General Discussion

marmar

(77,081 posts) Fri Nov 29, 2013, 08:24 PM Nov 2013

No Line in Front of Best Buy in Affluent DC Suburb

Published on Friday, November 29, 2013 by FireDogLake
No Line in Front of Best Buy in Affluent DC Suburb

by Jane Hamsher

I was watching CNN this morning and the inevitable wall-to-wall “shoppers go crazy on Black Friday” stories. Pope Francis’s invocation against the Western economic promotion of “unbridled consumerism” two days ago seemed remarkably well timed.

But as I watched video of people camped out on sidewalks in the freezing cold this year and mobs violently pushing through doors, consumerism seemed at best a partial explanation

.....(snip).....

If CNN was right, and this was all great fun, then there should be just as many people outside Best Buys in wealthy areas as there are in places where people are struggling. So the dogs and I hopped in the car and went to a Best Buy in a well-to-do area of DC to see how long the lines are.

And, of course, there was no line. Unless one person could be considered a line. A woman was sitting just inside the main door and had organized a short list of people (22) who would return later in the day and assume an orderly place in line. .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/11/29-4

17 replies

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Highlight:

No Line in Front of Best Buy in Affluent DC Suburb (Original Post) marmar Nov 2013 OP

wealthy people can afford things easily , for them it would be a waste JI7 Nov 2013 #1

Exactly. lumberjack_jeff Nov 2013 #5

Most of them probably just sent their personal shopper or their butler/nanny/factotum n/t Fumesucker Nov 2013 #2

Order online and pick it up later. FarCenter Nov 2013 #3

I would rather stick my hand into a bees nest than participate in Black Friday nonsense. R. Daneel Olivaw Nov 2013 #9

I do not miss my heavy tube TVs. And I couldn't give them away when I tried. Nt Logical Nov 2013 #11

It's not that I dislike flatscreens, but I have a TV that works. Why wasted it? R. Daneel Olivaw Nov 2013 #12

High definition is a good reason to upgrade hack89 Nov 2013 #16

I did that two years ago on Black Friday rudolph the red Nov 2013 #15

So true. Agschmid Nov 2013 #4

I figured out some years ago that this is all Marketing Psych 101 Hekate Nov 2013 #6

Once you get the marks into the store, upsell them on cables, cases, batteries, screen protectors FarCenter Nov 2013 #13

The Wealthy don't shop at peon stores like Best Buy or Walmart jmowreader Nov 2013 #7

My sister-in-law told me Best Buy's deals were lame BainsBane Nov 2013 #8

I wonder how long before then end up like circut city. R. Daneel Olivaw Nov 2013 #10

du rec. xchrom Nov 2013 #14

k n r. nt Sheri Nov 2013 #17

JI7

(89,252 posts)

1. wealthy people can afford things easily , for them it would be a waste

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 08:27 PM

Nov 2013

of time getting in lines for things they can easily afford .

but this doesn't mean they aren't spending.

lumberjack_jeff

(33,224 posts)

5. Exactly.

Reply to JI7 (Reply #1)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 09:28 PM

Nov 2013

Standing in line for five hours to save $50 on a TV is rational... if you consider your time to be worth less than $10/hour.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)

2. Most of them probably just sent their personal shopper or their butler/nanny/factotum n/t

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 08:28 PM

Nov 2013

FarCenter

(19,429 posts)

3. Order online and pick it up later.

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 09:23 PM

Nov 2013

Besides, most of the people on video rushing into the stores are just people with very poor impulse control.

R. Daneel Olivaw

(12,606 posts)

9. I would rather stick my hand into a bees nest than participate in Black Friday nonsense.

Reply to FarCenter (Reply #3)

Sat Nov 30, 2013, 03:29 AM

Nov 2013

Our TV is 25 this year. It still works well and I have no intentions of buying another until it dies. Every post Xmas for a few years now I have seen good TVs littering the streets on trash day since they have been replaced by the latest flat screens.

What a waste. I understand consumerism, but what a waste it all is.

Logical

(22,457 posts)

11. I do not miss my heavy tube TVs. And I couldn't give them away when I tried. Nt

Reply to R. Daneel Olivaw (Reply #9)

Sat Nov 30, 2013, 03:34 AM

Nov 2013

R. Daneel Olivaw

(12,606 posts)

12. It's not that I dislike flatscreens, but I have a TV that works. Why wasted it?

Reply to Logical (Reply #11)

Sat Nov 30, 2013, 03:37 AM

Nov 2013

hack89

(39,171 posts)

16. High definition is a good reason to upgrade

Reply to R. Daneel Olivaw (Reply #12)

Sat Nov 30, 2013, 11:25 AM

Nov 2013

Movies in high def are incredible.

rudolph the red

(666 posts)

15. I did that two years ago on Black Friday

Reply to FarCenter (Reply #3)

Sat Nov 30, 2013, 10:50 AM

Nov 2013

Picked my TV up at Best Buy the next day and was out of there in less than 5 minutes.

Agschmid

(28,749 posts)

4. So true.

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 09:25 PM

Nov 2013

Hell my areas high end mall didn't even open until 6am.

It's great those people go to be with family.

Hekate

(90,714 posts)

6. I figured out some years ago that this is all Marketing Psych 101

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 09:44 PM

Nov 2013

There are a few items in the store that are loss-leaders and the rest are at normal or near-normal prices. There are no "bargains." Why the hell would anyone want to play this game?

FarCenter

(19,429 posts)

13. Once you get the marks into the store, upsell them on cables, cases, batteries, screen protectors

Reply to Hekate (Reply #6)

Sat Nov 30, 2013, 09:21 AM

Nov 2013

There are a lot of very high margin items in Best Buy that they push along with the loss leaders.

Not to mention the extended warranty rip off.

jmowreader

(50,559 posts)

7. The Wealthy don't shop at peon stores like Best Buy or Walmart

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 09:54 PM

Nov 2013

The only possible reason someone in a very high income bracket would buy a TV at Best Buy is so they can hang it on the wall in front of the john, so they don't miss any of the game. Since they already have one there, why would they stand out in the cold at 4 am waiting to get in to buy another television?

BainsBane

(53,035 posts)

8. My sister-in-law told me Best Buy's deals were lame

Reply to marmar (Original post)

Fri Nov 29, 2013, 10:13 PM

Nov 2013

They had people lining up for "surprise doorbusters." You have to want to buy for the sake of it to get in one of those lines. Best Buy is not doing well financially. They recently replaced their CEO because the last one had done such a lousy job.