Ethnography Essay

Best Buy, we make technology easier for you!

Back in the day when I was a young lad ( 2003 ) I worked at a place called Best Buy. The undisputed heavy-weight electronic’s retailer champion of the world. I worked there for over two years and got to see what Best Buy was really all about.

If you don’t know what Best Buy is you probably don’t live on the planet which we call Earth, especially if you live in the United States. Everybody whether they want to admit it or not has shopped or purchased something from a Best Buy at some point in their life. Best Buy is North America’s leading retailer of consumer electronics, personal computers and entertainment software and appliances. They own and operate more than 750 stores in the U.S. and Canada under the Best Buy, Future Shop, Geek Squad and Magnolia Audio Video names. Basically Best Buy is “The Man” and they chew up and spit out all the little mom and pop electric shops that try to slip underneath the mans dress. But the man doesn’t give out a free peep show so he crushes mom and pop electric shop into the asphalt with its stiletto heel. So what I’m trying to say is that Best Buy is a cross dressing corporate monster.

It all began back in 1966 in St. Paul, Minnesota by Richard Schulze under the name Sound of Music. Between 1979 and 1981 Sound of Music began expanding their products to video, photography and home office products. Which doesn’t really make much sense considering that your going to sound of music to pick up a new red stapler. Hence, Sound of Music’s board of directors approves a new corporate name: Best Buy. Best Buy opens its first superstore in Burnsville, Minnesota. In 1988 Best Buy stores begin selling PC’s. 1989 Best Buy revolutionizes the “grab-and-go” store format that offers customers pressure-free, non-commissioned shopping in a warehouse-style environment. Best Buy’s brand logo changes to the familiar yellow tag that we all know and love. And then some more stuff happened yada, yada, yada... which brings us to today = D!

The founder Richard Schulze has dedicated more than half of his life to this company. Schulze was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, just like his billion dollar company. He gained practical, secondary and technical electronics training in the U.S. Air Force with the Minnesota Air National Guard. After his discharge he spent the next six years as an independent manufacturer's representative, selling national name brand consumer electronics components throughout a four-state area. He has an aggressive and enthusiastic management style which helped him found Sound of Music in 1966.

The artifacts that I bring forth to you today are artifacts that every Best Buy employee has. The standard issue Best Buy blue polo and name tag! Some can only dream of obtaining one of these timeless treasures of life, because once you have one of these bad boys you are like a thread in the man’s pretty pink dress. You know all that there is to ever know about electronics... Ever! They are the symbols of completion of your training at the Best of Buys. Before you receive these you are not legit, you are still a noob to the company and everyone knows it. They are like your badges of honor or your purple heart medal. At least this is the image that Best Buy wants their uniforms to project upon their employees and more importantly, their customers. But If you have ever gone to a Best Buy and asked one of their employees about a product in there section chances are they’ll give you the squinty eyed “oooooh...” that makes you wonder what just happened in their khakis, and they wont have any clue as to what your talking about. Best Buy employees are well renowned for being some of the most unhelpful customer service associates around. I’m not trying to say that every person who works at Best Buy doesn’t know anything about what they are selling, I’m just saying that even if they do know what they’re talking about, they sure as hell don’t want to tell you. Where I worked there were many employees who were very helpful and knew their stuff its just that in reality most people are not placed into the areas of expertise for which they applied for. Generally they are just hired and tossed out into the wild like the lonely gazelle waiting to be pounced on by the vicious lions that are the general consumers. Upon recognition of these vicious predators the gazelles scamper into the brush, in this case the adjacent isles, in hopes of shaking the dark republic of angry voodoo lions. Some fall prey, some make it out alive but whatever happens you’ve got your manager buddies to harass and threaten customers in ways you couldn’t imagine and bail you out of a sticky situation or two. Most of the time new employees get jettisoned into whatever department that needs more helping hands with the promise that one day they will be able to transfer to the department that they wanted in the first place. The way I survived this was by a) just asking for my other employees help every time I wasn’t able to make up some sort of reasonable response to a customers question. Or b) scampering like the lonely gazelle that I am.

For my second artifact I have a Product Service Plan form (PSP). These are super ultra special insurance plans that you can purchase for many of your electronic appliances that go miles beyond what the manufacturers warranty covers... honestly. Best Buy trains you to offer these to the customers without regard to whether the customer wants them or not and to completely ignore their first answer and to ask them the same question again directly after they say no. As well as how to overcome objections that a customer may bring up about the plan. Best Buy pushes these plans hard, like real hard, like harder than my grandmother pushes her walker hard.