ok.... now this is bad
I realize some stores don't actually run their own site, but they do. To the point where it is linked to in store pickup. They are almost pulling a bait and switch here.... but they can cop out of it by saying they price match. (But refuse to price match other web sites)

Ah yes, Steelyard Commons FTW. A sad reflection of what the midwest job market has devolved into. A collection of big box stores now stands on land where the steel that built America was once forged.

But hey. For $200, I'll order it online and pick it up at the store.

Website = low overhead

We should all know by now that when you go into a store, you're paying extra to speak to someone. If you dont know the difference between 720p and 1080i, you'll want to shop in-store. The person who helps you at BestBuy is EXPENSIVE for BestBuy.

That's why places like NewEgg can sell things at lower prices - they're paying far fewer people. They have less staff!

You can afford to have lower profit margin if you have lower overhead. It's that simple.

On that note - always shop the store's website before you shop the store. BestBuy is not the only store to do this.

...I have, on more than one occasion, plodded into a BBY store to buy something I saw online...only to find it marked higher in the store than on their website.

Here's what you do (if they won't price match just for asking):

1. Head to the PC department

2. Select a PC with internet access.

3. Buy the item online, with in-store pickup.

4. Log into your email.

5. Wait for "it's ready" email.

6. Go to Customer Service and get your thing.

7. Leave.

@pmcpa4: Its not even close to bait and switch.I'd be careful throwing around those accusations when you don't understand the terms. Many retailers run different pricing on their websites than they run in store. There is nothing illegal about that. Website purchases don't have the overhead that brick and mortar stores do.

Best Buy will also pricematch within 30 days AFTER purchase on TVs.

@YouDidWhatNow?: You're some sort of evil genius. I like you.

@invader-zim: yes but this is best buy, they don't sell tvs they sell service plans and will throw in a tv. Given the much lower attach rates of service plans online I'm surprised they don't sell them cheaper in store.

I went into best buy to pick up a router, and went on their website to check the customer reviews of a couple of different models on my iPhone. There was a disclaimer on the mobile version of bestbuy.com that said that they display in store prices, rather than the cheaper online version of prices.

That makes it very difficult to check prices while you're in the store.

@exploded: You can walk over to the Apple displays which are all online and check the standard website.

@exploded:

Get a real phone, my HTC Touch says this at the bottom of the Bestbuy page.

"Prices on this site are the same as those on BestBuy.com. Prices may vary in store. All prices and offers are subject to change. In store availability subject to change."

I am pretty certain that Best Buy does this to offset in-store coupons.

I was looking for a new laptop a few years back and had a 10% off any single item coupon for in-store Best Buy. So I went researching on bestbuy.com for the best laptop for me that the website said was in stock in-store.

I found a good laptop, went into the store to purchase it and the price in-store was exactly 10% more than the price online.

The store than refused to price match AND redeem the coupon, it was one or the other... which I could understand if I was trying to make them price match anyone other than THEMSELVES.

The postal service just gave me a welcome package when I moved that had another one of these coupons, so they're clearly still issuing these coupons... for a while you could just print one out. 10% off a $2000 Samsung TV is that $200 price difference online.

Basically, Best Buy has a bottom dollar price for their items and it is NEVER what you see in the store.

@fantomesq: Exactly. It's been pointed out time after time; I'm surprised people still don't get it. It undoubtedly takes much less overhead to maintain a website than a physical store.

@pmcpa4: How can you possibly price match "other websites"? Where do you draw the line between what is a legitimate competitor and what is not? If I could set up a storefront offering $100 52" LED televisions, then whine about price matching to Best Buy, I'd be a pretty happy person.

Overall, you seem to be very ill-informed and lacking in common sense.

@exploded: Is it too difficult to write prices down and research their competitiveness on the internet later?

This is interesting. My parents were buying a computer a few months ago and while researching the models they had in the store, I found a PC/Monitor bundle that was $499 online. The link online showed that the store had it in stock and it was available for in-store pickup. When we got to the store, the bundle rang up as $600. I showed them the online ad and was told, "that is for online only." I asked for the manager. She explained that it was only available if you ordered online.

I said, "you're telling me that if my parents had ordered this from their computer at home you'd have given them the price, but since they're here to pay you in person, you can't?"

The answer was that this was Best Buy policy. I told her I didn't believe that and she would need to call whomever it took to get us the computer at that price.

Yes, we should have walked out, but it was a great deal and there is nowhere else near me to buy a PC anymore.

I just find it interesting to hear that they'd match the online deal. We had to jump through hoops to get it.

They're probably taking their pricing cues from Target. While I'm glad to see they'll match their store price to the Web price, it makes it a little tough for anyone who didn't do his research online before going to the store, and made sure he copied down the right model numbers.

Amazon has offered different prices to different people on the web. They can check your cookies to know who you are. So BB could use the store computers cookies to give anyone checking online the higher price. I am not saying they are doing it, but it is possible.

@fantomesq: I wonder, when they do this, do they give you the price difference cash or check (or gift card or whatever) right there in customer service? Or do they promise to "get to it in 4-6 weeks" and send it off like some stores do with their rebates, never to be seen again and inexplicably lost when you call to check on it? I've never requested a price difference reimbursement, so I'm not sure.

@Julia789: Depends on the retailer - most refund in the same manner as the purchase was paid (with some paying by check on large cash purchases). Best Buy pricematches if paid by credit card, get credited straight back to the account.

@H3ion: I'm supposed to feel bad for someone who is unwilling to research their purchases? :)

Okay. First, Best Buy views its online store as a different store, not an online representation as their physical store in your neighborhood. If you actually read their price match guarantee, BestBuy.com is not listed. 9 times out of 10 they will offer to match their online price, but there are times where they simply will ask you to order it online and even pick it up at the store.

Why, you might ask, would they do such an absurd thing? As the website is considered a different store, anything that is purchased from said store does NOT hit their store's performance, even if the source of the product IS that store. Sound absurd? It is. Nonetheless, if there's $250 in margin on a TV, and the website has it at $200 less than the store, the management would actually be dragging down the store's performance versus the other stores by matching it.

@fantomesq: Oh that's not bad. The credit card refund is very fair. The "check in the mail" I might worry about if I was a person who purchased with cash. (But for a TV I'd probably use my American Express for the purchase protection that comes with it, and just pay the bill off later in the month.)

@supercereal: yes. That's why I then went to newegg.com on my phone, and then realized I could get the router for about 15 bucks less there. Went home and ordered it.

I just bought a 22" HD tv from Best Buy the other night. For the brand I wanted, Amazon was cheaper by $50. Best Buy's website stated they didn't price match for online retailers, but I figured I'd ask, and they matched the price, which was really appreciated.

@yasth:

You're right.

Service plans are almost pure margin. In most businesses, they range between 60-80% profit.

At the same time, it takes a person to sell a service plan. Service plans are sold on fear, based on a gamble that the product you are purchasing will break. Since you cannot "scare" your customer into purchasing it online (without being too obvious), it is hard to sell them online.

@exploded: Coulda saved yerself a drive then. =)

i bought a computer from best buy and it went on sale on the next flyer.

i took my receipt back and told them the price changed. they gave me $50 on the spot. which i used to go back and get a new monitor. it was sweet.

@cromartie: Ordering online doesn't afford you the same price protections as ordering in-store, however. Best Buy will NOT pricematch a competitor for an online purchase so, if the price is lower elsewhere within 30 days of purchasing it, you can't take advantage of an adjustment in your favor.

I don't know if it applies to BB or not but I remember reading a while back (probably here) that the in store network directed web browsers to a different BB website than you'd see if you accessed it from outside the store. so if your going to check, do it before you leave the house.

@dorianh49: Excellent point!

@invader-zim: Its insurance... Insurance is all about covering the unlikely occurrence of disaster. Profit or not, you'll want it if something happens.

@dbshaw: Yeah BB got burned on that. The Macs are all online so you can go to the "outside" site. The internal site still exists but has been altered to show the lowest available price.

@pmcpa4: Of note, Best Buy will price match websites for stores that have a local physical retail location.

Which means Best Buy will price match Walmart.com. But Walmart won't. :)

Now if they can only figure out how to eliminate sales tax they might have a shot at Amazon.

@fantomesq: The price match is on pretty much everything except 'movies and music', not just TVs.

@dbshaw: I believe Laura already linked this in the original post above.
See how the phrase didn't seem terribly aware of the discrepancy is another color?

@doctor_cos: Good catch. At least it would be a good catch if you were right, which you aren't. I wasn't referring to the discrepancy between the price of items in the store and the price on the website. I was referring to an older story about the price discrepancy between the price of items on the website as seen from outside the store and the price of items seen on the website if you went to the website from a PC in the store. BB got busted for configuring the in-store PC's to go to an internal ver of their website where the prices matched what was in the store. It looked like their regular BB website, but it wasn't.

I don't mind you being snarky, but try to be right when you do.

I find it humorous that Consumerist wouldn't have had this posted if BestBuy had kept their online prices as inflated as the in-store prices.

A company passes overhead savings onto a customer, and that company gets a negative post on Consumerist.

Gee. What do you know.

@r0bVious:
The point you, and almost everybody else on here defending BB, is missing is that not everybody has the ability to go online and price check something before purchasing it. So those people who don't have internet access at home don't get the benefit of the same pricing that those of us who do have internet access at home do. That's why my mom and dad ended up paying $150 more for their TV than they should've. It pissed me off. I took their receipt back to Best Buy and got them the price they should've had from the jump. Bastards.

@tbax929 is back from the beach: You don't need internet at home - Best Buy has open internet access on the Macs. You got pissed off because Best Buy didn't proactively pricematch a price that your parents didn't present them and didn't even know about? You got pissed off even though when Best Buy was presented with the competitive price, they quickly pricematched making up the difference?

Your parents agreed on a price, paid for it, and you got pissed off because you COULD have done better even though they completely upheld their end of the bargain at every turn? The attitude problem here, sir, is you.

@tbax929 is back from the beach: You don't need internet at home - Best Buy has open internet access on the Macs. You got pissed off because Best Buy didn't proactively pricematch a price that your parents didn't present them and didn't even know about? You got pissed off even though when Best Buy was presented with the competitive price, they quickly pricematched making up the difference?

Your parents agreed on a price, paid for it, and you got pissed off because you COULD have done better even though they completely upheld their end of the bargain at every turn? The attitude problem here, sir, is you

@TheUncleBob:

Best Buy will also only match the price if said other store actually has it in stock. Once when I wanted to price match the item, they actually called over to the store in question to ask them about this.

@cromartie:

The other nice thing about ordering online for in-store pick-up is that you can also take advantage of other promotions like airline frequent flyer miles by going through the website of your airline of choice. So save $200 plus get 2000 miles or so.

I can see them doing that . I thought the whole point of online shopping for the retailer was to avoid the expenses of a physical store . This way you don't have to pay someone to display it , stock it or ring it out for you .

If it's designated as an online special then those buying online should get that price , not those who went to the store . If there is no designation as an online special then the stores should match it .

@invader-zim: Hell, I think I'd pay more NOT to have to talk to some commission-based salesperson.

@dbshaw: That's what Laura was referring to above - Best Buy's Secret Intranet.

Here's the link a little more clearly (since sometimes the red font color doesn't show up well):
[consumerist.com]

Doctor_cos was pointing out that Laura linked to the article describing what you said. However, Doctor_cos complicated things a bit by linking to something else to demonstrate.

Regardless, the story you mentioned was linked in the original article.

@invader-zim: You are both wrong. The attachment rate for service plans for products purchased online is actually significantly higher than in store. The secret? Offer rates. BestBuy.com offers a service plan every single time, you get a little pop-up box telling you about the plan. Employees in the store mention a service plan about 60% of the time.

You would be surprised just how many people ask about a service agreement without even being prompted.

For me, there is no fear involved, just the reality that most electronics there days are cheaply made and not built to last 20-30 years like before, even when you buy high quality. Every day I help at least one customer replacing something under our service plans.

So, is there nothing to be said for personal responsibility and research? I worked at the evil BB for a handful of months and about 85 percent of the customers that came in had done SOME sort of research before they walked in the door. We pretty much learned on the job and as a consumer, I certainly wouldn't commit to a thousand dollar purchase based on what the sales person said.

I used the BB website to get more information on about 90% of the TVs I sold. If I noticed the price was lower online, our practice was that we always matched the online price. It was a good piece of news to give the customer and the customer returned. We also pricematched brick and morter store with just a verification that they were selling it cheaper.

One thing I never got and still question - not because I am a loyal employee - if you all hate this place so much, why do you keep going back. Just go somewhere else... Quit torturing yourself.

@QquegChristian: That's because the 10% coupons don't work on items on sale... which is most of the store. With price matching and the coupon, that could possibly be below cost so I can see why they wouldn't do that in that particular case.