Best Buy carrying music equipment!?!?!?

[evil1rox]

Morning all,

I haven't had a lot of time to research this but it might just be in the Chicago area.

-I heard on the radio this morning...certain Best Buys in the Chicago area offering music equipment/lesson from non-commissioned sales associates etc.

HUH?!?

Do we really need another big box retailer that doesn't offer any sort of deals or negotiable pricing etc???

What do you guys and gals think..? (this is morbid curiousity....if they do it right they could be cool...but I have my reservations)

E

[TestaRossa]

I think that when you need to buy medicine you're not looking for it in Home Depot.

[Fullback32]

Doesn't suprise me E....they are the WalMart of electronics. As far as I know, all Best Buy emplyess are non-commissioned. I think Circuit City is the only Big Guy that has its employees work on commission...at least here in Colorado.

As far as them doing it right? Well, it depends on the employee. I know when I've gone to Best Buy to look at LCD TVs, some of those guys really know what they are talking about and some of them obviously haven't got a clue. You can just tell by the way they explain things and answer questions...the detail of info, not just spouting techo-babble at ya and so on. That probably will be true if they sell instruments as well.

The big box guys are rubbing out a lot of the music stores where you used to banter about the price like you did with a car. The ****ering on price, personally, is a pain in the butt to me when you first go into a small store, but those guys were usually musicians themselves and actually knew the products. You can sometimes end up getting some better deals working with those guys than the big box guys even with their sales and specials. I found that once you established a relationship with a seller at the smaller music stores, you could almost always get a better deal than at the Guitar Centers. Those guys know you and really work with you to get the best deal possible.

[PumaPhreak]

I know that they carry some small keyboards and such. I'll go by and check it out and ask some of students (college, not music) if they know of anything.

[Big Bopper]

They won't be able to make a significant contribution to the industry, other than perhaps encouraging Guitar Hero rock star-wannabes to buy toy guitars and Rock Band pseudo-drummers to buy no-name acoustic kits. Although maybe some will move on to 'real' instruments like Roland e-drums!

The big boys only sell the stuff that a lot of people will buy. I go to Home Depot when I want a 2x4, but they don't have 'specialty' items that people don't need all the time. I have to go to a local hardware store for that. To get real music help I go to the real music store.

Best Buy and others will have lots of $100.00 instruments but as usual will contribute nothing of substance to music. Just because they sell karaoke packages doesn't mean Sting does his shopping there (for music stuff anyway! ) or that they will find the next American Idol winner.

But, and this is a really big but, the video games and toy instruments do have a large positive financial impact on the industry, particularly in the realm of putting more money in the band's pocket. Maybe they'll come out with a line of toy instruments branded with Aerosmith's name along with the game. It's all about selling stuff.

If they can buy it by the train load they'll resell it, but that's as far as they go. On the other hand it might stimulate more interest in music, which may lead to Bill (S. Preston, Esquire) and Ted's ('Theodore' Logan) utopia after all! WYLD STALLYNS RULE!

Shalom
Bruce

[evil1rox]

I kind of always liked being able to haggle a better deal...or get some stuff thrown in because I'm a frequent customer...etc.

1 thing I'm not looking forward to (this happens already) even more salesmen that don't know the first thing about drums...electronic or otherwise...but they know they want to sell them!

-Yes there's always the noted exceptions here and there...must most of them are useless as far as reliable feedback or info.

E

[Quazi]

A few Best Buy stores in So Cal have full blown music stores within the store. I was surprised because they had a few smaller V-Drum sets but also adrums like DWs, keyboards from roland, yamaha, and korg, guitars from Gibson, Epiphone, Fender and others as well amps, DJ gear, computer interfaces, etc. Not just the cheaper stuff either.
I think many best buy customers won't go into guitar centers or other music stores, so this might work for Best Buy. Maybe the Guitar Hero and Rock Band games are getting some people interested in real musical instruments.

[PumaPhreak]

I stopped by the local Best Buy and asked a sales associate the low down. He hadn't heard anything but said that they were going to start carrying a larger selection of Apple computers. Good news for me if they have stuff at reasonable prices. I usually just go the Apple store in Knoxville though.

[evil1rox]

Sounds like they are getting their feet wet in certain test markets....

We'll see...

(smaller joints still rule.. BPMmusic and RMC to name a few!)

E

[evil1rox]

-Went to the local BestBuy this weekend...

They were clearing space for more stuff when I was in there...but hey did have some of the low low end Fenders and some keyboards setup. Until they start offering higher end gear though it looks like they are offering the "Christmas gift" crowd a more familiar place to buy the little ones their first "insert gear here".

-We'll see though...if they start selling Tama Starclassics there...well...I might have to give them a serious second look.

E

[Guest_User_DA]

As Quazi mentioned, in Southern California there are already Best Buy locations that have separate music stores within the store. This format was launched at a single So Cal location about two years ago and is now in 3-4 locations. There are also two Minnesota (Twin Cities area) locations that opened earlier this year.

In the Chicago area, the same format is being launched at the Downers Grove and Aurora locations.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=221240

..and one in Sioux Falls, SD in August.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...807190303/1003

[evil1rox]

As Quazi mentioned, in Southern California there are already Best Buy locations that have separate music stores within the store. This format was launched at a single So Cal location about two years ago and is now in 3-4 locations. There are also two Minnesota (Twin Cities area) locations that opened earlier this year.

In the Chicago area, the same format is being launched at the Downers Grove and Aurora locations.

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=221240

..and one in Sioux Falls, SD in August.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs...807190303/1003

Looks like Quazi and I were talking about the same thing at nearly the same time! (But I was first!!! )

-Must've done fairly well if they expanded to other markets.

I live in the NE burbs of Chicago..the Best Buy closest to me (as mentioned) has only the very low end Fenders and keyboards currently. I might have to make a trip to the other stores to check them out.

Any Chicago based brothers or sisters wanna beat me to the punch and check it out???

E