“Apple Computer and Best Buy this week began final preparations to extend a pilot program, aimed at promoting Mac sales, to 47 Best Buy locations nationwide,” Katie Marsal reports for AppleInsider.
Marsal reports, “The expansion, which builds upon an initial test pilot of approximately six stores, is due to roll out the week of Nov. 26 and include 17 stores in California, 7 in New Jersey, 5 in Virginia, 4 in New York, 3 in Illinois and another 3 in Massachusetts.”
“Each of the stores is due to receive a full array of Apple hardware, including desktop systems, notebooks and displays. Stores will also stock a select array of Apple software, as well as Apple accessories like notebook bags, power adaptors and connectivity cables,” Marsal reports.
Full article here.
Related MacDailyNews articles:
Best Buy test-selling Macs using Apple-trained Best Buy employees – June 21, 2006
Analyst: Best Buy may ‘rapidly’ expand Mac pilot program – June 05, 2006
Best Buy mucks up MacBook photo on website; shows MacBook Pro instead – June 01, 2006
Best Buy now selling Apple MacBook Pro, MacBook, and iMac models – May 31, 2006
Apple Mac mini now available at 671 Best Buy retail stores – April 06, 2005
It’s official: Apple acknowledges Best Buy to carry Mac mini models – April 05, 2005
MW: making
as in
Apple is making a huge mistake doing this.
apple has been selling iPods and computers in my Canadian best buy location since it opened and i don’t see any problems with it.
I have noticed, that as of late, APPLE has made a point of seeing to it that the big-box store’s (that carry) Mac employees are very well-trained.
My local BB seem to have an inordinate number of “Out of Stock” at the iPod section of the MP3 island. Makes me think that they’re pushing other brands which may have better margins for them.
So long as they go for a store-within-a-store super-stylish solution, could ne nice.
Unlike PCWorld here in the UK, which does Apple zero good.
Joey, I would think that if they are out of stock that their iPods are selling, regardless of what they want to push. No retailer will leave shelf space empty if they can help it (empty space generates no money), so you can forget your conspiracy theory.
I don’t think Zunes will be in short supply at retailers this holliday season.
I bought my 12″ Powerbook about 3 years ago at a best buy. They even had an Apple rep on site. He is now a manager over in an Apple store in palo alto I beleive. It would be great to see Apple products on their shelves again, instead of all that crap.
Horrible decision by Apple.
This effort will fail.
Best Buy is the worst.
And Best Buy employees won’t sell anything they don’t get commissions on. Best Buy employees get NO commissions on selling ANY Apple products (and good for Apple for doing it this way). However, sleazy Best Buy won’t push anything unless their pockets are lined. It’s true — just spend 20 minutes at your local Best Buy and you’ll see this in action.
Absolutely ridiculous decision by Apple.
MacBill:
Best Buy employees don’t make commission off of anything in the store. Don’t talk about things you don’t know about.
That being said, Best Buy employees are notorious for being rushed out onto the sales floor before being properly trained. However, if they train their Apple employees like they train their Magnolia Home Theater teams, this could really work in Apple’s favor.
Bob sez:
“apple has been selling iPods and computers in my Canadian best buy location since it opened and i don’t see any problems with it.”
I went into a Best Buy (also in Canada) and they had parked a giant scaffold right in front of the Apple section, you could see the equipment you just couldn’t get near it! Unless the Best Buy management informs their staff otherwise they will continue to subtly (or not so subtly!) sabotage the initiative.
Speaking of Magnolia Home Theater, it will be interesting if Apple attempts to leverage the Mac mini as a Home Theater component in these stores.
No retailer will leave shelf space empty if they can help it (empty space generates no money), so you can forget your conspiracy theory.
don’t be so sure about that. Best Buy sold me a replaytv (on backorder) that I found out a couple weeks later that they had no intention of stocking. Which is why when I went to buy it they kept pushing Tivo on me instead of the replayTV.
In fact, when I came back to complain (and get my money back) they tried to push a smaller Tivo on me. I didn’t want a Tivo, but I had to fight to get my money back. Turns out they were in a promotion deal with Tivo, which is why they weren’t going to restock any ReplayTVs. I actually did end up buying a smaller ReplayTV from them (got gift cards for christmas that year), but it was only the 1st in a long line of best buy horror stories of mine, I frankly have just started calling BB evil, if the subject ever comes up in my daily conversations.
My parents live near one the Best Buys on the list, but I will stick to buying my stuff online at the Apple store, until I get an apple store in my area. I refuse to shop at Best Buy.
“Give me one of them iPods or zune thingies and a package of vacuum cleaner bags. Do you guys give points?”
You people don’t know what you’re talking about. This is a VERY positive thing for Apple. The masses need to see Apple products, not just us Mac nerds that go to the Apple store for the hell of it.
One of the reasons the iPod is such a huge success is that so many retailers sell them.
By Apple getting Macs in more shops increases the opportunity for people to buy Macs instead of Pieces of Craps. I would prefer Macs to stand side by side with a average looking PC because it will attract way more attention. Even if Apple sell 5 % more Macs through those channels it will be worth it. Plus they will be training Mac specialists at those stores to help smooth the transition.
All that needs to be achieved is that the sales force jump on the Mac bandwagon just like they did with the iPod one.
On of the Best Buy’s listed to sell Apple, in Emeryville, CA is about a 2 minute drive from the Emeryville Apple store. Interesting….
If Apple wants to reach a double digit market share in the US it is going to have to do it through…. yes Windows and the big retailers. Apple stores can’t do it alone.
“On of the Best Buy’s listed to sell Apple, in Emeryville, CA is about a 2 minute drive from the Emeryville Apple store.”
I gotta admit, that struck me, too.
At the moment, I have a Best Buy about 4 miles away, I have a CompUSA about 2 miles away, I have a Fry’s about 3 miles away, and I have two Apple Stores about 10 and 15 miles away.
It might be better to stick some of those Best Buy locations in the midwest or some other horrible place like that where the closest Apple Store is hundreds of miles away, rather than packing them in next to the Apple Stores.
But, hey, I’m not a sales and marketing wizard…
I surely hope that this plan proves profitable, but personally I’d rather see macs sold at Big Lots than Best Buy.
BB is awful in Canada with Apple products . All the staff do is misinform customers – “expensive, no software,yada yada yada – now over here is a nice toshiba”. I hope Apple audits the US stores and imposes some quality checks in Canada.
I took my wife to the Best Buy here in Green Bay last week to buy her a 30g 5thGen iPod Video of her very own (She has coveted my 60g ipod for quite a while so we finally got her one for herself). However, when we first asked for the item the Best Buy salesperson’s response was “An iPod? Really?” and then tried to actually talk us out of buying an ipod. He tried telling us that many, if not most of the other MP3 players were ‘far better’ and that iPods only worked with Macs and songs bought from the ITS!! I couldn’t believe it. I asked him where he got his information and he looked at me as though I had insultingly dared to question his integrity. Before I could say more my wife says to him “that’s all crap and you should know better. Get me the ipod or we’re going elswhere…”
I can only hope this cult of denial gets better!!
Hopa
Hopa-
you should have reported him to his manager. As a non-commissioned sales person, he really wouldn’t care if you went elsewhere. But he would care if the manager knew he was spewing crap.
TISZ
http://thereisnozune.com
Selling Macs in a BestBuy? Ok, i guess. Now how about some f’ing software!!
TISZ-
You are right of course, only my wife and I were laughing too hard… according to her I made a face at this guy that looked like a mixture of pity and dismissal with a hint of bad clam. She thought it was funny… coupled with her having a new iPod, we kinda lost track of time before we were gone…
Best buy sucks camel feces. They had the mini for a SHORT time. Gave it VERY LITTLE room and fanfare. Best+APPLE = failure.
Put an imac in Dunkin Doughnuts and/or Mikey D’s for customers to use and watch the sales climb!
Remember, I thought of it first! Make me rich Steve!