My first Magnolia store experience

Use Magnolia as your audition room, research and buy online. Also don't dismiss any speakers because they are out of your range, get to know them and then look for used on Audiogon or eBay. This might satisfy you more in terms of sonic performance.

And watch more stores close:rolleyes:

You can always ask them to price match.

They will aggressively price match online prices these days

+!

Nothing like wasting the time of a salesperson when you have no intention of buying. Bad protocol.

Oh please. Everyone has the right to spend their money where they want. There is nothing wrong with auditioning in-store and then buying online. If BB wants to compete then they should lower their prices. I worked there for a few years and they have over 100% markup on most items. Its ridiculous.

We have a few magnolia BBs around here. Most of the time, things aren't wired correctly and you can't audition half of what's on display (on a good day), but it's better than nothing. You can either buy from best buy, walmart, sears or on line. We don't have botique stereo stores anymore.

Definitely bad protocol. If you really have no intention of buying anything there, you shouldn't waste their time, IMO.

The last quote by KidHorn is explained by the first two quotes.

So you would have no issue if someone came to your jobsite and wasted a few hours of your time with no intention of purchasing?

Bottom line, it takes sales to fund the operation of a B&M store and to keep employees paid - the salesman could have been working with a live customer when you were wasting his time.

On the other hand, if I walked into a store, knew what I wanted, picked it up and did a self-checkout, by your logic, shouldn't I be getting a discount for not tying up a sales guy?

Stores dont care when the sales guy wastes the customers' time by offering them things they dont want and/or need, but you expect customers to care and not waste the sale guy's time? Its a business my friend and Best buy does what is in Best buy's interest, while any consumer should be entitled to do whatever he feels is in his own best interests (whether that should coincide with the interests of others is a different topic)

Not sure where you're drawing that logic:confused:

They are trying to upsell, it's quite common.

Didnt think it would be difficult to follow. Ok lets try this:
Why is the OP being criticized for wasting the sales guys time cos he is not going to buy, when he would never be compensated for not making use of the personnel? Yes and the customer is trying to get the best deal for himself. If the store can waste the customer's time, I dont see why the customer should not be able to waste the store's time.

capish?

I have mixed feelings, in general, with regards to "shopping" at a store with no intent to actually purchase anything. I can see both sides to the argument.

However, I'd like to share this little anecdote: A few weeks ago my g/f wanted to go to Best Buy. While we were there, I went into the Magnolia A/V section. There were 8 salesmen and I was the *only* customer in the area. Five of the eight salesmen were in the room with the big projection theater and were watching an NBA game with audio levels so loud that it was interfering with my ability to hear music in the room I was in (adjacent room).

Noticing me in the speaker-listening room by myself, one of the salesmen dropped in and asked I he could help me with anything. I told him I was just browsing the speakers while my g/f was in another part of the store. He said since the adjacent room was so loud, he'd show me how to work their setup and then leave me alone in the room to listen to whatever I wanted, with the door closed so I could hear better. Very nice of him. Not two minutes later, one of the salesmen comes out of the projector room, sees me by myself in the speaker room (with the door closed), and so he comes in and berates me badly for being in there by myself with the door closed. He was ticked off. I explained to him that while he was busy watching the game next door, another salesman had set me up and left me good to go, and that that other salesman had said it was perfectly OK to close the door. This guy didn't buy it one bit, and told me that I shouldn't touch anything, and that if I wanted a "proper demonstration" of their speakers, that he would do it for me.

I told him that for a proper demonstration of their speakers, they should have placed them in the room a little better. The room is rectangular, and they had all the speakers lined up against the long wall (one pair in the far corners, the next pair inside them, the next inside them, etc, until the middle most pair were right next to each other in the middle of the wall).

He gave me a puzzled look and then started to tell me that they carry "Bowers and Wilkins, the premier speaker company in the world."

Beaveav, you shouldn't have been in that room since you didn't intend on buying. How dare you! lol

To folks who always buy when they go to Best Buy, I was just giving 'suggestion' on how to maximize a budget and get educated if you're new to audio. My apology that people like me exist in your perfect world where consumers always get ripped off.

By the way, I was once told at BB that I should replace my Paradigm Studio Sub12 with a $500 B&W 10" 400-watts sub and I wouldn't lose a thing.

I understand that you feel you should be paid (compensated) for using the assistance of a salesperson.


I "capish" that if a salesperson walks up to you and ask if he/she can help you, you will waste their time, by not buying anything or at least, try to get that "best deal" from that salesperson who is trying to make an honest living. I "capish" that if everybody did what you feel should be done, that the salesperson that didn't get his/her sales quota, will not buy the xtra case of beer from the corner store that uses your brother's delivery company. Eventually, one way or another it all comes full circle.

Would I buy elsewhere if I can save $100 and the store is not willing to meet that lower price on an identical product?, you betcha, but in reality, it's pretty rare. Would I do that to save $20? not me, nope. I'd try to get a cable, or a pack of battery instead (done this several time and it works). That sales person that one is wasting his/her time may be the person that uses/buy/refer where one works.

cheers
Edited by jproy13 - 7/12/12 at 5:57pm

When I go to one of these kinds of showrooms, I don't expect that their staff is going to be any more knowledgable than I am, but at the same time, I'm not going to waste their time to audition the products there if I have no intention of buying there. If they give me some service and offer the facilities so I can actually see and hear their product, they deserve a first crack at my business. While they may not be able to match aggressive online prices, I think they should be able to meet me somewhere halfway. If I still pay a premium, I consider it fair because they have a good return policy and I save on return shipping fees

People are sealing their own coffins. Every B&M will close down and those that will remain will be scheduled auditions only and you must leave a deposit (some smaller HiFi stores were doing this and some still do). So, going forward you can look at speakers online and buy based off junk reviews and biased opinions and if you don't like them, just pay ridiculous restocking fees.

Ethics have gone down the toilet in this generation. Sad, really.

So how is this different that say, going to 5 different stores to see who has the best price on a TV set!? Technically, you are wasting the time of every salesperson except the one you eventually buy from....

I agree with most points................

The problem with high end audio and video is it is too expensive for businesses to have premium products for demo. Based on the commitment of the store to stock an item I'm interested in, it's only fair to give the said business first right toward negotiation for purchase. In today's day and age, purchasing product at MSRP is not going to happen for me...............if a store is willing to negotiate price, then they have my business.

Sadly, I have to travel a minimum of 3.5 hours in order to demo equipment.............if more local stores stocked products of my choosing, I'd be willing to pay more, but not at MSRP. With such a competitive market, at a minimum, a 15% discount seems fair for both parties. To conclude.............what I've found pragmatically..............I have to travel to larger markets in order to see product and bicker price. Local B & M's are cutting their nose off despite themselves..................

Not all Best Buys will shut down. They'll likely close some poor performing stores, but they won't go under completely. There are a lot of people who won't buy online. They're afraid of getting ripped off. Best Buy has also become more like sears than an electronics store. They sell refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, ovens, etc... .

What I expect to happen is you can buy on-line or buy from a store that sells a lot more than just electronics. If you live in a big city, there will probably always be a few places that sell high end gear at a big margin.

It's like this. Educated buyers will always buy where they can get the lowest price. Best Buy spends lots of $$$$ to build stores. That's called overhead. They have to mark up their products higher than an online retailer/re-seller because of overhead. Right?

But, people are generally getting better at online shopping and now go to BB to see/listen/touch the product and then open the Amazon app on their way out the store an place an order0. Best Buy loses. Your perspective is not unique - it is a huge trend and that's why BB just closed about 50 stores. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505144_162-57414517/best-buys-store-closing-list-is-yours-on-it/

Can we do anything about it? Probably not. However, I hope you are aware that having these large demo-emporiums like BB is a huge luxury. Some day, when BB only sells fridges and ovens and price controlled items like Apple, you'll remember how easy it was to go and listen to Martin Logans.

Ethics? WTF! Corporations lack 'ethics' more than the average consumer.

Stores are biz and aim to maximize profits, and its is quite fair for them to do so. Customers are looking for the best deals and it is fair for them to do so too. The market and economy always evolves, and if B&M stores die today, the market would evolve (see media market). You may see the advent of customer/home showrooms e.g. where a customer could earn points towards a future purchase from an on-line seller by letting prospective customers audition his system.

No matter what happens, the consumer never wins, and yet people like you would rather advocate that he be handicapped further by some meaningless sense of morality or ethics.

In your example, each salesperson has a chance to make the sale. One will do so.

What I find offensive is someone using the store, it's facilities, and it's staff as a stalking horse with zero intention of making a purchase at any B&M store.

Wonder if you said the same thing about Circuit City? Remember them?

Unless the customer has personal issues with the store, I doubt it qualifies as zero intention.

The intention is to buy at the best source, usually in terms of value for money. If the B&M pricing is similar or possibly better, I am sure the customer would buy.

The problem is when some think B&M should be 'compensated' for letting the customer audition. People that feel so are free to do so, but do not have the right to criticize those of a different opinion.

+1

very good point. But would it be fair to say that you will give those five salesperson equal opportunity to make the sale.

and educated buyer will look at more then just the cheap price. He/she should look at return policies among others. I like the little things like when bringing a defective piece of equipment for warranty work, the human being at the B&M store will give you a loaner. I like it when you have a problem with a piece of equipment, you simply bring it back and they give you another one right then and their. I guess I'm a dying breed.

It would be a pretty sad economy we live in if everybody would do what is suggested by some...