Now that we have lost GoodGuys ,bought by CompUSA,,,and there is still mediocre Curcuit City,,,where does one go for electronics? Certainly not Fry's,with disinterested salesmen who will not give you any info without an easy commission,,,so what about "Best Buys"?
I went into one of their stores yesterday,looking for a new medium size refrigerator. It is a very busy store, usually with a near full parking lot. And i noticed they had over 20 different refrigerators, which i was surprised but glad to see. Had done my homework,and read the Consumer Reports article for 2005 on refrigerators,and since i am an adult and not a midget, i fully agreed that my old top freezer model had been a real pain in the back, bending over every time i wanted to get into the more often used lower ,refrigerator part. OK, so look for a bottom freezer model,like my friends just got in san jose at Western. And it was also recommended i look for lower cost of operation in an "energy star" certificate. And i wanted a 16-20 cu.ft. size model, preferrably by the "best brand for reliability, Whirlpool".
The salesman had massive acne. Don't they have medical for Clearacil or Oxy10 or Proactiv ??? I asked to see some bottom freezer models with "energy star", Whirlpool, and 16-20 cu.ft. size,,,and he could only find one midprice bottom-freezer model, and not a Whirlpool! Only one ?? He kept showing me larger sizes and more expensive models without "energy star". Then he asked why i would want a bottom freezer versus a top freezer, and i told him i was not interested in stooping over every time i opened the refrigerator door as an average-to-tall height adult. He kept on showing me all their side-by-sides, that i was not interested in in the least. Finally after looking on the web , as he suggested ,for more models in their inventory that would fit my desired criteria,,, and finding none,,,i left.
OK. What did we learn? He told me they do not carry Whirlpool. OK, so they do not have the "Best" brand. And most of the floor display was side-by-sides, then lots of painintheback top-freezer model refrigerators, then just a couple or one bottom-freezer type refrigerator, the configuration that Consumer Reports says is best for most of us. And the prices were much higher than Costco or IKEA, where i had seen Whirlpool models under $500 for a 17.5 cu.ft. with installation and under $400 at IDEA in East Palo Alto,,,but they are both top-freezer models, unfortunately.
And "Best Buys" did not have the best model, the bottom-freezer style,but lots of top-freezer refrigerators, to choose from. And they did not care much about annual energy cost ,since they did not have most or all their refrigerators with the "energy star" rating. I was in Best Buys when they first opened and was very disappointed with their toaster selection and prices, certainly not the "best". And i had been i once looking at CD prices, but was not impressed.
Avoid "Best Buys" if you are looking for the best brands and best versions at the best prices. I'm going to checkout Sears today. Good shopping!
