I’ve been to the bluebonnet/ Louisiana Mall/ main Baton Rouge Best Buy so many times, their staff has always been outstanding. I’m not even sure if Sam still works there but he knows so much about his products, if your looking to buy a...
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I’ve been to the bluebonnet/ Louisiana Mall/ main Baton Rouge Best Buy so many times, their staff has always been outstanding. I’m not even sure if Sam still works there but he knows so much about his products, if your looking to buy a tv he knows every detail you need to know. One of the main managers-Vick runs a tight ship, not sure if he’s there anymore either but out of all Best Buy locations I’ve ever stopped at (I’ve been to them all in a 150 mile radius) he’s literally the best manager I’ve ever met throughout the years. If many of Best Buy’s locations were hacked off from corporate I would probably give all of them 5 stars because the actual stores are great. The 3 star review is not reflective of the actual store but it’s attachment to the overall machine that runs it, I’ll explain.
There’s tons of issues to talk about but it’s all relating to corporate BB. Best Buy used to be hands down the best place to buy electronics due to a couple programs they had, their rewards program was awesome, you’d earn points with every purchase you made, I made elite plus/ whatever top tier was called, spent crazy amounts of money to get to that status, last year or 2 years ago they phased that out, it’s only to credit card holders that are allotted points now, they might have phased that out as well.
I’ve also been a total tech holder since the ps5 hype back during Covid. Since then they have significantly gutted that program to and upped it to where you no longer receive the same features you used to for 200 dollars a year, pretty sure their raising that to.
Don’t know if this is still a thing either but I swear per corporate policy they would charge you a fee if you want a bag to put your products in. You want to return something, restocking fee per corporate policy. No more return and buy something else.
I have spoken to Best Buy employees who lament on the fact that corporate literally will restrict them from ordering more product to stock their own shelves in the store because they are trying to push shoppers to order from their website. Why anyone on this planet with any business sense in any business could/ should or would arrive at a clear thought and decide this was a beneficial idea for brick and mortar locations to stock less inventory to prop up their online business when their business is predominately built on brick and mortar locations is absolutely beyond me.
There’s a reason you used to go to Best Buy and not Amazon, (past tense) you went for the building, the perks/ rewards program/ peace of mind that you can return with ease/ bring in to get fixed, the people, the touch and feel of the in-person experience of the product, the bag it comes in, the customer experience that you receive throughout the entire buying experience to get the “Best Buy” both literally and figuratively.
It’s sad to see such a great mega chain going down the path of self sabotage straight from on high while the front line employees pay the price and lose the business/sales due to corporate insanity. There literally used to be a line in the morning before BB would open to get in just like at your favorite restaurant, now it’s becoming the next circuit city.
You take the shoppers rewards away, you restrict and strip away the product they came to see, you up-charge them for the shopping experience they came to you over the competition to have, you spell out to the customer, we all see it loud and clear either consciously as I am writing or subliminally as they are displaying, corporate doesn’t like you or the current business model your visiting them for. I wrote this because there are a many great employees at the Baton Rouge Best Buy and all across the nation right now that are suffering because of corporate overlords that have no clue who their customers are and what they want.
So heads up BB corporate, if you don’t get on program with your stores, you’ll probably be the next “toys r us” “circuit city” because the customer always makes the final rule and your customers don’t like what your doing to them or your stores.