A friend of mine owns a music store. Here's a report about Best Buy expanding :
Today, August 19, 2008 I went into the belly of the beast. I got information, oh boy did I get information, and I got pictures. There will be a minimu of 85 Best Buy music stores by Dec. 1. However, a very helpful asst. mgr. at the Aurora, IL Best Buy told me a few things of interest. Allison said that if the stores currently being opened continued to perform "this good" she has been told that 300 would be the Dec. 1 target number.

I will write an expanded review of my Best Buy "Music Store Within A Store" either today or tomorrow. The detailed information will be in the General Members Forum. For now I'll give you some highlights.

Best Buy is offering lessons. Either individual or group lessons. Group lessons will have no more than four (4) students in them. Individual lessons will be 30 minutes and cost $19.99 per lesson with a $10.00 discount on a package of (4) four prepaid lessons. Group lessons are for one hour and cost $10.00 each. Best Buy has a beautiful, glossy 3-fold brochure about their lesson program that they hand out to customers.

Here's the kicker....the Best Buy Music Lesson Program is "co-sponsored" by Fender. Each Best Buy store gets 12-16 free acoustic guitars to be used by their students. Also, the brochure explains that Best Buy's instructors are "professionally trained by Fender."

Below is a list of manufacturers that are being carried by Best Buy. When I say "being carried" I mean they have product on display and ready for sale. I'm told by Allison that they can special order and product made by any manufacturer they carry.

GUITARS
Martin
Epiphone
Gibson
Fender
Peavey
Washburn
Parker
Yamaha
Alvarez
Daisy Rock

AMPS
Fender
Peavey
Vox
Crate
Line 6
Marshall
Ampeg
Roland
Fishman
Daisy Rocks
(Allison says Ibanez is carried at the Minneapolis store and should eventually be available here)

DRUMS
DW
Yamaha
Pearl
Pacific (PDP)
Zildjian
Remo
LP
(Allison said Tama is carried at the Minneapolis store and should eventually be available here)

PRO PA
Furman
Tascam
Tapco
EV
Mackie
QSC
Behringer
Yamaha
Peavey
M-Audio

ACCESSORIES & FX PEDALS
Boss
Dunlop
Danelectro
MXR
Line 6
Hosa
On Stage Stands
D'Addario
Ernie Ball
Elixir
Monster Cable
Gibson

KEYBOARDS
Yamaha
Roland



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http://www.esnips.com/web/Songs

What? No Wersi? Darn.

chas

My experience with Best Buy has been pretty bad. They often run ads with fantastic price, then when you get there, they don't have the item, BUT, they have another model that is slightly higher in cost.
I just today tried to get a M2 memory card for my phone. They have a store near me, so I checked their website. They had it for $60. plus tax. Online the identical card was $23.00 and no tax. Saved myself a trip down the road.
DonM

What?! No Wersi?

You would have thought that any store that can get people to pony up ten grand for a Home Theater system ought to be perfect to sell those!

No Korg or Ketron, either...

Anybody want to bet they won't carry a keyboard over $1000? Low level PSR's, EXR's and the like, probably. Otherwise, the local Roland and Yamaha dealers will pitch a fit

But at least we have had several years of Guitar Center, to get us all used to the fact that the salesmen will be sallow pimpled slackers who know less about the products than their customers!

What's next? The Best Buy Pharmacy (for those headaches the sales-kids will give you)?

I miss the old-time music retailers. Sadly, many are dying off or just closing the doors.

Support Frank and George whenever you can, folks. they're both good guys who will appreciate the bueiness and stand behind their products.


Russ

PS. Try working a trade at Best Buy.

Try returning something at
"Worst Buy" YIKES!!!!
what a restocking scam. Buyer Beware!

Don,
Best Buy has been nailed many time for running their ads like that. It's the old "bait-n-switch". They advertise a false item, when you get there they say it's sold out, then direct you to the real item for sale (that's always supposed to be a great deal because it's only a few bucks more...sheesh). Circuit City has been nailed for this too.

Best Buy charges a 20% restocking fee on most high end electronics. That in itself would make me think twice before buying anything from them. I don't often return anything I buy but in the event I don't feel charging me 20% is necessary, especially if it goes back just as I received it.

I'm certain the bulk of the keyboards they'll carry will be low level PSR's and EXR's (as Diki mentioned), but they'll be forced to sell some higher end instruments in order to get the mid and low level lines. Yamaha is notorious for making dealers carry pretty much everything in their MI line, even if the dealer doesn't want it.

I'm sure if best buy wanted to carry Wersi that Wersi wouldn't even allow it. That would be dumbing down the brand by having unknowledgeable salesman attempt to sell a high end instrument. Even Guitar Center doesn't carry the Korg Oasys in most of its stores because they know the likelihood of anyone buying a $7K+ instrument is nearly non existent.

I'm certain Best Buy will sell tons of cheap keyboards, cheap guitars, and accessories. When it's cheap people just seem to buy it.

LOL. Try getting technical expertise on musical gear sold there Musical equipment should stay in the music stores - period.

True that...

Those pimpled slackers will be no more knowledgeable about PSR's and EXR's than they would be about Wersi's.