Is it like the US equivalent of Waitrose, but for Pikeys?

A bit like an Aldi or Lidl then?

It's the US version of Currys, but with a slightly wider range of overpriced tat!

Or Currys, a box shifting multiple that has a huge "specialist" range but not so specialist sales droids.

Try "BestBuy" in Google, or just bestbuy.com. Might not have to ask silly questions. You sound like a Yank asking "What's Carphone Wharehouse" or "What's $British_SuperChain_America_Does_Not_Have."

In short, BestBuy is one of our mega-chains, carrying consumer electronics, appliances, home and car a/v products, and so on. Down in the southern part of Yankville we have Circuit City and BestBuy, sometimes not both in one area.

Paris, sometimes not both in the same area.

I would say they are more of a Currys / PC World hybrid.

Because they have the "geek squad" (complete with badly decorated VW beetle outside some stores) who are the original inspiration for PC Worlds' "tech guys".....and just as useless.

Think you missed the point Alan. Everyone knows it's a store which sells electronic goods, the clue's in the fact they're stocking the iPhone.

What he was asking is what's an equivalent chain in the UK, so us brits can appreciate the implications, which you've failed to address.

Still, thanks for playing ...

Imagine your worst shopping nightmare - spotty youfs who have no clue how to communicate with humans never mind advise on purchases; reasonable selection of gear at highly jacked-up prices

Wait a minute - Dixons and PCWorld ARE Best Buys!

They're here............................!!!!!!

And who can forget Nerdvana, the Mecca of all electronics shops - Fry's Electronics!

When I'm in the bay area, I always go to Fry's as soon as I land so I can see if I'm going to need extra suitcases for the way home.

Now Fry's is how it should be done - BB is how it IS done unfortunately.

On the day that T-mobile come out stating that the shitty 3G performance with Iphones is apples fault you decide to post this article instead.

It's like a crap version of Frys :-)

They're like Currys + PC World in one shop. Frys is much better cos it sells all the motherboards, components, rack mounting equipment and loads of hardware. Plus DVD's, fridges, amazing in-car systems and loads of other stuff. Just brilliant!

"just as useless"

no joke. I have spent some duly unnecessary time fixing computers that geek squad "fixed" for family and friends.

Note to geek squad: format and reinstall is NOT the fix all. sometimes you actually have to test things and find the real problem. I always tell people to avoid geek squad like the plague unless you have a complete backup of everything and your kit is under warranty for a free fix. That's the only time that their price point wins against me. and yes, I do charge folks for my time.

Best Buy are a retailer of Electronic, AV and white goods in the US & Canada, they also have operations in the PRC.

2 years ago they paired up with Carphone Warehouse to launch Best Buy Mobile in the US. This was the first major chain in the US to follow the Carphone model of being network independent, in fact the stand alone Best Buy Mobile stores have the same look as a UK Carphone or EU Phonehouse Store. Best Buy Mobile also run concessions in the Best Buy "Big Box" stores.

Earlier this year Best Buy bought a 50% stake in the Carphone Warehouse Retail business, not in the entire CPW group or any part ot the Telecoms operation. Early next year they will start to role out the Best Buy model in the UK and Europe to take on the likes of Dixons/Comet/Euronics etc.

It's not really surprising. Carphone Warehouse won the right to be the only Independent reseller of the Iphone in the UK, it was always on the cards that they would try to extend this to Best Buy Mobile in the states.

Only ever visited the NYC outlets, but from poking around the shop looking for a camera, assumed that the shop name was short for "Best Buy Somewhere Else"... expensive for new products, end-of-life products for sale at the price you could buy the latest release elsewhere.

Put it this way as an example - go to their website, choose "Digital Cameras". The very first category option they give you is "shop by color [sic]" so you can narrow your camera choice down by its colour. That about sums up all you need to know about the consumer they're targetting. Even Dixons et al don't have that option!

Quick check on a Nikon D40 (so end of line really). Jessops UK will give you it for £289.99 (inc VAT). Best Buy will give you it for $541.86 (inc NY taxes). That's near as dammit the same price - so they actually even out the "rip off Britain" disadvantage. Impressive stuff...

Worst buy.

In the beginning, Fry's had actual components so you could MAKE your hardware. Now the selection is silly little bagged components. Bummer. Still, Fry's is the best place to get things, unless you find it at Halted, but that is another story.

As for the comical foot stamping and gnashing of teeth that they're not knowledgeable... would you like to go to a local shop and speak to someone who really knows what they're talking about and will ensure you get the right product, and get it working?

I'm sure you would, right up to the point where you have to wait a week for the item to get ordered in, and pay a premium for it.

The reason we have Best Buy instead of a friendly local computer shop, and Homebase instead of ironmongers, Asda instead of butchers and bakers, the reason why we get crap holidays in the sun with every single corner cut is because us Brits (and to almost the same extent Americans) want the product right now, and as cheap as possible.

I have been told that Fry's was started by Radio Slacks - but that some suit in Radio Slacks 'decided' that radiO Slackers did not 'do' big stores and so it was sold off to the company that is now Fry's. I heard this from a long time radiO Slacker - and I live near their HQ... So while I can not vouch for this being 100% accurate, it sounds like it might be.

Mine is the Suit

I just went looking for Fry's history and they bought some stores from radiO Slackers

From: http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Frys-Electronics-Inc-Company-History.html

"...operating ten stores located in northern and southern California, making Fry's the 13th largest computer retailer in the country. In 1997, Fry's expanded beyond the state by acquiring the six-store Incredible Universe electronics superstore chain from Tandy Corporation at the cost of $118 million. "

So what I heard was partly correct - but not entirely

Now Fry's is how it should be done - BB is how it IS done unfortunately..

I worked at best buy and and a Fry's. Fry's does on a week end is almost what best buy does in a month. when I first got at best buy as a PC sales staff, they had a team meeting. Patting them selfs on the back for doing 50k for the week. When I was at fry's if the PC dept did less than 40k on a Saturday there was phone calls made.I've seen the PC dept hit 400k in one day during the xmas season.

Oh by the way when I w as at best buy I spent more time fixing PC than selling them cause I was the only on A+ cert and know a Philips from a torqex hex star screw.