Best Buy and Circuit City are the...

natehack

worst.
Drove around today because of the day off of work. I wanted to get some cut to length 10 gauge wire to replace the gold jumpers on my RTi10's and CS1000p, get some connectors, check out new front door speakers for my A4 and look at some cool stuff.
To my dismay, both BB and CC carry Monster as their high end cables/wire supplier and some in house brand as their entry, they only sell cable pre-packaged, didn't have any 5.25" separates for my car and didn't have any cool stuff to look at unless one enjoys endless red and blue shirts.
What the blank? They run out everyone else out and assume people only want Klipsch for speakers and Monster for wire. I am frustrated with the big box stores which are supposed to have everything under the sun NOT having anything I wanted!!! I am in Saint Cloud MN with a metro area of over 100k, but nothing is around for good electronics. I would like to support a small, local buisness, but I guess my only options are to drive to the Twin Cities (60miles) or shop online!
Alright, I am done. Now time to research wire, connectors, car speakers and cool stuff.
If there are any suggestions for my headache...

bikezappa

http://www.partsexpress.com/

have a blast

zingo

halo

Check out:

Abt

Fry's Electronics

wingnut4772

I was in BB last week and they didn't even have any 14g speaker wire.

zingo

Frys, at least in Seattle, isn't any better than BB. They have Polk which is cool, but they have stopped carrying LSi and they carry way too much Monster; even the Monster speakers.

TouchOfEvil

Yeah, here CC is the absolute worst. BB is rather annoying but i go for dvds sometimes.

daniel_paul_

Every once in a while Onecall has a great deal.

mmadden28

I used to go to both all the time, looking for something not to be found or for a deal-very rarely to be had. My last few experiences in the stores have been piss poor. Lousy service, lack of the latest and greatest, too many effin TVs-(JHC talk about an overhead cost). Not to mention the majority of the sales people really don't have a clue what they're selling (IMHO).

The prices for DVDs are too high. When its so easy to buy discount online-why on earth would I want to pay full retail for a DVD? Even one that's been out for a couple years??
I do 98% of my shopping online anymore.
I only go into a store if they have something I might need right away and can't wait for shipping. Actually the last Speaker wire related purchase I made was at the local Home Depot (no, not for my home rigs-but for a workaround at work).
I will however check out the TVs if I am in the market-That is actually something I have to see before making that kind of decision.
Very limited selection for some things, but overkill selection for other things. WTF?

Lately, I only go to one once a month if that.

That would be cool if they started something like Home Depot and the craft stored do every so often. Not everybody that goes to Home Depot is a DIYer, just like not every person that goes to CC or BB is a audiophile or DIYer but HD still does it. HD holds free workshops all the time. how to tile a floor, how to put up wallboard, etc. CC or BB or a newcomer, should start selling individual QUALITY components to allow the DIYer to build it themselves. Like Partsexpress but in a store. Heck even if Radio Shack might actually start selling components and actual useful kits.

Well I'm sure that doing that involves much more complicated logistics than it appears to be, but it would be cool to run down to the local CC to pick up that cap I need to do the XO upgrade without having to pay shipping and wait.
Busy right now so I'm just spouting some thoughts-might be a bit disjointed. sorry.

mmadden28

zingo wrote: »

Frys, at least in Seattle, isn't any better than BB. They have Polk which is cool, but they have stopped carrying LSi and they carry way too much Monster; even the Monster speakers.

I went to a Fry's for the first time not too long ago. It was in San Diego. Now that was a big store-They had Oscilloscopes and so many things that you would not normally find in a big box store. The listening rooms were in a bit of disarray, but they had several and they seem to have potential. Sales people were scarce though. They also had a lot of bulk cable-not sure what brands.

Of course the only thing I needed that day was a Smartcard reader and perhaps a blank card-They have a huge wall of freakin 50-in 1 card readers (I know they're just for memory cards), seems like hundreds of different types and brands, but not one damned smartcard reader. WTF? I stumped the sales guy that day.

ben62670

wingnut4772 wrote: »

I was in BB last week and they didn't even have any 14g speaker wire.

I am very disappointed. You should know better than to get speaker wire from BB, or CC.








(WalMart actually has cheap decent 14ga in the car audio section. Stay away from the home audio department;))

broncsrule21@

Last time I was in a Frys looking at RTiA5s. There was another customer talking to a "sales rep, and the customer wanted to know what Dolby TrueHD and DTS Master was. The salseman said he had never heard of it. So, basically I had to explain the different formats and complete the sale. SOO WEEK. where is my commission?? I hate big box joints.
I buy more online than at stores. But somethings you need to see in person before making your choices.

rory

have classic LS90s for sale. rory1@optonline.net

broncsrule21@

here we go again

rory

i have a great pair of black LS 90s that sound amazing. classic polk sound that has been lost through the generations. rory1@optonline.net

WilliamM2

rory wrote: »

i have a great pair of black LS 90s that sound amazing. classic polk sound that has been lost through the generations. rory1@optonline.net

So why not follow the forum rules, get the appropriate number of posts, and list them in the flea market.

Much better than spamming threads.

RichterCAG

Radio Shack

AsSiMiLaTeD

I like Best Buy just fine for what it is. I've always bought my appliances, TVs, computer monitors, printers, and stuff like that there. I've purchased their protection plan on a few items, have had to use it on a couple, with excellent results.

I've never once had a bad experience with Best Buy, even when I've had to use my service plans, they've always been a pleasure to work with.

Would I go in to Best Buy looking for audio stuff or seeking advice or information from a sales rep? Of course not, that's just dumb, but they're great for what they are.

natehack

AsSiMiLaTeD wrote: »

Would I go in to Best Buy looking for audio stuff or seeking advice or information from a sales rep? Of course not, that's just dumb, but they're great for what they are.

I agree, dumb to ask BB and CC. BB didn't know what separates were for my car! Still is frustrating to want to do a simple job on my speakers in A day and cannot find 10g wire anywhere, or 5.25 inch components, or banana connectors that are not 25 bucks a pair!

BB and CC good for what they are, sure. Good for the people who do not live in vast metropoli with many different opportunities for home audio shopping, no.

Can I somehow kick that idiot in the nuts (and then out of this post) who is selling the LS 90's, which are mint by the way...

DeepFreeze

Personally I use BB and CC as a place to go check out some items while I am deciding what I want. I did get a good deal on my TV this summer at CC.

stebesplace

BB/CC are great for picking up "light" appliances, or kitchen stuff, electronics, etc. simply because of the warranty. This has come in handy for me since I have gone through 3 DVD players of various brands. I would not get speakers there as you can find better deals online or at other stores. Fry's is great but not everywhere. So for me, I only get small appliances from BB or CC and maybe a network peripheral if I can't wait for shipping. Of course they don't have high end audio/video components (although their magnolia department is growing). They are not designed for anything other than Monster cables, etc. Its sad when they try to force people to spend $60 on a 6 foot HDMI monster cable.

zingo

I was just at BB because I know they carry Klipsch and I've been wanting to check out some bookshelves, they only carry the bottom of the series! Not that stores like that ever carry the higher end lines, but the most efficient Klipsch's they had were 92db/1w! That's not even a Klipsch! Their prices aren't even that good! Come on!

mmadden28

Was this with a BB with a Magnolia?
FYI--From Klipsch's website, the only bookshelves they have that are greater than 92 are:
RB-81 @ 97dB
RB-61 @ 95dB
and the pricey P-17B @ 94dB
Everything else (bookshelves) seem to fall right in at 92dB

eloplayspolo

yeah well circuit city has been going out of business for over a year.
bestbuy is soon going to be the only thing....
try costco and samsclub... even walmart for some stuff. u might be suprised.

mmadden28

eloplayspolo wrote: »

...
bestbuy is soon going to be the only thing....
try costco and samsclub... even walmart for some stuff. u might be suprised.

I don't know, Home depot carries appliances now, and Lowes carries speakers :eek: Oh and Barnes and Nobles carries coffee or something like it.

m00npie

This topic or similar topic was brought up at Polkfest. Matt Polk mentioned the best place to open a boutique electronics shop is right beside BB. They, as in BB, do one thing better than anyone… they get the foot traffic by endless ads in Print and TV media. But they leave many like us disappointed until we walk next door and buy what we need.

It's not just a theory either, Polk HQ has sales stats to back it up.

kgingras

halo wrote: »

Check out:

Abt

Fry's Electronics

Until a few months ago I'd never heard of ABT. Then I was in Chicago one weekend and went into one. Very pleaseanly surprised. I wish we had one here in Columbus. I like their slogan too - ABT - Pleasing people since 1936

stebesplace

m00npie wrote: »

This topic or similar topic was brought up at Polkfest. Matt Polk mentioned the best place to open a boutique electronics shop is right beside BB. They, as in BB, do one thing better than anyone… they get the foot traffic by endless ads in Print and TV media. But they leave many like us disappointed until we walk next door and buy what we need.

It's not just a theory either, Polk HQ has sales stats to back it up.

If you notice, all of those strip mall-esq places which include Bed bath & Beyond, Best buy, Staples, PetCo, blah blah blah, all seem to be the same no matter where you go. I wish there were more smaller stores (not big box) to support the local business model (which perhaps there will be after this economy straitens out) who can supply people with good prices and good selections of equipment. These stores exist, and I think places like Tweeter used to have this model until they got out of control, and not always having good prices, but i digress.

So if Matt wants to place a store right next to a BB, he might run into trouble unless he gets involved with whoever the company that actually controls all of those retail strips would let new business in. I don't think its Simon Malls, but someone else who does all of those "promenade" style strips for example.

johnda

I have a comment about OneCall. I ordered a pair of Monitor 30 speakers from them, then decided to add in the PSW10 subwoofer on a separate order. After I had ordered everything, the next day I went back to their site and found that the PSW10 was now on sale for a substantial savings. I emailed them and explained the situation. I got back an email, the very next day, that they would be crediting my card for the difference! Now, THAT is service. I will surely be using them again.

bigaudiofanatic

Thats all they want to sell but I just go to a home depot and get lamp cord. Or if I want something a bit nicer I will order from crutchfield the length I want.

wutadumsn23

I like Vann's.com. Good business in Montana, I got my brand new Onkyo TX-SR806 for $300 less than CC or any other website online, with 5 year warranty and free shipping.