My local Best Buy getting ripped off big time!

[DJ Hellfire]

So I go into Best Buy tonight to pick up Forza 2 for Xbox 360 and I notice that most of the new and most popular games just have an empty case with a photo copy of the cover on the shelf and a note that says "please take to register" like you do at Blockbuster. So I get there and the cashier has to page a manager to get my game and I ask if games have been getting stolen. She says yeah, about 40 games per day! It sucks that you have to wait extra long at the register to get your goods, but 40 games per day at $50-60 per game is a rediculous loss! And that's just games! God knows what else is being stolen.

[zx2uner]

:eek: That's sick. I would say that I would probably enforce the same rule. At our local Best Buy, the games are in a glass case...you have to get a salesperson to get the game out you want, and they take it to register 2...and when you're ready to check out..that's when you get it.

[djarsonist]

:eek: That's sick. I would say that I would probably enforce the same rule. At our local Best Buy, the games are in a glass case...you have to get a salesperson to get the game out you want, and they take it to register 2...and when you're ready to check out..that's when you get it.

Yep, the one that I worked at had this system as well. There all in plexi-glass cases, with the alarm systems on them. You take it to the register and after the customer pays for it, they take it out of the glass. It cuts down on theft about 85%...


Sounds like the one in NJ doesn't have good LP...


PEACE
dj arsonist

[SuperGLS]

What the feez...?

That has to be an inside job. 40 games a day? Are you kidding me? That's rediculous if anyone can get away with stealing that much stuff from one store. Don't they have a guy that stands by the entrance and exit that looks at a monitor and controls the cameras? That's how all the BBs are here.

By the way, Forza 2 is awesome. I was at kennef's today playing it a bunch. The Time Trial on the Nurembering (sp?) is all extra hard.

[DJ Hellfire]

What the feez...?

That has to be an inside job. 40 games a day? Are you kidding me? That's rediculous if anyone can get away with stealing that much stuff from one store. Don't they have a guy that stands by the entrance and exit that looks at a monitor and controls the cameras? That's how all the BBs are here.

By the way, Forza 2 is awesome. I was at kennef's today playing it a bunch. The Time Trial on the Nurembering (sp?) is all extra hard.


Yeah, the cashier said they definitely believe it's employee theft, but no one was caught. The whole incedent costed them about $36,000. And yeah, all our BB's have the annoying security at the door that always says hi to you when you walk in the door and aren't even paying attention to them. It's like they go out of their way to say hello to you.

[bdiggy]

People are such freakin' scumbags! I just can't stand the fact that there are so many dishonest people out there. It's really disheartening.

[ArunSenior04]

When I worked at Best Buy, media (vgs in particular), had the highest theft in the whole store. Its because everyone in the store goes through vg. They lost like $15K over 2 months.

[PSUsouthpaw]

People are such freakin' scumbags! I just can't stand the fact that there are so many dishonest people out there. It's really disheartening.

Well, Its not as if its beaten into peoples heads anymore that stealing is wrong. The idea that stealing is okay as long as you don't get caught seems to be the current ideal, and it gets reinforced by the news and other media constantly.

[djarsonist]

Well, Its not as if its beaten into peoples heads anymore that stealing is wrong. The idea that stealing is okay as long as you don't get caught seems to be the current ideal, and it gets reinforced by the news and other media constantly.

Good Point


PEACE

[kylemorg]

...And yeah, all our BB's have the annoying security at the door that always says hi to you when you walk in the door and aren't even paying attention to them. It's like they go out of their way to say hello to you.

When I worked at Radio Shack over a decade ago, that was explained that simply doing that reduced theft. I guess people are less likely to steal stuff if someone in the store looks at them. I guess potential thieves figure that you've seen them and know who's in the store.

[DJ Hellfire]

When I worked at Radio Shack over a decade ago, that was explained that simply doing that reduced theft. I guess people are less likely to steal stuff if someone in the store looks at them. I guess potential thieves figure that you've seen them and know who's in the store.

Yeah, I know, but realistically, in a store that big with security only at the front door, it doesn't work. Maybe in a smaller store like Autozone or something that might help or if BB security roamed the store more it would help.

[ArunSenior04]

I think another thing people know is that the LP cannot physically touch you. They can catch you doing something, and say come with me, your gonna get arrested and you may go along. But they cannot physically detain anyone, unless you touch them first.

[kylemorg]

I think another thing people know is that the LP cannot physically touch you. They can catch you doing something, and say come with me, your gonna get arrested and you may go along. But they cannot physically detain anyone, unless you touch them first.

Actually, they are legally (at least in PA) allowed to make a "citizen's arrest" and detain you. If they have to physically restrain you without injuring you, they have the right to do it. Whether Best Buy has a policy against them touching you I don't know, but by law they're allowed. Of course, you can be held liable if you injure the person.

I learned that when a friend of mine was hot-rodding around in a parking lot. The security guard detained him, and the cop said it was legal when he arrived. Here's an article about it... scroll down to "back to the topic to get the gist.

http://legallad.qdnow.com/2007/06/08/citizens-arrest-2.aspx

[saturn]

BBY policy says do not force someone to stay. they've been sued for touching people (also don't want employees getting shot over a game or something).

I got fired from a best buy for catching the GM and his buddies (also other managers, hmm!) stealing expensive digital cameras. amazing they still work there and all HR knows is "I'm bad with helping the team"

don't shop at BBY. their biggest competitors are wal-mart and amazon.com... they do anything they can to rip people off.

[djarsonist]

BBY policy says do not force someone to stay. they've been sued for touching people (also don't want employees getting shot over a game or something).

I got fired from a best buy for catching the GM and his buddies (also other managers, hmm!) stealing expensive digital cameras. amazing they still work there and all HR knows is "I'm bad with helping the team"

don't shop at BBY. their biggest competitors are wal-mart and amazon.com... they do anything they can to rip people off.

Um, maybe the one you worked at just had ****ty managers. The one I was at was fine. There were some lower leve supervisors that were dicks, but the managers were cool to everybody... You gotta remember, different people do different things.

I would go back if I could get paid more or if my direct supervisor wasn't a total moron.

PEACE

[saturn]

BBYs whole thing is basically profiling customers into categories that mean (basically) rich male, wife with rich husband, or kid with rich dad. they give them codenames like "Barry" and "Buzz" and you're supposed to B.S. the customer depending on which "name" applies to them. if they fall into the categories of people with limited incomes, you're supposed to not waste your time on them.

sure it's just business, but it's pretty ridiculous. I think they're called "segments" ?

[djarsonist]

BBYs whole thing is basically profiling customers into categories that mean (basically) rich male, wife with rich husband, or kid with rich dad. they give them codenames like "Barry" and "Buzz" and you're supposed to B.S. the customer depending on which "name" applies to them. if they fall into the categories of people with limited incomes, you're supposed to not waste your time on them.

sure it's just business, but it's pretty ridiculous. I think they're called "segments" ?

I can't say what they told you at your store, but at the store I worked at, we treated every customer the same. Great service for all. They do have the segments, but we really didn't pay attention to them that much.

PEACE

[ArunSenior04]

Yea, they used to drill those segments, and the BBFB, all the time.

[saturn]

yeah I'm not saying all stores are the same, but in columbus ohio, all of the stores ARE the same. they're run like frat houses or organized crime. or both I guess. and I'm not just bitter from being fired... I've thought this since about a week after I got hired.

[DJ Hellfire]

but in columbus ohio, all of the stores ARE the same.

It's probably because all of those stores have the same district manager, but a different DM than other areas which is most likely why some stores are run different!

[djarsonist]

I agree with you guys on some points. The segments are big, but they told us to sell as much as possible to every customer. Not just the Upscale Suburban one's. It's all about the add on there. They hardly make any money on the PC's/Videogames/TV's. That's why they try to get you to buy all there services from them. I get the service plan, but that's it. i don't need install or anything...


PEACE

[Ugzz]

this is sorta OT, but sams club didnt/doesnt have cameras at all. at least none in the greater pittsburgh area do. So the people that work there have to keep a watchfull eye and also check anything thats bulky. Apparently games are the least of their worries, people have been walking out with laptops by wrapping them inside blankets or anythign else they will fit in. and since the store has no cameras unless your caught by a security gaurd your home free..

my x-g/f worked there and was always complaining about how long it takes to check out someone buying towels/blankets/ thigns in large boxes becasue they had to open up everything that might house stolen goods.. and that makes lines long. and that pisses me off

:P just a quick blurb about theft

[jalmir]

yeah it's normal, service plan are where they make money ...

up here (at least in Quebec province) there is not a lot of people knowing it but the maker and seller have to respect the "legal warranty" required by law :

The bought or rent product must work for it's intended use for a reasonable time, considering it's price, conditions of uses and contract specifications.

So even if you only have 1 yr manufacturer warranty you still can have it repaired for free if it breaks down after the "official warranty" like a 800$ fridge that breaks down after 2 years can be repaired for free, but can't do anything if your 35$ DVD reader breaks down after 3 years ...

Of course the gov tries to let people know about the law but the salesman will tell you there is lots and lots of exceptions and it only include parts, which is false, but people have a bad tendency to believe those sales persons ... no offence to salesman here!

[punkrocker3_00]

This reminds me of when I worked at a Big Bear Plus (long out of business) back when I was in high school. I was a cashier, but since I was like the only male cashier at nights, I did a little bit of everything. Well one night, a week or so from Christmas, I saw this guy walking out of the store with a whole bunch of CD's in his coat. These CD's still had the white plastic frame/case that you had to use a specail tool to take off each one. You could see those frames sticking out of the top and bottom of his coat. I didn't have any customers, so I run after the guy and and stopped him before he left the store. A bunch of other employees ran up after me to help out. The guy had like 25 CD's. By this time the manager finally calls the cops and we held in till the cops go there.

Another time I while I was in college, I was a night manager of small grocery store. We were busy and I was running register and all the other employees were working with customers. Out of the corner of my eye I see a couple big ladies pushing a cart out into the parking lot full of groceries with out paying for them. I told my customer to hold on, someone was trying to steal stuff from us and I grabbed two of our carry-out guys who were bagging groceries. And we headed out to the parking lot. I told the other cashier to call the police. When we got out there the ladies where already pulling out of the parking lot, but we got there license plate number and where they were headed. When the police got there we told them what happened and gave them the license plate number. They pulled the address and the people lived a couple towns away. The police from that town went to check it out. Car met the discription we gave, the food was put away and they said they couldn't do anything because they couldn't tell what was stolen.