My husband and I recently had to upgrade our TV. Well, not necessarily upgrade it, but it had to be replaced due to a dying set of speakers that produced the most ungodly screeching noise at the “s” sound.
We had been pondering the leap to HDTV, and most recently, decided to visit our local Best Buy. We have shopped here many times in the past, and as with most of our visits to a Best Buy store, we tend to drop way more money than we should. This most recent trip was no different.
We did our research, and had decided upon a 27” model made by Samsung. While we were perusing the clean aisles of the store, a young gentleman by the name of Andrew approached us, and asked if we needed any help. He assured us that they do not work on commission, and said that if we had any questions, to find him and he could help. He also asked if we were members of the Best Buy Reward Zones program.
We shook our heads no. As I recalled, there was a membership fee. We like Best Buy, but not enough to spend an annual fee for a program there, to try and earn points back for gift certificates.
Andrew emphatically shook his head and explained that the program was now free! What’s more, if we bought the TV that we were pondering, we would qualify for a $10 gift card to be mailed to us almost right away. He handed us a pamphlet and wandered off.
We continued with our perusal, and wandered over to look at other TVs. No other sales reps approached us at that time, which was nice. There is nothing worse than being accosted by 14 employees just moving from one aisle to the next. On the next aisle over, we saw the same TV, however, it was open box, and a tag on the front of the display indicated that if we walked out with it that day, we would get a $50 gift card on the spot.
I sent my husband to find Andy, who explained that yes, we would get a gift card that we could use that same day, if we wanted. My husband ran off to find toys to buy. I discussed some other aspects of the TV, including what the HD resolution was, explaining how we were hoping to get a next-generation gaming console soon. This immediately launched into a discussion of gaming skills, wherein Andy explained that he was the best Dr. Mario player out there.
I had to disagree. I was, after all, the goddess of Dr. Mario.
Andy countered this. Sounded like a throw-down to me. After a good-natured laugh, Andy went and searched for the remote. His first attempt brought back the wrong one, but the second was more successful. He also procured a cart for the TV (which didn’t come with a box or a manual), and my husband and he loaded it up. After that, we thanked Andy (who was very nice), and we wandered over to discover what we could blow the $50 gift card upon.
After selecting a DVD set and a video game, we headed to the registers. The store was already setup for the holidays, and a female employee acted as the traffic cop at the head of the line, directing the patrons on which registered to go to for service. She was friendly enough, but it seemed like she had better things she would rather be doing at that moment. The cashier was very nice, although a little confused as to how to ring up the gift card. Thankfully, there were no problems with this. We got out card, and then rang up the items separately. Payment was quickly transacted, and we walked outside (with a quick wave from security as they made sure we paid for the TV, which, seems kind of ludicrous as I cannot imagine someone just waltzing out with a TV like that).
Here is where the disappointment set in. The store was clean, the employees nice and helpful, but no one came outside to help us load up the TV into the car. Fortunately, my husband is a brute and can lift heavy loads without blinking, but it still seemed kind of odd. Regardless, we got the TV into the car and managed to get it home and unpacked without incident. Plus, we got lots of points on our new membership with Reward Zone.
Overall, I certainly recommend this store. The staff is very friendly and productive. I have never had a problem with any of them being rude or unhelpful. The store is clean, and well-maintained. I have very rarely noticed an item out of place on a shelf or items on the floor.
If you are in the Mentor area, I most definitely recommend shopping here. While Best Buy can be expensive, the staff here will help offset some of the monetary guilt. Best of all, they are commission-free, so you don’t have to worry about being hounded to death, either. Worst case scenario, they have a pretty spiffy website, too.
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