Future Shop closing

[kimmy]

U.S.-based electronics retail giant Best Buy Co. is closing its 131 Future Shop stores Saturday and will re-open 65 of them in a week under the Best Buy banner in a bid to improve business.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/future-shop-closes-canadian-stores/article23677084/

While I'm not surprised that the two brands are being merged, I am a little surprised that they are merging under the Best Buy banner. Here in Kim City, at least, the Future Shop store is a busy place while the Best Buy has struggled to catch on. Future Shop is a long-established brand in Canada, while Best Buy is a tacky newcomer.

I suspect my local Future Shop will be among the casualties. Kim City isn't that big, and the Best Buy and Future Shop are just a couple of blocks apart.

-k

[GostHacked]

Both are exactly the same in product and service. Aside from FS had commission incentives, and BB did not. Both are quite overpriced in my view considering the slave labour overseas that makes these products for cheap.

[overthere]

I don't shop at either.

They lost my business with overly aggressive hard selling of extended warranties.

Worse, their prices are not competitive on apliances and TVs with Costco, Sears and other stores.

The sales they offer on computer stuff is only for outdated clearance equipment.

I won't miss them or Best Buy.

[kimmy]

I never had trouble with hard selling extended warranties.

"Would you like to buy the Product Prot--"

"No."

"Alright then."

Maybe my Resting Bitch Face condition is a deterrent to that sort of thing, I don't know.

Buy TVs at Sears? Seriously? Every time I look at what they're selling, it always seems like this year's prices for last year's products. I usually avoid going through Sears anyway; I'm usually worried that the water-damaged ceiling tiles will collapse and fall on me and shower me with mold and asbestos, or trip on the vines growing up through the rotting carpet. Sears is such a joke now. They won't have to close it, the store will just physically decompose on its own.

-k

Edited March 28, 2015 by kimmy

[overthere]

TVs at Costco.

Appliances at Sears.

Very seriously. At their Home Centres. No falling tiles in the three near here, they are modern stores with white goods and furniture.

I've bought roughly $100k in appliances the last decade and perhaps 70% of them were at Sears.

They sell all brands, there is always something on sale, they negotiate and if you buy often they will sweeten deals.

So yeah, Sears.

I left a Future Shop once without my proposed purchase because the salesman would not shut up about the warranty. I later learned that the sales staff earn commissions on everything, but their cut of an extended warranty can be as much as 50%. It explains why they pitch them hard, it did not explain why they don't take a strong hint or a blunt refusal.

Good bye and good riddance, their business model just doesn't work.

[Wilber]

London Drugs for my computer stuff and cameras.

[bush_cheney2004]

Meh....Future Shop did the same thing to Computer City Canada retail stores that it purchased from CompUSA back in the late 1990's. These kind of stores thrived when consumers were racking up huge sales of home computers, monitors, printers, and other peripherals before internet sales severely dented market share and margins.

I seem to remember some Future Shop retail outlets in the U.S., mostly because they were awful and soon failed. The U.S. had many more retail choices in Tandy's (then CompUSA's) Computer City, CompUSA, Circuit City, Best Buy, Micron Computers, etc.

[kimmy]

Good bye and good riddance, their business model just doesn't work.

Best Buy's is no better. They're becoming the brick-and-mortar show-room for shoppers to look at stuff they're just going to buy on the internet later on.

-k

[Bryan]

The stupid part of this move is Future Shop was profitable, Best Buy is not. I think BB head office is going to find that this move will make things worse for them, not better. They won't be merging those Future Shop profits into Best Buy, they will simply be losing them to someone else.

[guyser]

I've bought roughly $100k in appliances the last decade and perhaps 70% of them were at Sears.

Did you outfit an apartment building hi-rise?

How else could one spend $100k on appliances.

[Shady]

I liked shopping at best buy better the future shop. Their atmosphere wasn't all that appealing.

[bush_cheney2004]

Best Buy's is no better. They're becoming the brick-and-mortar show-room for shoppers to look at stuff they're just going to buy on the internet later on.

Not for large appliances....I do not buy ovens, washing machines, dryers, or fridges on the interwebs.

[bush_cheney2004]

I liked shopping at best buy better the future shop. Their atmosphere wasn't all that appealing.

Best Buy used to be an excellent retail experience for computers and components, ICE (in car entertainment), home audio/video, cameras, appliances, and software/media. It all started to go downhill with... cell phones.

[bush_cheney2004]

The "FUTURE" looks bleak:

[Moonlight Graham]

Both are exactly the same in product and service. Aside from FS had commission incentives, and BB did not. Both are quite overpriced in my view considering the slave labour overseas that makes these products for cheap.

They're virtually the same store. FS has sales people who work on commission, unlike BB, so I generally prefer BB, but if I know what I want or shop online it doesn't matter. Surprising turn of events but this isn't going to drastically change consumer electronics retail in Canada.

[Moonlight Graham]

Worse, their prices are not competitive on apliances and TVs with Costco, Sears and other stores.

Costco TV prices aren't that great, and the selection sucks.

[cybercoma]

I prefer the service, selection, and layout of Best Buy over Future Shop anyway. Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't eliminate Future Shop sooner. It was bound to happen when they bought them years ago.

[Topaz]

I usually go to Staples and the store in my area had to move to expand its store and the only other store was Future Shop but no word if it will stay open.

[sharkman]

TVs at Costco.

Appliances at Sears.

Very seriously. At their Home Centres. No falling tiles in the three near here, they are modern stores with white goods and furniture.

I've bought roughly $100k in appliances the last decade and perhaps 70% of them were at Sears.

They sell all brands, there is always something on sale, they negotiate and if you buy often they will sweeten deals.

So yeah, Sears.

I left a Future Shop once without my proposed purchase because the salesman would not shut up about the warranty. I later learned that the sales staff earn commissions on everything, but their cut of an extended warranty can be as much as 50%. It explains why they pitch them hard, it did not explain why they don't take a strong hint or a blunt refusal.

Good bye and good riddance, their business model just doesn't work.

We bought a TV at Costco during a black friday sale, and it was a killer deal, several months later I still saw our TV advertised with various retailers for more than we paid for it.

With Sears, we bought a Washer/dryer, and later on a dishwasher and garage door opener, all for really good prices, and we refused the extended warranties on all of it. Several months later we started getting phone calls from Sears reps, inviting us to buy extended warranties. These people were trying to hard sell over the phone and kept calling back and It was ridiculous. Finally it stopped, but I've heard that Sears is being milked for profits by its ownership and it seems right because whenever I go into our local Sears, the sales staff has turned over and the store is in somewhat grubby shape. But I'd still go there for appliances when they have sales on. I guess I'm a sucker for heavily discounted prices. But long term I wonder if Sears will last.

When the Best Buy was built a couple of blocks away from the Future Shop in Abby, I did a bit of an analysis on their product lines. At the time it seemed like Future Shop carried the higher end stuff, at least in audio gear. They both might carry Onkyo, but FS would have the higher end models. I don't know if that's still the case, but they sure seem to have a lot of appliances.

So, will there be one of those "bankruptcy" sales, where everything is 15% off and the sheeple come flocking in droves to buy stuff this week that is more expensive than last week's regular flyer prices?

[WIP]

They're all crap, and their basic business model of being part of the chain that has outsourced most production to slave labour havens half way round the world, and paying staff piss-poor wages in their stores, does not do consumers any favours in the long run! What good is saving a few bucks on a TV, when you are contributing to the WTO regime that's driving everyone's wages down? Piss on em all, and only buy what's necessary....not stupid crap you're going to buy on impulse after watching too many commercials!

[Big Guy]

One of the few ways that you can positively affect your community is where you shop. We live in a small town in Southern Ontario. Many people from this area drive 100 to 200 km to shop for large items in Hamilton or Toronto where the "best" deals can be found and a "greater variety" of goods are available. We are not one of those people. We shop "local" for everything.

We recently renovated our kitchen and purchased a new fridge, stove, dish washer and various other smaller appliances. We purchased form a local businessman who dealt with a variety of choices. While purchasing in bulk did get us a bit of a discount I feel we could have saved at least 5% by going to Hamilton - but the local businessman supports a local kids hockey and baseball team, is a very active member of a local service club and a person with a reputation for dependability.

We hired a local contractor who purchases materials locally. We could have gotten a better deal from an out of town remodelling franchise. Our local contractor is a member of the local church, has a reputation for excellent work and I often run into him at the local Legion.

A couple of years ago, a Wal mart was built just out of town and a new mall was built. Our downtown core is begging to suffer with some old family owned businesses selling out. Local jobs have been lost.

I believe that when you purchase locally then your money stays in the community. It may cost you a little more but that money circulates through the community and comes back to benefit you.

I believe that purchasing locally is an investment in your community. Buying out of town, while maybe cheaper, is money gone.

[overthere]

London Drugs for my computer stuff and cameras.

Memory Express locally here- they have a big online presence and also a retail operation/service centre nearby.

Their service is excellent and reasonably priced, another area where they eat Future Shops lunch.

Did you outfit an apartment building hi-rise?

How else could one spend $100k on appliances.

No. There are several ways to spend that and more without involving a high rise. It's business. Over 10 years. It is probably more like $140k.

I tried Leons for a while, but they employ a revolving door of idiots, have nowhere near the selection of brands compared to Sears, and their best deals are only available for the very cheapest appliances.

[Topaz]

Our local news just reported Future Shop being replace by Best Buy, reopens next week, so its Staples vs Best Buy.

[Spiderfish]

Our local news just reported Future Shop being replace by Best Buy, reopens next week, so its Staples vs Best Buy.

And my bet is that when you walk into the shiny new Best Buy looking for one particular item and it's not on the shelf, the pimple-faced dept. manager will still tell you to go order it online instead. They might even let you borrow one of their demo computers to place your order...and more than likely they will recommend that you have it delivered to the store you are standing in so you can come back and pick it up.

Future Shop (and by extension, Best Buy) have lost all concept of what the purpose of a bricks and mortar store is. They screwed themselves, and the people that worked there.

[Bryan]

Future Shop (and by extension, Best Buy) have lost all concept of what the purpose of a bricks and mortar store is. They screwed themselves, and the people that worked there.

Best Buy did that. Before the purchase, Futureshop understood the idea of having stuff in stock for customer to actually buy. BB ran them into the ground.