View Full Version : Does anyone work at....
one of the following companies?
Home Depot
Lowe's
Best Buy
Circuit City
CompUSA
Staples/Office Max
I am thinking about looking for another job and I am interested in these companies. I have some questions to ask about what it is like working for them. If you don't want to post where you work please email me.
extramundane
02-15-05, 05:56 PM
one of the following companies?
Home Depot
Lowe's
Best Buy
Circuit City
CompUSA
Staples/Office Max
I am thinking about looking for another job and I am interested in these companies. I have some questions to ask about what it is like working for them. If you don't want to post where you work please email me.
I have 3 close friends who work for Circuit City and DETEST it. Granted, they work for Corporate HQ, rather than the retail stores, but I understand the climate isn't too different. 'Course, with CC likely being bought out in the near future, it may be moot...
Wheel-Nut
02-15-05, 06:07 PM
FWIW -- Circuit City will more than likely be bought out.
http://money.iwon.com/ht/nw/bus/20050215/hl_bus-n155896.html
You might want to clarify whether you're talking about working at a retail location or corporate headquarters, and what part of the company you're talking about.
Best Buy's Headquarters is here in Tropical Minnesota, and I've heard some talk about working there - but the experience in the stores is probably nothing like it is at headquarters. (Lets put it this way - if you're going to work at the headquarters of a major retailer based in the Twin Cities - work at Target.)
Audi_A4
02-15-05, 07:25 PM
one of the following companies?
Home Depot
Lowe's
Best Buy
Circuit City
CompUSA
Staples/Office Max
I am thinking about looking for another job and I am interested in these companies. I have some questions to ask about what it is like working for them. If you don't want to post where you work please email me.
Dude forget those companies, buy a '76 caddy stap on the bull horns on the hood, install the fur interior, buy yourself a yellow suit and purple hat and start pimping .. you will make more $$$ :) :gomer:
Spicoli
02-15-05, 07:35 PM
Lowes knows baby. I spend a ****load of money there, and I know where more **** is than the average jacktard who works there. Nobody wants to be there, their service sucks, they don;t pay anyone, but they have the best selection and prices. I own a bunch of their stock.
If you are thinking about weekend/night work - go get a job being a bouncer at a club. You get to rough drunk people up and hassle hot chicks. And you get paid to do it. :thumbup:
Retail and foodservice suck. :thumdown: (unless its victoria's secret or a pr0n shop).
Michaelhatesfans
02-15-05, 08:44 PM
Retail and foodservice suck. :thumdown: (unless its victoria's secret or a pr0n shop).
Don't work in the latter, unless you're willing to clean....
In the words of Bif, think about it. :eek:
Redwing
02-15-05, 10:51 PM
Employee discount situation - admit it, that's what you really want to know! :D
Sean O'Gorman
02-15-05, 11:04 PM
Best Buy's employee discount is 5% above cost, I believe.
I used to have lots of friends who worked at Best Buy, but most either quit or have been fired, and the majority of them I don't keep in contact with. Most tend to have very poor financial habits, spending all their paychecks on home theater equipment, and eventually getting fired for trying to pull a scheme like switching unit #s on products to get a new product at open-box price, etc.
fourrunner
02-15-05, 11:41 PM
Start your own business !
Sure you'll starve for awhile.... Drive a ****ty car ... eat lite... spend frugally ... but once you succeed .... the world's your oyster!!! :) :thumbup:
Brickman
02-16-05, 01:03 AM
Start your own business !
:thumbup:
Ding ding ding.
$45-$55 an hour here and you don't need a dryer for your pants.
This is not a part time gig that I am looking for. Full time. I just did my taxes and when I saw how much money I made last year I almost died. Well under half of what I was making in '02 at Sprint PCS. So it is time to get out of the heating anc ac business. Add to that the IT market here in smAlbany is all but gone I am now having to look at either getting a job with the state (I'm taking the exam next month) and getting a job in retail.
Employee discount situation - admit it, that's what you really want to know!
You cynical bastard, you! ;) Not really, although it does sound nice.
Best Buy's employee discount is 5% above cost, I believe.
I used to have lots of friends who worked at Best Buy, but most either quit or have been fired, and the majority of them I don't keep in contact with. Most tend to have very poor financial habits, spending all their paychecks on home theater equipment, and eventually getting fired for trying to pull a scheme like switching unit #s on products to get a new product at open-box price, etc.
Yes, it is 5% over cost except on Plasma's, LCD's or any of the latest DLP or LCD projectors.
I work for Best Buy, though not in the store but in the service department.
Here are the basic requirements for getting a job at Best Buy, non-technical.
1. Be able to take up the rear on a daily basis with a please and thank-you.
2. Completely lack any sort of "out-of-the-box" thinking. Status quo is the word of the day.
3. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT ever work above expectations and never expect to recieve any sort of compensation for it. I can't stress this enough.
4. Keep in mind one thing, You're goal is to make sure you're manager hit his numbers so he gets as much $$ as possible on his bonus check. You'll know which area's are key because they'll suddenly start focusing on that area even if they have ignored it in the past. This often involves selling the customer down the river if need be even though company catch phrase these days is "Customer Centricity". :rolleyes:
5. Once you start working at Best Buy, you are no longer a valued employee or even a human being, instead you have become, in BBY corporate speak an "Organic Asset". :shakehead
6. If you decide to work for the corporate office in Minneapolis, know that you'll freeze your arz off in the winter but the spring/summer/fall season, all 3 month's of it, is nice. Oh, and you can hang out with Joebob. :gomer:
If this sounds appealing mappy, pm me, I'll peruse the company JOS boards and let you know what exciting "opportunities" await you at Best Buy.
Spicoli
02-16-05, 11:01 AM
This is not a part time gig that I am looking for. Full time.
You've got to be kidding. Dood, that place isn't what you would call a "Career". See above. ^^^^
Pimpin ain't easy.
But its necessary.
6. If you decide to work for the corporate office in Minneapolis, know that you'll freeze your arz off in the winter but the spring/summer/fall season, all 3 month's of it, is nice. Oh, and you can hang out with Joebob. :gomer:
From what I've been told, you'll also have the opportunity to be the first employee to ever retire from Best Buy Corporate Headquarters.
Yes, it is 5% over cost except on Plasma's, LCD's or any of the latest DLP or LCD projectors.
I work for Best Buy, though not in the store but in the service department.
Here are the basic requirements for getting a job at Best Buy, non-technical.
1. Be able to take up the rear on a daily basis with a please and thank-you.
2. Completely lack any sort of "out-of-the-box" thinking. Status quo is the word of the day.
3. DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT ever work above expectations and never expect to recieve any sort of compensation for it. I can't stress this enough.
4. Keep in mind one thing, You're goal is to make sure you're manager hit his numbers so he gets as much $$ as possible on his bonus check. You'll know which area's are key because they'll suddenly start focusing on that area even if they have ignored it in the past. This often involves selling the customer down the river if need be even though company catch phrase these days is "Customer Centricity". :rolleyes:
5. Once you start working at Best Buy, you are no longer a valued employee or even a human being, instead you have become, in BBY corporate speak an "Organic Asset". :shakehead
6. If you decide to work for the corporate office in Minneapolis, know that you'll freeze your arz off in the winter but the spring/summer/fall season, all 3 month's of it, is nice. Oh, and you can hang out with Joebob. :gomer:
If this sounds appealing mappy, pm me, I'll peruse the company JOS boards and let you know what exciting "opportunities" await you at Best Buy.
You forgot the part about shoving extended warranties down peoples throats and ocassionlly letting them have an item with it.
I hate buying electronics at Best Buy.
5. Once you start working at Best Buy, you are no longer a valued employee or even a human being, instead you have become, in BBY corporate speak an "Organic Asset". :shakehead
Hey man at least you're an asset! Some of us are considered liabilities, only kept around because the law requires our presence. But I digress.
Best of success to you, mapguy. If you want to do something unusual and you don't mind the cold, you can always visit www.polar.org and see if there's anything suitable there.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/050216/circuit_city_stores_2.html
racer2c
02-16-05, 12:58 PM
I hate Best Buy too. I try to buy the majority of my electronics online. I do confess, that I like it better than CC, but only because of the selection. the sales people couldn't care less about anything except the cute girl checking out cd's.
Now they're pimping magazines at the check out and warrenties for a $12 cable that the kid rolls his eyes when I say no. :thumdown:
It would suck to work at a retailer but, since you have invested in getting your hvac license they would allow you to work nights. You would be able to have a predictable income while attempting to get your own business started.
You aren't going to make diddly**** working for anybody else in a service industry. Find a way to be your own boss if at all possible.
Start your own business !
You could be the Plow King/HVAC/Computer Guy. ;)
http://www.centralparts.com/images/prowing-truck.gif
......... and warrenties for a $12 cable that the kid rolls his eyes when I say no. :thumdown:
Hey buddy, we're providing a valuable service (peace of mind) by reaching out to an oft overlooked market out there, those paranoid, shizophrenic types that lay awake at night worrying about that cat 5 cable that's run from the bedroom to the computer room and whether tonight is the night it fails! Good God man, what would they do!! Worse yet, what if a foreign spy came into his house and cut the cable rendering his internet access useless? What would he do then? ..... oh, I forgot, a cut cable is physical damage and not covered by the extended warranty. sorry.
:gomer:
JohnHKart
02-17-05, 06:51 AM
Still more trouble for Circuit City:
(From Aero News. Net)
Top News
Citation Down In Colorado
Wed, 16 Feb '05
Eight Reported Lost In Pueblo Accident
All eight people on board a Cessna Citation 560 are reported dead after the aircraft went down on approach to Pueblo Airport in Colorado.
Initial reports indicate the aircraft was part of a two-ship flight. The accident aircraft was reportedly owned by the electronics retail chain Circuit City, based in Roanoke, VA.
Circuit City confirmed that at least four of the victims were employees.
It happened at approximately 0913 local time on Wednesday, according to law enforcement officials. A low overcast with freezing drizzle was reported at the time of the accident.
Cessna spokeswoman Jessica Meyer said the factory was sending an investigation team from its headquarters in Wichita, KS, but would not comment further on the accident.
It would suck to work at a retailer but, since you have invested in getting your hvac license they would allow you to work nights. You would be able to have a predictable income while attempting to get your own business started.
You aren't going to make diddly**** working for anybody else in a service industry. Find a way to be your own boss if at all possible.
Well, here in New York there is no requirement for an HVAC license, unlike plumbers and electricians. So that is why we get paid JFA. Plus working nights would be impossible as I don't know how long I'll be working from one day to the next. There is a set time to start working but quitting time is when there are no calls left on the board. Which is the worst part about this job. It is either feast or famine. This summer was a fairly cool one for upstate NY. We only had 3 days of +90 and there were few AC failures so I was averaging 20-25 hours a week. Now we have had a relatively mild winter so far (it was 50 on Tuesday!) and right now I am averaging about 30 hours a week.
racer2c
02-17-05, 10:32 AM
Hey buddy, we're providing a valuable service (peace of mind) by reaching out to an oft overlooked market out there, those paranoid, shizophrenic types that lay awake at night worrying about that cat 5 cable that's run from the bedroom to the computer room and whether tonight is the night it fails! Good God man, what would they do!! Worse yet, what if a foreign spy came into his house and cut the cable rendering his internet access useless? What would he do then? ..... oh, I forgot, a cut cable is physical damage and not covered by the extended warranty. sorry.
:gomer:
:D :thumbup:
fourrunner
02-17-05, 11:26 AM
And of course the extended warranty on the $12.95 cable is as follows
1 year $12.95
2 years $ 24.95
3 years $ 39.95
But like the salesman always says ... "they probably won't try to repair it .. They'll just replace it, so it's a win win for the customer"
Question
Why does Best Buy have 20 check out stations, and never has more than two open at any given time?
Also WHY is the Return line so long ?
Tell that guy at the door to stuff his phony "Hi" up his wazooo!
I have to say ... Our local Best Buy has a VERY knowledgeable and "enthusiastic" Digital Camera Guy ... I'm figuring they'll Crush His Spirit eventually, but so far he's been their about 6 month's but he is developing Age Lines ... He's about 19 years old !
racer2c
02-17-05, 12:10 PM
When I was shopping for a new camera I went to Best Buy, examined their selection. chose the one I wanted, went home and ordered it online for $300 less than what Best Buy was asking (and no it wasn't a fake). So they do have a purpose! :)
Before Christmas, I went to BB to get a digital camera. Asked the Best Buy guy for help, he was clueless (full disclosure, he was waaaayyyy overworked, so he may have been capable of helping, just not able.). Some guy, standing around, seemed to know what he was talking about. A lot of people were asking this guy questions, and he was more than happy to help them out. I'm thinking, "Who's this? Did oc make a trip to the midwest?" ;) Turns out he was employed by Kodak and sent to help Christmas shoppers make the correct choice in purchases. I now own a Kodak for snapshots. Of course, it took me a half hour to get Mr Best Buy to get his ass over to the counter to unlock the cabinet. :laugh:
Brilliant marketing by Kodak. Brilliant. :thumbup:
FCYTravis
02-17-05, 02:03 PM
Circuit City's employee discount is at cost.
Friend of mine worked there. Hated every minute of it... except for the fact that it allowed him to put together the greatest home theatre system in recorded history... almost $10,000 (retail) just in Monster Cable and Monster Power alone :eek:
Sean O'Gorman
02-17-05, 02:11 PM
When I was shopping for a new camera I went to Best Buy, examined their selection. chose the one I wanted, went home and ordered it online for $300 less than what Best Buy was asking (and no it wasn't a fake). So they do have a purpose! :)
Heh, reminds me of my only Circuit City purchase. The cheapest price on the XM Roady2 was $99 on circuitcity.com, but I wanted it now, so I went to the store. $130. I tried to get them to drop the price to the online price (it works all the time when I try at Harbor Freight), but they refused. So I drove home, ordered it for $99 on express pickup, and was back to buy it at the discount. All it cost me was a mile of driving and 10 minutes of my time. :D Unfortunately I can't do it again since it was announced that particular store is one of the 19 being closed.
Circuit City's employee discount is at cost.
Friend of mine worked there. Hated every minute of it... except for the fact that it allowed him to put together the greatest home theatre system in recorded history... almost $10,000 (retail) just in Monster Cable and Monster Power alone :eek:Monster Cable?? Monster Cable?!?
I need this guy's number. I have all of this Snake Oil that I'm trying to unload... :laugh:
mappy wins for most off topic posts from his original topic.
Good luck! Consensus is, retail sux, especially when dealing with customers like oc'ers. :gomer:
mappy wins for most off topic posts from his original topic.
Good luck! Consensus is, retail sux, especially when dealing with customers like oc'ers. :gomer:
Yeah, fat lot of good these clowns are. :D So I guess I can strike BB anc CC off the list. I got an interview with Lowe's next Thursday.
Yeah, fat lot of good these clowns are. :D So I guess I can strike BB anc CC off the list. I got an interview with Lowe's next Thursday.Tip: Wear pants. :p
(good luck!)
oddlycalm
02-17-05, 05:08 PM
Well, here in New York there is no requirement for an HVAC license, unlike plumbers and electricians. So that is why we get paid JFA. Map, I assume you've been around air balance equipment? One of the best gigs I've seen is doing air balancing. Not only for new construction, but existing systems need to be checked and rebalanced from time to time as I understand it. There is a nominal inititial investment in the flow measuring instrument, but the rest is stuff you probably have like car/truck, ladder, and computer for doing reports on. You probably know more about it than I do, but the work bids out around here from $50/hr for general work to $100+/hr for specialized stuff like drying kilns and annealing ovens.
A friend of mine bailed out of HVAC repairs 12yrs ago to do air balance exclusively and he now has 5 full time crews working for him. He's made good money every year, even when it was just him and an assistant. If you are short on hours you could get started before you quit, which is what he did.
oc
Question
Why does Best Buy have 20 check out stations, and never has more than two open at any given time?
When you're paying minimum wage, you're lucky to get 2 people who'll take the time to shower, throw on a Blue polo shirt and some dockers and then come in and try and sell magazine subscriptions along with extended service plans on CD jewel cases.
Besides, it creates the illusion that, at times, this place is so busy it needs 20 checkout stations. That means this must be a good place to shop. :laugh:
Also WHY is the Return line so long ?
Our professionally trained, minimum wage earning "customer service professionals" are taught to: give the customer all the time he needs to express his outrage at BestBuy, never give an inch (unless the customer has a video with Best Buy management in compromising positions), never admit that any of our fine quality, Chinese sweatshop made electronic equipment is nothing more than plastic molded around garbage, properly be able to point to specific "out clauses" on the extended service contracts without the use of an electron microscope and never, ever give the customer the feeling that all his needs were taken care of. He might actually start to expect that when he comes in the door.
Tell that guy at the door to stuff his phony "Hi" up his wazooo!
He's actually sincere even though it looks like he's really standing there day dreaming about last nights Emo concert and whether or not he should wear a disguise when he attends the big GrandAm race this spring.
I have to say ... Our local Best Buy has a VERY knowledgeable and "enthusiastic" Digital Camera Guy ... I'm figuring they'll Crush His Spirit eventually, but so far he's been their about 6 month's but he is developing Age Lines ... He's about 19 years old !
He'll leave bitter, disillusioned and wondering if there's anything else in life worth living for. ;)
fourrunner
02-17-05, 05:19 PM
In my best Sam Kinison from Rodney Dangerfields "Back to School"
"Good Answer" !!!
Mr. Toad
02-27-05, 12:45 PM
Hey mapguy try this http://www.goasi.com/ I think you may have the proper qualifications
Rogue Leader
02-27-05, 01:42 PM
As having worked in a retail electronics store which was commission based (the WIZ, a lame duck competitor to CC here in the NY/NE area, who promptly collapsed once CC and Best Buy returned to NY) I can tell you I equate it to the fifth circle of hell.
Yes the money was GREAT, the hours however sucked (if you didnt work friday/sat/sun you were screwed), taking off for a holiday was taboo (plus you get in a commission like "have to work" mindset, and honestly youre tossing boatloads of money out the window not working on a holiday). The discounts rocked too. There are times that can be enjoyable, but generally you want to punch many customers in the face (like the ones who will ask you the same question 40 times, or tell you that they are here to buy, only to not buy crap from you), also punch your bosses in the face (because politics reign!), and eventually you will just become a soulless lifeless mess.
I can only imagine not having the prospect of getting the bonus of commission (ie working at bestbuy) making the job that much worse.
just my $0.02
Chitowncartfreak
02-27-05, 02:35 PM
6. If you decide to work for the corporate office in Minneapolis, know that you'll freeze your arz off in the winter but the spring/summer/fall season, all 3 month's of it, is nice.
I once asked a friend what he likes to do during the summer in Minneapolis. His answer - "if it falls on a weekend, I like to go boating."
I thought about moving there, but I'm not a fan of the tight Minnesota snowmobiling laws.
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