“With all the news going around the web on other Mac-centric websites about forthcoming retail Apple Stores debuting across the nation–whether they’re opening soon or currently being constructed–there’s one place where Apple’s been beefing up their presence in a significant way,” Joe Leo reports for PBCentral.
Leo reports, “Best Buy is selling Macs once again. In recent weeks (to this columnist’s observations, who is a weekly visitor to said store, so consider it “fact”), the spaces/sections reserved exclusively for Apple products in-store have received a major makeover.”
“The makeover is so major that when you first come across it, you might think you took a wrong turn somewhere. Once you step foot into the new Apple section, you might think you were magically transported to a regular Apple Store, except this one’s a mini version,” Leo reports.
Full article, with photo of a Best Buy’s Apple section, here.
MacDailyNews Note: This rollout is in progress. From what we currently understand, not all Best Buy stores will have such Apple sections. Call ahead to your local Best Buy to see if their new Apple section is up and running.
What’s that burning smell?
Ahh yes, it’s my Best Buy card burning a hole in my wallet.
I don’t know… We’ve been around this Apple at Best Buy thing so many times its become ad-naseum with follow-up puking.
I love the “store inside a store” concept. The idea is to differentiate the Apple product from the lower tier commodity products.
You know how people complain that Apple isn’t at the Las Vegas CES shows. It works like this: There’s Apple, then there’s everybody else.
I certainly hope there’s diffentiation in the Best Buy staff. Knowledgeable staff vs. the other kind.
Not at the Best Buy in Daytona Beach.
Just checked with someone in the store’s management and he said he hasn’t heard anything about that store getting an in-store Apple kiosk. Boo.
Wonder if they’re going to be placed in any Florida Best Buys?
I really hate to see a non Apple store in charge of Apple products. Never works out. Imacs are frozen and iPOds don’t have anything on them so you can’t play and scroll. Apple products didn’t impress in CompUSA and I hate to see them look like crap in Best Buy. They really need to have someone in charge and responsible for Apple products.
I know it’s important to “reach” consumers where there are no Apple stores but….
Nothing in the entire state of Florida according to Thorin’s page.
@MacBill
When I was in retail we got Spiffs and PM’s from Apple. Some of the spiffs (free stuff) were things like t-shirts, pens and caps. We also got PM’s (Profit Motivation) not much for hardware $2.00 on a MacBook for instance, but the PM on AppleCare was about $40. WooHoo!
I don’t know if the terminology is used differently where you are, and also I didn’t work for BB but Apple was quite generous.
Isn’t Apple supposed to staff their own people for this section? If so this may be different than before and may succeed. Besides more people understand who and what Apple is as opposed to before.
“How many times have we seen this before? How long before this idea bombs again because the Best Buy salespeople don’t get SPIFFS (financial incentives) for selling Apple products?”
It doesn’t matter if Best Buy’s salespeople are lame, which they are. It doesn’t matter whether Apple sells a single item in Best Buy stores.
What does matter is that large numbers of people who otherwise would never have set foot in an Apple Store will accidentally bump into the Apple displays while shopping for the crap they usually buy at Best Buy and will be motivated by simple curiosity to take a closer look. Just a look. For many, the seed will have been planted—like seeing a shiny new sports car on the street and suddenly realizing that your old sedan looks a little shabby by comparison.
“Nothing in the entire state of Florida according to Thorin’s page.”
The page doesn’t work, I’ve found. I tried California for the whole product line and got nothing. We all know that’s where most of them are. Oh well.
@Mark
YES! At the BB here they also park the stupid rolling stairway right in front of the Apple display, and lock it in so you can’t move it! Damn frustrating.
London Drugs is WAY better.
Anyone who says that BBY employees get “kickbacks” from selling certain products has no CLUE what they are talking about. BBY is a non-commission sales role! Has been for 10 years. The margin on Apple products is much higher than the margin on the garbage Windows PC’s. Therefore it is better business sense for the BBY employess to sell the Macs. Don’t speak out unless you really know what your talking about.
These mini-stores are almost a year old.
What kinda news is this?
@Old News,
Those were pilot stores, now they are expanding it big time. It’s big news, for good or for bad. You decide.
Thorin:
Do you mean nothing came up, or the page was not responsive? I specifically asked for store locations in Pensacola and Jacksonville, (North Florida); Tampa and Orlando (Central Florida); and Miami (South Florida). All showed the exact store addresses in all the listed cities. Some of the South Florida addresses I recognized. All said nothing was available.
Are you saying that information about those stores are not necessarily being displayed correctly?
Reading the article, the author believes this display is a new Apple/Best Buy marketing concept. While, this is actually the ORIGINAL year old 7-store pilot concept.
Yes it’s good that they’re expanding the program, more points of sale. But that’s not what the article is about. The author didn’t know that this has been the Mini Store concept since the beginning. The author’s story is Old News.
I believe the author is mistaking this new (old) layout for the rumored store-within-a-store layout rumors from Piper Jaffray.
“[Piper Jaffray] believes Apple’s store within a store at Best Buy will be much different compared to the current pilot store rollout, which was a table with Apple products on it.” – The “table with Apple products on it” is the layout the author is praising as “new.”
“The difference is they expect some (smaller number) of these 200 stores will have walled-off Apple stores, while others will have improved layouts. What is clear, you won’t wander around Best Buy to shop for Apple. A good way to think about Apple & Best Buy is the Coach or Chanel store-within-a-store concept at Nordstrom.”
Again, this is Old News.
apple needs to give a $50 spif to the saleman who seels a system with apple care
and all of a sudden every best buy person will be a expert on macs
and apple will sell a ton thru this channel
From reading this thread I get the impression ALL BB stores except the one here in Montreal are awful and staffed with losers.
There are NO rolling stairs in front of the displayed macs. The people are relatively knowledgable. And some of the sales staff at that store were incredibly helpful and in two separate cases, saved me money by giving me helpful information.
Too bad everyone elses store sucks…mine doesn’t.
Let’s all move in with Buster! I’ll pitch in for gas.
Cool….I’ll treat y’all to some real Canadian brews….
Jay,
I couldn’t find a single location that was reported to have stock on the numerous Mac models that I tried. Knowing that at least some of them have stock in their “mini stores”, I came to the conclusion that the page was a waste of time. There are a lot of mini stores in Cali, but none of them came up with stock.
@Old News,
After taking a good look, I agree with you. I kind of skimmed it before, sorry.
Thorin: Thanks! So for now, the page is worthless.
Here in Canada we have Sony stores. BB sells Sony products without an issue. Do you think the BB staff not being a Sony specialists tarnishes Sony’s image? I think some people are more afraid of their own personal images as “Mac users” being tarnished by Best Buy. Get off your high horse.
About 2 weeks ago, I was in a Best Buy and the computer rep was trying to sell a family a iMac. He said he was selling about 20 per week. Not too bad.
I agree that the Apple section has been pushed into the corner of most Best Buys. I’m glad that there will be a mini store within BB. This will force the product out into the open.
It’s very apparent that BB makes it’s profit on their service plan. They probably won’t even be pushing Applecare. Macs are easy to sell extended warranty’s on so this should be a win/win. Lots of hardware sales for Apple, lots of service plans for Best Buy.
Best Buy sucks camel ass. This won’t last long. It’ll die on the vine like all their other past Mac attempts. They don’t really give a crap about Apple products. Their loss…