwed up.


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## rton20s

The title was a bit tongue in cheek. Best Buy car audio in general never set the bar very high. The point was, with such a low bar it has gotten much, much worse. 

Having said that, the products they carry are the products they carry. The install though, is a different story. Every store, and in fact every installer is different. I believe there are quite a few competent installers out there that have spent some time in the Best Buy install bay. Would I call them a "safe bet" in general? Absolutely not, but it doesn't mean I would discount the capabilities of a competent installer because of where is employed.


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## DonH

I have seen a few nice installs come out if best buy when they actually found a niche market that has now moved on. The market is in somewhat decline on the cheap end. Be on the lookout for more expensive higher end products in the future.


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## theoldguy

DonH said:


> Be on the lookout for more expensive higher end products in the future.


from who? does this have anything to do with the alpine countdown timer?


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## cubdenno

Bestbuy has learned regarding car audio what they have learned regarding most electronics. Most people come in, play with the features, examine the aesthetics and potential build quality and then order it from Amazon or some other internet dealer for less money, no tax possible free install gear. 

kids are especially in this area due to limited funds and generally better knowledge of internet sale sites.

So why keep inventory on the books?


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## rton20s

theoldguy said:


> from who? does this have anything to do with the alpine countdown timer?


I'm guessing 8"+ CarPlay compatible head unit from Alpine.


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## Angrywhopper

rton20s said:


> From a business standpoint, the direction they are headed seems to make sense. I'm sure Microsoft, Samsung, and possibly Apple are paying a premium for the dedicated floor space. Having trained, educated sales associates (whether employed by Best Buy or the manufacturer) is definitely a good thing for them. If I am going to have a kid 6 months out of high school talking down to me, it is at least nice if they actually know what they are talking about.
> 
> My local Best Buy is a non-magnolia store. Their TV selection is fine, I suppose, but I don't see myself buying from them. I probably wouldn't even bother using it as an Amazon/B&H/whichever online vendor show room. You simply can't trust the way the TVs are setup in the store. For the average Joe, I do think that Best Buy is still the "go to" brick and mortar for a new TV or home theater equipment.
> 
> On the car audio front, there is just no money in it for them. I'm sure they are taking a page from Walmart. Have one small aisle in the back where non-enthusiasts can pick up something "cheap" to enhance the stereo in their busted '92 Caprice.
> 
> And then there were the appliances. I really think this is the one place where Best Buy can stay competitive in the longer term. Very few people are doing online shopping for a new washer, or dryer, or stove. Sure, they might be doing research, but they are buying locally. Here they have to compete with Sears and the big box hardware stores like Lowe's and Home Depot. They don't have to worry about a plethora of online vendors with low overhead and razor thin margins... yet.


It makes great sense and I'm happy Best Buy is doing it. The people working the appliances and Samsung/Microsoft/Apple/Magnolia sections seemed professional. From their dress to demeanor. There were no kids in blue shirts grouped together wacking off. It was all business. 

I'm actually surprised they even still have a car audio _isle_:laugh:. However small, it does take up store resources and I'm sure the install bay space could be used for something more useful.


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## rton20s

What I *don't* care for are the DirecTV clowns who act like an employee trying to help you just to spin it into a sales pitch about how they will guarantee to save you money. 

I feel the same way about the solar companies that are setting up now at the entryway of hardware stores.


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## Victor_inox

rton20s said:


> What I *don't* care for are the DirecTV clowns who act like an employee trying to help you just to spin it into a sales pitch about how they will guarantee to save you money.
> 
> I feel the same way about the solar companies that are setting up now at the entryway of hardware stores.


 Isn`t that the truth.. I usually say I already have direct TV, they disappear. or solar on my house. I hate solicitors.


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## rton20s

Victor_inox said:


> Isn`t that the truth.. I usually say I already have direct TV, they disappear. or solar on my house. I hate solicitors.


Aren't you soliciting on this site?


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## Victor_inox

rton20s said:


> Aren't you soliciting on this site?


Promoting, not soliciting. Big difference.


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## Angrywhopper

rton20s said:


> What I *don't* care for are the DirecTV clowns who act like an employee trying to help you just to spin it into a sales pitch about how they will guarantee to save you money.
> 
> I feel the same way about the solar companies that are setting up now at the entryway of hardware stores.


I agree and I saw none when I was there last night. No solar or DirecTV salespeople.


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## Victor_inox

I was shocked that MAgnolia selling McIntosh now, when this happened?
Not my local one.


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## Angrywhopper

Victor_inox said:


> I was shocked that MAgnolia selling McIntosh now, when this happened?


I was in utter shock! Honestly, if BB continues this revamp of their stores it will be a place I want to shop. Clean, professional, HIGH END products is what I look for when shopping. 

Here's a pic I snapped when I was there


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## rton20s

No mention of McIntosh online at all. I don't recall seeing anything at my local store either. Though, last time I was in the TV/Theater section was stripped pretty bare. It looked like they were probably preparing for a revamp. I'll have to stop back in sometime soon to see what they're up to.


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## Victor_inox

Angrywhopper said:


> I was in utter shock! Honestly, if BB continues this revamp of their stores it will be a place I want to shop. Clean, professional, HIGH END products is what I look for when shopping.
> 
> Here's a pic I snapped when I was there


 McIntosh and Martinlogan under one roof? Very nice!


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## Angrywhopper

rton20s said:


> No mention of McIntosh online at all. I don't recall seeing anything at my local store either. Though, last time I was in the TV/Theater section was stripped pretty bare. It looked like they were probably preparing for a revamp. I'll have to stop back in sometime soon to see what they're up to.


I'll say the BB I visited was near my work and in general, this area is upper middle class to entry level 'rich'. Might be the reason I saw what I saw? 



Victor_inox said:


> McIntosh and Martinlogan under one roof? Very nice!


Ya, like I said super impressed. That picture just gives you the idea of what the rest of the store looked like. High end products and less 'cheap' consumer electronics found all over Walmart and Amazon.


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## thr_wedge

When I decided to upgrade my car last month, I went to BB and was thoroughly underwhelmed. I called my bro that works for BB, and he said the car audio sections are a ghost towns, under staffed to not staffed at all, and none of the demos ever work. So yes, it's gone from bad to worse.


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## Angrywhopper

thr_wedge said:


> When I decided to upgrade my car last month, I went to BB and was thoroughly underwhelmed. I called my bro that works for BB, and he said the car audio sections are a ghost towns, under staffed to not staffed at all, and none of the demos ever work. So yes, it's gone from bad to worse.


I have a strong feeling that sooner than later there will no longer be a 'car audio section'. It'll be just like the alarm clock section; aka 2-3 models with 1-2 pieces in stock of each in a corner rack.


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## cleansoundz

The car audio section at the best buy by my house are like that also.


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## Angrywhopper

cleansoundz said:


> The car audio section at the best buy by my house are like that also.



I'm sure the revamp covers all stores...


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## dan87951

ATOMICTECH62 said:


> A few years ago I went to BB to get some PS3 games for Christmas gifts.I wondered over to the 12volt section where 3 employees were tossing a Nerf football to each other.I was walking back and forth looking at everything very carefully like I was interested in buying something but confused.The whole time they were tossing the football and making small talk.After about 15 minutes I ask one of them if any of the Kenwood decks could take a hard drive or had DSP.Without stopping tossing the football he said"Some of them might,look on their website"
> I have not been in a BB since.
> This is probably one reason for the decline.
> 
> The whole time I was there about 10 other people had walked up and walked away also.


That would never happen near my the Best Buy near me. They bug us every 5 mins asking us if we need help. I actually prefer not to be bothered as I already pretty much know what I want.


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## Angrywhopper

dan87951 said:


> That would never happen near my the Best Buy near me. They bug us every 5 mins asking us if we need help. I actually prefer not to be bothered as I already pretty much know what I want.


Obviously every Best Buy is ran different (different managers) so although you get bugged every 5 min, most would say they rarely get any help.

Update: I was at my local BB about 2 weeks ago and yep the section has shrunk even more. It's almost non existent.


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## Angrywhopper

Another update for those who are interested, lol. Went to 2 local Best Buys this month for Christmas presents.

Best Buy A) Install bay was closed and has become the stock room for Televisions.
Best Buy B) Install bay was closed and has become the stock room for Desks and computer furniture.

How much longer till they completely eliminate that segment of their store?

Happy New Years everyone.


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## BassnTruck

Angrywhopper said:


> Another update for those who are interested, lol. Went to 2 local Best Buys this month for Christmas presents.
> 
> Best Buy A) Install bay was closed and has become the stock room for Televisions.
> Best Buy B) Install bay was closed and has become the stock room for Desks and computer furniture.
> 
> How much longer till they completely eliminate that segment of their store?
> 
> Happy New Years everyone.


This come around is quite ironic considering Worst Buy started as a small hole in the wall "car audio" store.


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## Silvercoat

Having been an Autotech @ BestBuy for 8 years (I was a lead so I ran the bay operations) and that I currently have 2 close friends who are currently Autotechs I can say the outlook is not good.

They have the vendor support, they have the product support, they have the business support....and they just waste it all.

The company rolled out a new scheduling software 4 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. 

And what did the software do the day after Christmas (which is the busiest day of the year for Autotechs) it crashed......

So basically on the busiest day of the year no one could make appointments.

I hate to say this is an exception, but this pretty much sums up the company.

There is so much wasted potential for the Autotech business at BestBuy but from my perspective all they do is screw around and continue to implement terrible plans.

Really it is just BestBuy does not care tbh. They are too focused on bending over for Samsung/Apple/Microsoft and selling washers that have 250% mark up.


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## juiceweazel

My local BB has basically become a vendor store. Samsung/Apple each took took a huge corner for just their products. I'm convinced the manufacturers pay them separately as Verizon started years ago. This frees up a lot of overhead labor. Media is almost gone. A Most of the store is taken by TV's with a small section of appliances. Car audio is almost gone as well. I haven't seen the bay even open the past 4 or 5 times I've been there.
This is sad to me as I helped open this store 15 years ago as a side job. I worked on the sales floor in the car audio section. It was fun because they ha a lot of new products and the company really stood behind their employees.
How times have changed...


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## Silvercoat

Yeh the Samsung,Apple/Microsoft/Verizon/At&T employee you see wearing those company's shirts are all paid by those companies. The labor hours are taken out for some reason but the budget comes from elsewhere. So while these people take up coverage hours, they are budgeted outside the store's labor. 

The problem being is that they are tasked with mainly selling/covering the information and product for their company, but not anywhere else. So you have someone taking up a salesman "slot" but not being available to everywhere in the store.

With "Carfi" their car stereo section, they are allocated as part of "lifestyles" which now covers cameras, home theatre, gaming and media I believe. It is a bit different form store to store but similar overall.

Also the project teams that assemble the displays are often lazy and untrained so displays often go outdated and non-functional for months even sometimes years. The current outlook is they do not want to Autotechs working on display... even though they know best.

For example: CarPlay is a big seller right now and needs a USB plug in to function. Yet all of the displays for CarPlay you cannot plug in your phone so you can't demo it.


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## Victor_inox

PPI_GUY said:


> Won't happen. The niche market like you'll find here at DYMA doesn't exist across a broad spectrum of the buying public. The popularity of compressed audio storage is evidence of that. 99.99% of all music that is being carried around on portable devices/phones, etc. is terrible quality. But, no one cares anymore. The recording industry is slowly succumbing to garbage mastering designed for low quality storage and playback. RIP, dynamic headroom.


Amen!


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## Silvercoat

I was wondering why some of my new CDs sounded like garbage.


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## AAAAAAA

Dynamic listening is great in a quiet room... the songs can tell a story of sorts exemplified by speed \volume...

But in a noisy environment... a moving car or wearing ear buds outside I would say songs that are very dynamic are actually NOT desirable since a lot of the lower volume passages become hard to hear and enjoy, or it becomes hard to find a proper volume setting to not get overwhelmed by to loud or to low.

Generally speaking sitting down in a quiet room for music listening is not something that really happens all that often.

We play music to drown out crap noises like the vaccum, the lawnmower or when we can't watch TV because we are doing something like running or driving.

Who doesn't want to turn up the volume when the opening guitar melody starts from Metallica's "nothing else matters" ? It gets plenty loud after the first 30 seconds but perhaps you get my point.


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## zapcoaudio

junk


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## Crazychile

I used to work for Best Buy back in the mid-80s. Yeah 80's. Back when they first started to expand out of the Twin Cities area. I worked for them for 3 years and was a Department manager, Product Trainer, and even worked for their corporate offices for a while. I helped open new stores in the KC, St Louis, and Milwaukee areas.

It was an exciting time. We were known as "Best Buy Company", this was all pre superstores era. We were like Walmart is now. We'd come into a city with great fanfare and promotional antics and kill all the competition within 6 mos. The command from upper management was "TAKE EVERY DEAL!!" even if it meant we had to sell something below cost. Our advertising budget was insane. These were the days of bi-monthly "Everything is on Sale..SALE" events where a store in a market of 100,000 would do a quarter million in sales in a single day. We didn't even have install bays in most of the stores back then. We contracted out to the local guy who wasn't a moron. There were plenty that were morons.

The salespeople were also ON COMMISSION.

Say what you want about commissioned sales, but when you pay people to perform and back it with the ability to bring people in the door, a person without a college degree can make a decent living and feed his kids. Yeah, there were a few shady operators here and there, but most of us took pride in what we did and gave people solid advice. When you get paid to sell you figure out it pays to know your sh!t and educate yourself so you can answer tough questions and make the sale. We sold hard, and partied hard.... good times. 

In 1988 I left to go work for the local High End audio dealer part time while I went back to school to finish degree #1.

By the early 90's Best Buy started their rapid expansion with the "concept 2" stores. This meant that salespeople were hourly. No more commissions. And after they had conquered the local market, there were rarely any deals except what hit the weekly flyer. I used to buy several CD's a week back then because they were cheap. Really cheap and they stocked titles that were even more "import" oriented. That really started to kill off local record stores.

Fast forward to the last 5 years or so. The non-commissioned sales people usually don't care much. You can sit around with your thumb up your @ss or help people, and make the same money. The people that cared and were good at their jobs figured out there were other places (or entire industries) that would pay them what they're worth. 

To top it off, they got beat at their own game. The internet did to them what they did to other retailers. At this point they might as well change their name to Amazon Showroom. Because that's about what it is. I went into Best Buy about a month ago for the first time in nearly a year to look at a Pioneer car stereo I knew I would buy online...because they wanted $100 more but had it on display. Not that I wanted to talk to anyone, but no one even acknowledged me the entire time I was there except the loss prevention guy that guards the door.

I put BB in the same category as Sears now. Unless something changes, they'll be gone in 5 years.


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