Dell sticks it to Best Buy...

jmcc

jmcc

CAGiversary!
Their new full page ad in the LA Times:
1202738.jpg


Nice, I say.
 
What brought this on? I'm aware of the Best Buy asshattery, but why is Dell slamming them like this? Did BB screw Dell in some way?
 
[quote name='PsyClerk']What brought this on? I'm aware of the Best Buy asshattery, but why is Dell slamming them like this? Did BB screw Dell in some way?[/quote]

i think they were talkin about people like us. Bestbuy uses promotions to get people to buy other stuff. We just use premotions and leave. We arent there ideal customers.
 
How interesting... I happened to read that news story in the Wall Street Journal and I was amused (if not slightly offended) that Best Buy brass would actually come out and say that directly in connection with BB's new marketing strategy. Frankly, Dell seems pretty bright to capitalize on Best Buys' execs' stupidity. If you're going to come out and announce some lame-brained strategy to profile and turn away a large chunk of your customers because they are "less profitable" than others, you've got to anticipate that your competitors are going to call you on it and try to grab the custormers you are casting aside. So much for "market share." Good luck, Best Buy...hope the "Barry's" don't decide to go shopping elsewhere...
 
[quote name='ChrisXE'][quote name='int80h']
EA and Best buy, the asshats of our economy
Click to expand...

don't forget walmart[/quote]
no no no

Walmart and Nike, Do you know where your kids are at?[/quote]

I will never understand the EA hate. They usually put out quality games. Is it because of Madden?
 
[quote name='greendj27'][quote name='ChrisXE'][quote name='int80h']
EA and Best buy, the asshats of our economy
Click to expand...

don't forget walmart[/quote]
no no no

Walmart and Nike, Do you know where your kids are at?[/quote]

I will never understand the EA hate. They usually put out quality games. Is it because of Madden?[/quote]

Well, they have bought up studios in the past just for the licenses and fired the entire staff, but yeah, they can't really be faulted for game quality. They put out some good stuff.
 
[quote name='jmcc'][quote name='greendj27'][quote name='ChrisXE'][quote name='int80h']
EA and Best buy, the asshats of our economy
Click to expand...

don't forget walmart[/quote]
no no no

Walmart and Nike, Do you know where your kids are at?[/quote]

I will never understand the EA hate. They usually put out quality games. Is it because of Madden?[/quote]

Well, they have bought up studios in the past just for the licenses and fired the entire staff, but yeah, they can't really be faulted for game quality. They put out some good stuff.[/quote]

well said very well said
 
[quote name='jmcc'][quote name='greendj27'][quote name='ChrisXE'][quote name='int80h']
EA and Best buy, the asshats of our economy
Click to expand...

don't forget walmart[/quote]
no no no

Walmart and Nike, Do you know where your kids are at?[/quote]

I will never understand the EA hate. They usually put out quality games. Is it because of Madden?[/quote]

Well, they have bought up studios in the past just for the licenses and fired the entire staff, but yeah, they can't really be faulted for game quality. They put out some good stuff.[/quote]
Theres no originality at EA. Its all pasteurized homogenized calculated for the masses crap. They've made some good games, some, but most of what they do is more of the same.

And the buying up studios just to kill them sucks a lot. Origin used to be *Origin*. Westwood was good. They don't care.

Abandoning Sega (who helped put them on the map with the Genesis) and not making XBL games until recently really soured me on them too.
 
Man I agree I can't understand why people hate EA so much, me personallyI hate sega for all the business crap they do. At least EA has the smarts to stay in business.
 
[quote name='vrs1650']Man I agree I can't understand why people hate EA so much, me personallyI hate sega for all the business crap they do. At least EA has the smarts to stay in business.[/quote]
You hate Sega for simply being inept at their business strategy, while making great games? And you love EA for making crappy games, but boatloads of money?
 
If EA is making such crappy games, then why are they selling so well? They must be doing something right with their games.
 
Well, yeah SEGA teases us with these so called "great" games, but they are so ignorant that we can never get enough of them. Or they make these "amazing" systems, but don't know jack about getting support and keeping them around.
So yeah I hate SEGA for being the hot girl that teases and gives you barely enough to keep you around and happy. EA well hey everyone likes the easy chick.
 
[quote name='greendj27']If EA is making such crappy games, then why are they selling so well? They must be doing something right with their games.[/quote]

Selling well != a good game.

Didn't Enter the Matrix sell a ton?
 
[quote name='evilmax17'][quote name='greendj27']If EA is making such crappy games, then why are they selling so well? They must be doing something right with their games.[/quote]

Selling well != a good game.

Didn't Enter the Matrix sell a ton?[/quote]

I rather enjoyed enter the matrix, and actaully completed it :), but yes that theory cant hold water
 
I have to admit I am at a loss here, with why everyone hates EA though. I mean does there making tons of money and making games that you don't like that important to you. Does if personally affect you in anyway? I am just curious, if you don't like there games, don't buy them. There are tons of other game making companies out there.
Yes they are big, yes they make tons of money, but that is why they are in business.
 
[quote name='greendj27']If EA is making such crappy games, then why are they selling so well? They must be doing something right with their games.[/quote]
I dunno, why do people buy the same game every year? Because people are stupid? They target their games for the masses. Its the same crap over and over again, and I don't mean Madden.

And vrs, please educate yourself before you talk about things you know nothing about. Sega had their act together until they got run over by the Sony hype machine. And whats this about shortages?
 
Back on topic, please discuss EA in another thread.

I applaud Dell for this. What Best Buy doesn't realize is while they may save a few dollars by actively trying to get rid of the "devil" customers, they will lose in the long run when people see them as customer unfriendly and anti-consumer. It's the same idea as loss leader, lose a few bucks on sale items, but make up for it in volume and customer satisfaction (ultimately causing customers to buy other things). Dell is capitalizing on a great opportunity and a terrible PR move by Best Buy.
 
[quote name='dafoomie'][quote name='greendj27']If EA is making such crappy games, then why are they selling so well? They must be doing something right with their games.[/quote]
I dunno, why do people buy the same game every year? Because people are stupid? They target their games for the masses. Its the same crap over and over again, and I don't mean Madden.

And vrs, please educate yourself before you talk about things you know nothing about. Sega had their act together until they got run over by the Sony hype machine. And whats this about shortages?[/quote]

So Nintendo doesn't try to appeal to the masses? Every company has to in one way or another. If you don't, your product won't sell and you will be out of business. Also, don't call people stupid because they like games you don't.
 
[quote name='vrs1650']I have to admit I am at a loss here, with why everyone hates EA though. I mean does there making tons of money and making games that you don't like that important to you. Does if personally affect you in anyway? I am just curious, if you don't like there games, don't buy them. There are tons of other game making companies out there.
Yes they are big, yes they make tons of money, but that is why they are in business.[/quote]
They buy good studios that make good games and they shut them down. Look at Origin, Westwood. They exploit their workers: http://www.livejournal.com/users/ea_spouse/ http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/11/11/news_6112998.html

I don't buy their produts. I don't own a current generation game developed or published by them. But they could buy a company that makes products I like, and kill it, which they have done.

[quote name='msdmoney']Back on topic, please discuss EA in another thread[/quote]
Talk to me again when you are the Offical CAG Topic Nazi.
 
That ad is pretty damn funny. I personally don't care about BB's tactics though. I may fall into the 20% group, but I go in, get what I want and get out. I could care less if their clerks/customer service people are told to treat me like garbage. I don't even give them the chance. I know what I am there for and I get it.
 
No I am not saying game shortages, but they make what "three" good games a year. I mean come on, other companies where smart enought to withstand the "sony" hype machine. Even when sega went third party, they still couldn't sell heat in the artic.
 
[quote name='Ikohn4ever']i think they were talkin about people like us. Bestbuy uses promotions to get people to buy other stuff. We just use premotions and leave. We arent there ideal customers.[/quote]

I used to be their ideal customer, back in the days when they opened their first stores in Southern California. They used to carry a boatload of imported CDs, and their selection rivaled Tower Records in terms of variety.

Now they are only carrying mainstream fare and are always poorly stocked. They have no one else to blame but themselves for people not buying anything other than what's on promotion... there's NOTHING else to buy! Whenever I'd ask about some unavailable title, I'd be fed the same BS line "you can get it from Bestbuy.com and get it shipped for free" even when it wasn't listed at their crappy online store.
 
I may have missed this, but can somebody succinctly say exactly HOW BB is going to screw us? They said that 20% of their customers are hurting them, but what are they going to do about it?
 
That is awesome. Someone needed to say it.... Maybe this will be the beginning of the end for the Assholes that run Best Buy. Those execs need a good kick in the ass.
 
[quote name='evilmax17'][quote name='greendj27']If EA is making such crappy games, then why are they selling so well? They must be doing something right with their games.[/quote]

Selling well != a good game.

Didn't Enter the Matrix sell a ton?[/quote]

There are quite a few movie licensed games that sell well and totally suck
 
BB used to be the rock-bottom prices store. When they first opened up in the Midwest (outside of Minnesota), I bought my first stereo system and speakers cause their prices could not be beat. Now, they are expensive, most of their employees uneducated about their products, and really do not have good customer service.
I have not bought anything at BB for at least the past 3 years. And I have not missed them, one bit.
 
[quote name='chickenhawk']That ad is pretty damn funny. I personally don't care about BB's tactics though. I may fall into the 20% group, but I go in, get what I want and get out. I could care less if their clerks/customer service people are told to treat me like garbage. I don't even give them the chance. I know what I am there for and I get it.[/quote]

I totally agree with you on this. If the deal is worth it for me, I'm there.
 
I personaly like best buy. I like them better then most other store. I think that was a REAL stupid move to say that sells hurt you. If you don't want people to come to your store and buy your sells item don't have sells! A whole point of a slae is to get people to come into the store buy that item and possible buy more! Not gauranted to buy more. Its the whole point to get them to come in. And now they are saying that it hurst them? That kinda makes me want to do it more to em just to piss em off! I normally buy more then one thing. I figure If i saved this money and I was going to spend it anyway that I might just buy something to go with it! NOw I won't . I think a big deal of it came form the 4.99 sells though. where people would go in buy buggies full of games and nothing ele! Yes that did hurt them.
 
Purely from a business standpoint, the wsj article was a means to a practical end. they have a number of customers who abuse their policies, specials, etc. Those folks who buy up lots of ggc for example or only loss leaders on sales/resell on ebay. And you can see where they are coming from, but they need to find a better means to achieving this end. The trouble is, it is very difficult to separate people, because loyalty needs to be earned, and it is much easier to destroy.

They need to find better ways to stop people from abusing their policies rather than finding better ways to abuse people.
 
Earlier in this thread there was all this EA hatred. I for one will never understand where this came from or how it emerged. Sadly to say dafoomie, most of your points were not valid points as to why someone should dislike EA or of some wrong doing they have done. Any way back the topic at hand.

Good for Dell to capatalize on BB idiocy of saying such a thing in the WSJ. Dell obviously understands that a customer is a customer and that if they buy something from you cheap, you probably have some loyalty fromt hem and they will come back to buy again at a regular cost.
 
[quote name='msdmoney']Back on topic, please discuss EA in another thread.

I applaud Dell for this. What Best Buy doesn't realize is while they may save a few dollars by actively trying to get rid of the "devil" customers, they will lose in the long run when people see them as customer unfriendly and anti-consumer. It's the same idea as loss leader, lose a few bucks on sale items, but make up for it in volume and customer satisfaction (ultimately causing customers to buy other things). Dell is capitalizing on a great opportunity and a terrible PR move by Best Buy.[/quote]

Excellent points.
 
[quote name='S_G']What exactly does BestBuy plan on doing to thwart 'unwelcome' customers?[/quote]

More like what they don't plan to do with unwelcome customers. Basically BB is classifying customers into 3 tiers: angels, regular joes, and devils. Us CAGs are the devils, and they are giving better deals to the angels and regular joes. Both my sister and me are BB's Reward Zone members, but we never get the same preferred customer weekend coupons and deals in the mail - she's not a CAG. For example, there's another preferred customer weekend deal of coupons they sent out for this weekend, but I never got any in the mail while my sister did. That's how BB is discriminating against the "devils" - no deals whatsoever.
 
[quote name='dafoomie'][quote name='jmcc'][quote name='greendj27'][quote name='ChrisXE'][quote name='int80h']
EA and Best buy, the asshats of our economy
Click to expand...

don't forget walmart[/quote]
no no no

Walmart and Nike, Do you know where your kids are at?[/quote]

I will never understand the EA hate. They usually put out quality games. Is it because of Madden?[/quote]

Well, they have bought up studios in the past just for the licenses and fired the entire staff, but yeah, they can't really be faulted for game quality. They put out some good stuff.[/quote]
Theres no originality at EA. Its all pasteurized homogenized calculated for the masses crap. They've made some good games, some, but most of what they do is more of the same.

And the buying up studios just to kill them sucks a lot. Origin used to be *Origin*. Westwood was good. They don't care.

Abandoning Sega (who helped put them on the map with the Genesis) and not making XBL games until recently really soured me on them too.[/quote]

I couldn't agree with you more Dafoomie. I mean every game EA has just feels generic and uninspired. I just don't understand what the big deal is with them. They have this cocky attitude too (similar to Best Buy) where they feel that they are the top dogs and they can do what the please. A good example is how cocky they were about the ESPN $20 price point, they kinda had to eat their words on that one though. As far as the problem with XBox live it was because EA likes to have a certain amount of control over their online gaming servers. The problem is that XBox live wasn't set up this way so EA said well we just won't make online games for Xbox.

And then you have a cocky Best Buy executive coming out adn saying that they don't like a certain customer base. Sure you can understand what they are saying and their reasoning for it, but it just sounds pompous when they make a speech about it. I guarantee you that companies like Target adn Walmart don't really appreciate customers who just get the good deals and nothing else, but they don't advertise this fact.
 
This shows that BB doesn't really know jack about retail. Those 20% is going to tell 20 of their friends causing a customer service nightmare. I wouldn't be surprised to see a retraction from a CEO or a firing.

I'm definitely in that 20%! I own a video store and often buy titles there under my cost. I return items weekly although I don't exploit rebates like others do.

marc
 
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