Has anyone here ever worked for Best Buy? (1 Viewer)

[Rollie]

Hi guys,

I'm thinking about getting a part-time job to help fund my holiday season. Best Buy seems like a logical choice since I'm an electronics/DVD addict. I went to Best Buy's career site but their recruitment pages seem somewhat lacking, especially for Florida. Before I submit an application, I want to have an idea of what I'm getting myself into. I figure that the best way to do that is to tap the collective knowledge of HTF to help with some research. So here I am! Basically I'm trying to figure out what the wages are for the average worker, as well as any benefits that may come with the job.

I'll appreciate any info that I can get!

 

[JustinCleveland]

Your best option, for a part-time job is to go to the store, fill out an application, and talk to the manager. Get to know him, feel out what he needs. Same for any part-time job, really.

 

[Shane Martin]

I worked for Best Buy back in the early 90's while I was in high school. Back then you were given a store discount on any product as long as the manager approved which equaled 10% over cost.

Warranties were a minor push back then because the company gets a rather large % on those since they are 100% profit. The management was rather focused on #'s and especially the warranty %'s. If this is the same as it was(probably worse) then it adds a little unneeded pressure on you to make the sales. It's not likely they will fire you over it though as they don't or didn't keep track of what you sold unlike Circuit City.

Money wise: You'll probably get a few bucks an hour over minimum wage if its anything like it was when I worked. Making $6.40 an hour in 93 while I was in high school was quite a nice deal.

Overall I don't regret working there. I've had far worse experiences.

 

[Brandon_T]

I worked there in 1995 in Michigan. It was OK. I made 5.65$ an hour with raises once in a while. I agree with pretty much all Shane has to say. Don't think that there is a big discount on software, if that is something you are looking at. Hardware yes, software, it is probably pennies as opposed to dollars off.

I had one management confrontation where they tried to make me take my earing out, I refused they wrote me up, I quit and went got lucky and got a job with Sony. Funny thing is, damn near every guy I see in there wears an earing now, if not two. Good Luck

Brandon

 

[Shane Martin]

Keep also in mind that sometimes if a product is sold under cost(computers more often than not), that its cheaper actually to buy it yourself as a normal customer than as an employee. Too add to that, you do pay tax as well.

Something that might come into play is if you want to buy something, the manager may push you into a warranty but as the poster below explains the warranties are rather cheap.

 

[Christ Reynolds]

i worked there for about 2 years. you get a lousy discount on computers and video game consoles, pretty decent discount on home theater and car audio stuff, dvd discount is ok too. and if you buy a piece of equipment, i strongly recommend getting the service plan, ONLY because you pay a fraction of the price for it. i paid $5 for the service plan on my dvd player, i think it was originally $50 or $60.

CJ

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

Do seasonal employees get the same (or any) discount at Best Buy these days?

I'm thinking on getting a seasonal job there this holiday season...I don't really need anything (but I'm sure I could find something ) so the discount would just be an added bonus.

I have an interview this Tuesday afternoon.

I'm currently going through a divorce and any extra cash right now is much needed....so I'll have to resist spending my paycheck (if hired) on DVDs. Easier said than done, I'm sure!

Oh yeah, How should I dress for the interview? Slacks (Dockers) and a nice button up shirt (or Golf shirt?) ???

I'm active duty military, Air Force (and have been for the past 6 1/2 years, so I haven't really had to "impress" anybody at a job interview in years.....

 

[Brandon_S]

As far as seasonal employees go, I think it is up to the specific GM of the store. When I was hired the GM waived the 30 day wait period for discount for seasonal employees.

I will say however the pressure on selling Performance Plans is rediculious. I had managers and supervisors who would tell me to pass on sells to customers who weren't buying Performance Plans. I was encouraged to lie about what was in stock so that products wouldn't go out the door with Plans attached. I didn't really need the job and I was there to learn and to sell products to consumers and get a great discount. Needless to say these sleezy tactics by managers and supervisors led me to leave soon after starting there.

If you are going for a job, make sure you let the manager know that you will not stoop to sleezy sales tactics. Presenting the plans to people is fine, but shoving them down their throats and lying about what is in stock to boost numbers is terrible business IMHO.

YMMV.

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

I agree Brandon....I'm the same way pretty much...

I applied for 2 positions, one was just a cashier...and I'm hoping just to land that so that I won't have to push the plans too hard with that job....

the other spot I applied for was "media....something or other" (can't remember), but I assume it's DVD/CD/Video Games sales....and I figured I wouldn't have to push too many plans if I was in that department as well. who knows, like I said...I'm only gonna try to do this for a little cash these next 3 months....but I won't lie to people either - so, if I'm hired...I'll be honest even if it gets me fired....

 

[Brandon_S]

Michael,

Yeah I think those departments would be a little less stressful. I was in the video department. When a RPTV left the store without a plan attached, certian managers and supervisors would go ballistic. Now I agree a service plan is a good idea for the consumer on a RPTV and I convey that to the buyer, but some people won't buy plans no matter what.

Something you will have to sell in either of those positions would be Replacement Plans. They differ from service plans in that the product is replaced if a problem occurs. They are usually cheaper.

Hope this info is helpful. Best of luck.

 

[Jeremy Allin]

Well, I got a phone call about 45 mins. ago. I have an interview this Friday for a media specialist position.

Good luck tomorrow, Michael!

 

[Michael D. Bunting]

Thanks Jeremy!!!

Good luck to you as well!

 

[Stacie]

My husband has held on to a part-time gig at Best Buy for years because of the employee discount (employee price = 5% over Best Buy's cost). He doesn't really like working there, but finds it worthwhile between the discount and his hourly rate as an AV/Computer tech.

Because the employee discount is based on Best Buy's cost, it's jaw-droppingly good for some items, but only so-so for others. Computers are a good example of that: the market is so competitive that Best Buy has next to no margin on them, so the employee discount is minimal.

But for other things, the discount ranges from good to excellent. The discount on DVDs is often in the 20-25% range, but a few dollars here and there adds up, and box sets are often a raging deal at employee price. Typically we can get DVDs at Best Buy for about what we would pay on the Internet, but of course, with instant gratification.

It used to be that cheap AV stuff (TVs, VCRs, low-end DVD players) didn't have much markup, but sometimes we are surprised. We just bought a cheesy 13" TV for our kitchen, and employee price was a cool 25% off. And of course, the higher up the "food chain" you go, the more discount there will be. We saved nearly $1000 off retail on our RPTV a few years ago.

The most shocking discounts are on accessories (cables, etc.), which are often marked up 500% and more. Just last week we got a $36 optical cable for $6, and a $10 USB cable for $1.50.

If you can hack working for them, it might be worthwhile.

 

[Gregg Shiu]

Hi, I'm considering working here as well. I'm submitting the online application right now, and I'm selecting a referral, however pretty much all of my friends who worked here are gone back to college or got fired. I'd gladly hook someone up with the credit for the referral if they post in the thread asap.

Edit: Never mind, someone emailed me the info.