Best Buy Customer Arrested For Paying For His Purchase With $2 Bills

[Brutus_the_Red]

BB sales people make peanut wages and get no commissions. Expecting broad product expertise from them is nothing but a pipedream.

I worked at best buy for 2 years (I quit last month to take a job at Kohl's). I worked in the back, receiving and putting that little yellow sticker on every dvd, cd, software, and video game. I unloaded the trucks with refridgerators, dishwashers, dryers, washers, bigscreen tvs. I moved everything to the floor, put it all in topstock, loaded everything in the customers cars or trucks.

My job was the most physically demanding job in the store. My job intailed doing the most work. I was paid, on average, about $2.00 per hour less than a sales floor employee (even the cashiers.) I was considered a part-time employee (there were no full-time spots in the warehouse) yet for 11 months I worked over 36 hours a week with no benefits.

What you have to understand about Best Buy, is that they are a revenue machine. They don't care that they have a terrible employee turnover rate, because each year their business increases. In my case, I wasn't directly involved in the sale of product, thus i was considered by the company as "non-essential personnel" and was paid less than some 16 year old girl at the checkout lanes.

Best Buy makes A LOT of money off the PSP and PRP (product service plan, product replacement plan). For every one person that uses their PSP, there's 10 that pay for it and never do. DSubs (these are digital subscriptions, likes napster, AOL, roadrunner) get pushed on the customer along with PSP and PRP because they are free money for best buy. Magazine subscriptions give best buy $17 of free money for every one they sign up.

The average geek squad member makes about $450 per hour margin dollars for the company. The average geek squad member makes $11 an hour.

The way Best Buy sets itself up for productivity is by having strong competition between best buy stores. Manager's get their bonuses based on how their store stacks versus other store's in their district and region. There are no bonuses for any workers below a manager. So basically, what you get is management at the store level RIDING employees to get their bonuses. I have seen people fired for not offering magazines, fired for not selling the PSP, and moved to a different department because they "just weren't getting it done."

In my case, I went to my store GM to ask for more money an hour. I explained to him that I'm 21 years old, and $6.50 and hour might be wonderful for a 16 year old high school student, but that I'm trying to pay for school and housing, and a badly needed new car. He tells me, "All positions in best buy are tiered for pay by importance. I'm paying you as much as I can in your position."

So next, I ask that he make me full-time. That way atleast best buy would cover my cost for school, and i could get some much needed benefits like sicktime and vacation time, medical and dental coverage, etc. He told me he couldn't do that. I ask him why he's worked me 11 months at full-time hours, promising me he'd put me full-time when the "budget opens up," when he knows full and well that's never going to happen. He couldn't answer. So I quit right there.

I guess what I'm trying to say, is that next time your in Best Buy, I know the employee is going to make a mistake, but just realize that this little 16-19 year old has it pretty hard. Take whatever fight to management, and give it to them good. They don't have to deal with nearly enough considering the money they make off a good kid's hard work.

[Reds/Flyers Fan]

Everyone is ripping Best Buy, and deservedly so. But the Baltimore County police dept. needs some blame here too. This man was essentially arrested for paying cash.

I once used a $2 bill at the automatic check out lane at Kroger and the machine didn't take it. I had to tell the cashier there who had to get a manager. I admit that I was just experimenting to see if the machine took it and it turned into a 15-minute ordeal. But a $2 is legal tender and shouldn't be disrespected as it is.

[Redsland]

Liberace once tried to pay with a $3 bill.

[REDREAD]

Brutus, I never worked at best buy, but I worked my share of jobs like that. People
do need to keep in mind that most customer service type jobs aren't paid anything, aren't trained or educated on the products and are abused by management.

Really, when it comes down to it, it's partially the consumer's fault for this system. Most consumers wouldn't not be willing to pay $20 more for a TV (or whatever) at a store where the employees were paid well and trained well. In fact, a lot of them would get the advice at the good store, and then buy the product off the net or the cheap store. That's why a lot of the stores with well paid/well trained employees are out of business now.