My interest with Best Buy began in the mid 1990s. At that time, I lived in Upstate NY and Best Buy was GROWING, but not yet in the Northeast. I knew Best Buy had great prices and an awesome selection of electronics, music, and movies. In the mid 1990s, I traveled to the closest Best Buy located in Wilmington, DE (another tax free state) to do some shopping. I was very impressed! There were other electronics chains such as Circuit City, The Wiz, PC Richard & Son, Lechmere, Service Merchandise, and Silo already in the northeast, where I bought most of my electronics, video games, movies, and music. Since 1993, I used to take several day long shopping trips from NY to NH to beat the 8% NY sales tax. I stocked up on lots of electronics from Circuit City (still here today), Lechmere, Caldor (in Bedford), and other stores. GAS WAS CHEAP back then, which made the long shopping trips so worth it.
In 1998, Best Buy announced the opening of several new stores in the Boston area including a new Best Buy at the Mall of NH. I stayed informed buying a copy of the Boston Globe, so I could see the Grand Opening flyer. James Taylor had a concert in Boston to kick off the grand openings. I made the 145 mile trek from NY via mountainous backroads to this Best Buy at the Mall of NH. I spent a lot of moola buying lots of music, movies, software, and other cool electronic toys, all tax free!
PRESENT: Today, I shop here only if I can get the best deal in the area. I always price compare. I've bought most of my digital cameras from this Best Buy store (536) and lots of CDs and DVDs. My buddy just bought his 52" plasma 1080p HDTV from Best Buy, and now he's the man!
I use my Best Buy Reward Zone Card (free to join!) every time. For every 250 points (or $1/pt), you get a $5 certificate! I get coupons in the mail all the time, which has saved me lots of moola, especially on the digital cameras, a 12% discount. The price match policy is also honored when I bring in a competitor ad (Circuit City) with a lower price. The Black Friday sales are insane and I've gotten many unbelievable deals over the years.
My only quirk is that the cashiers will try to enroll you in a magazine subscription. No thanks!! Two years ago, I began receiving Sports Illustrated and when I was cancelling the subscription, I found out a different Best Buy (in Little Rock, AR-BOOO!!!) signed me up against my wishes. But with the prices and great selections at Best Buy, I'm steering myself towards saying that: "I'm a Best Buy kind of guy." One of my Yelp buddies says that all the time. read more