I remember walking around in your store and listening to all sorts of new bands, and buying music for cheaper than Target or Sam Goody (I’m old) sold them for.  I remember walking through your computer section and seeing a wall of computer cases, and monitors, and even tiny little screws or connectors.  I remember seeing your car stereo section, or TV section and knowing it wa scheaper than lots of other big box stores.  You can still be that way.

Ride the wave of (re)growing PC enthusiasm, and sell parts and connectors of every kind.  Microcenter does it, and generally for much cheaper than you do.  Close a few stores and consolidate into a few BIG stores.  Reorganize the TV section and for GOD’S SAKES GET RID of crappy know-nothing sales people.  No, i don’t need a $150 HDMI cable.  I need an HDMI cable that can be found for $8 online…but I’d pay $10 for one I could buy NOW, in a pinch.  Stop pushing Monster products on everyone.  Don’t lie about quality vs commission.  Ditch the “marketplace” offerings online, or offer the ability to buy them with gift cards IN STORE too, in case people dont have their own credit card to buy online.  Sell MP3′s or burn them DRM free to a disc. Makes Games/Music/Affordable Home Theater the focus again. Make the deals that need to be made, and maybe don’t aim to beat Amazon, but aim to beat Sears/Wal-Mart/Costco/Fry’s in pricing, and become the best big box store you can be

Monday afternoon I bought two packages of compression-fit RCA connectors for RG-6 cable and the compression tool to make my own 75Ω cables for composite and component video signals.  They had trays and trays of connectors and the tools to use them.

I was amazed.  I had planned to go into the Ace Hardware next door, but went into Radio Shack as a hail-mary and was surprised.  They also had LR44 batteries for my calipers (which they now sell) and a bunch of other interesting tools and parts.

Maybe I won’t have to go to Fry’s for some of the things I need now.

All three purchases were made because they were on sale.  In the case of the projector, it was $100 cheaper than anywhere else that I could find it, and even though sales tax meant it cost the same as mailorder, I wanted the option of returning it conveniently if there was a problem (there wasn’t).  For the DVDs, I had their points from their points program from buying the projector, and the movie bundle was half-price and cheaper than anywhere else, and essentially free with the points, and I wasn’t going to pay perfectly good money for those abortions compared to the original movies.  As for the player, we needed a present, it was quick and cheap.

I have also been one of those, “play with it before ordering it online” people, but I spread the joy around.  Fry’s Electronics, Costco (though they do end up with the business), Target, Walmart (and I almost ever give them my money, I want to see what the worst possible treatment does to things) and other chain stores are all used this way.

If their prices were closer to mail-order catalog prices (which is all that the Internet really is) then I’d probably buy locally.  Prices don’t need to be the same, but if they’re within a couple dollars for a cheaper item, or within fifty or so for an expensive item, I’ll probably go local so I can return easily and so I can have it right now.  Otherwise it’s worth the wait.

Around here, the credit union that I used to use had only one branch on my side of town, and by side of town, I mean at all east of the center of a city that’s 40+ miles wide.  They decided to close that branch, so I was essentially forced to take my accounts elsewhere.  Oh, they got rid of shared branching at the same time, which was the nail in the coffin.

I think BB might be similar in that no worker is *really* tied to the section they’re in, so you can walk up to someone in the Skullcandy Department and have them sell you a laptop or whatever.

http://www.xythian.com/photos/2000/06/quement-electronics

As for the “showroom problem”, they have created so much ill will that I think people relish screwing them over. I’d feel guilty about doing that to a place like Barnes & Noble, so I don’t. Although a shadow of the former Borders, B&N generally has friendly people who try to help, so I buy in-store. 

Shout-out to pre-KMart Borderians!

I would think the solution would be, you charge the manufacturers for displaying and showing off their products. Duh.