Best Buy Reviews in Portland, OR Area

Pros

Employees get a stellar discount. Whatever Best Buy buys a product for, you only pay 5% above that. So some things are DEEPLY discounted, it's ridiculous how high mark up can be. They are also now offered a discount on Best Buy services as well. Certain things are ineligible, though.

Employees at Best Buy also always get the opportunity to learn more about electronics. They have very good training programs available online. There is a large community of employees and a lot of ways to interact with them. The system Best Buy has set up for communication of information is impressive.

Cons

Think being a cashier here will be different? Wrong. It is very boring. You are on "commision" to sell protection plans, where the bonus is your *hours and job*. Which means, if you're unlucky or just not a hard seller, you will not get jack for hours. You can punch a customer and as long as you sell enough protection, you will still have a job. It's not a great position. You will barely get 20hrs/wk. If possible, move to another dept. asap. More hours.

Pros

I chose to work at Best Buy because I felt that the benefits, management, and other employees was what I was looking for in an employer.

Cons

What wasn't a downside? If it wasn't management leaving or being fired, it was high school antics amongst the other staff members. Even the management worked like high school students. They always say that Best Buy is better because it's Non-Commission but what does that really mean to their staff? Less pay, poor treatment, and this facade that what your doing is better for the customers, but really it's all about making money for the VP's and shareholder. If they invested a little more into the employees then the moral that they are trying to seek would probably be there amongst the stores employees.

Advice to Senior Management

My biggest advice for management is to get a voice and stop acting like high school children. A business is not a place to form clicks and gossip groups. It's a place to guide its employees in the right direction and educate them in the art of the sale. And the biggest thing I have to say is to congratulate the right people and to stop acknowledging the people in your clicks. Brown nosing doesn't count for anything in the end, and most certainly helps a business go down in failure in the end.

Pros

Flexible Schedules. Great employees to work with

Cons

They don't give you the tools necessary to show customers how to use products. Some managers micro-manage and treat you like a child

Pros

Easy hiring process, decent entry-level salary within the retail sector (excluding benefits), and a great place to learn and experience technology.

Cons

Full time hours (more then 32/ week) considered a promotion and must be applied/interviewed for other then during the holiday season. Store and all departments are solely numbers driven (may not be "Con" to some folks). BBY's business model is based on selling major products at or below cost and making up the difference by attaching high-profit service plans and/or high-margin accessories. Often touted as a "non-commision" store to customers as a selling point, but employees have the same sales expectations (both revenue and margin) as a typical commissioned salesperson with no incentive other then being able to keep their job.

Advice to Senior Management

none

Pros

1. Management salary is highly competitive
2. Great employee discount, benefits, stock options

Cons

1. General Managers often recruited from outside of company and don't possess right values.
2. You are only as good as this month's metrics
3. Many younger employees feel "entitled" and are quick to call HR if performance managed.
4. GM and AM's in self-preservation mode are quick to throw you under the bus

Advice to Senior Management

Once you work long and hard to earn a promotion to management you stop receiving regular recognition for your achievements, leading to issues of low morale.

Pros

discount, co workers friendly. not a bad place to be

Cons

hours, closing up the store.

Advice to Senior Management

keep the work envirnment friendly.

Pros

discount, stock options, stock discount. Wages were raised to match Best Buy's guide lines. Benefits were also improved after purchase

Cons

Too big. it was painful to watch Best Buy slowly kill Magnolia Hi Fi. The only winners of the purchase of Magnolia were the Tweeten's.

Advice to Senior Management

Think of what your actions can do to a successful company when you start tinkering with it. I know Magnolia was not perfect, but the culture is gone.

Pros

Flexible hours
wide selection of products
decent POS system
executive managers were knowledgeable

Cons

Poorly trained employees
Managers didnt sell, they just complained
Geek Squad services are ridiculous

Advice to Senior Management

Stop trying to push a $400 service package on a $300 computer system. It stresses out the employees and makes customers hate your employees.

Pros

Employee Discount, Long Term Incentive, Short Term Incentive, Overal Pay,

Cons

Unrealistic expectations, Beetings Continue until Moral Improves, Beets, Lack of work life balance, managers are not developed into future leaders, managers are rewarded off of luck, budgets, or severe favoratism from District HR and the District Staff, Kids managing kids.

Advice to Senior Management

Think long term in development, one month does not a bad manager make, there is something called a retail cycle, bad years often follow good years, compound growth was because of the housing growth and economy, lack of growth is from the economy, flat panels sales have flattened, what do you think will happen to sales? Wake up and stop firing people because that is all you know how to do.

Pros

Customer friendly sales techniques
Respectful work environment
fair oppurtunity for growth and learning

Cons

Always changing focus
Although non commission results are still driven by sales quotas
Seems preoccupied with WalMart

Advice to Senior Management

Decide if you truly want a non commission company