This week, Best Buy said it will double the number of its open box/outlet stores over the next year. We’ve been exploring what that means for car audio.
There are currently 16 open box/outlet stores offering clearance items on major electronics categories. We could find two that also include car electronics—locations in Pineville, NC and Brockton, MA.
However, car electronics may spread to other locations as Best Buy CEO Corie Barry stated last year that new open box/outlet stores would carry all products.
She also said last August that the chain was testing using these stores as “AutoTech mega hubs” for car tech installation. Barry said new open box stores ‘will also serve as hubs in a new service and repair hub and spoke model we are testing, as well as an AutoTech mega hub for our car tech installation.’ So one 12- volt installation center might serve many stores.
We did not find an open box store that was acting as an AutoTech mega hub based on a handful of inquiries (some of the stores simply don’t answer the phone). Best Buy has not yet responded to our request for comment.
In the announcement Wednesday, Best Buy said new outlet stores would open in Chicago, Houston, Phoenix and Manassas, VA. You can see all the open box locations here. Best Buy said “every new outlet will have a Geek Squad area.”
Best Buy also said, “Customers have shown a growing interest in our outlet locations…”
See the Best Buy press announcement here.
@Mike– I guess you don’t know who Paul Papadeas is…. 🙂 I’m a former BBY employee as well, and nothing he said was insulating to BBY (or you).
I could not imagine opening a store just to sell once broken, repaired stuff. We’ve never had many “Open Box” models to rid ourselves of. Then again, I’ve never sold low-end, nor have we had lines around the block returning stuff after Christmas. One day the industry will identify that growing the independent shops (who function as professionals) will be the most important provider for their future products. Let see these guys at a less than professional wage work on autonomous and electric vehicles.
I guess you really don’t know much about best buy. Most installers have worked in mom n pop shops and came to best buy because of the stable pay and the non commission pay structure. We have a great continuing education/training program. Me personally I have over 30 years in the car audio industry with 20 of them being at my current location. I’m not saying all best buy installers are the greatest ever but the same can be said for mom n pop installers as well. Just because some one works at a chain retailer doesn’t make them any less of a installer than the people you work with