Best Buy to cut seasonal staff during holidays

[OhioChick]

Source: AP

Tuesday, September 27, 2011, 3:47 PM

NEW YORK -- Best Buy Co. will hire about half as many seasonal staff as last year and increase the hours its regular staffers work as part of its plans for the crucial upcoming holiday season.

The largest U.S. electronics retailer also plans to expand services like free tech support and a longer window for product returns during the holidays. It will also promote under-$100 deals to coax shoppers into its stores.

"The consumer continues to be cautious," CEO Brian Dunn said in an interview at the company's New York Union Square store. "That's not just a blip, that's the new normal."

Best Buy, based in Minneapolis, earlier this month reported its second-quarter net income fell 30 percent and revenue was nearly flat at $11.35 billion, falling short of analysts' expectations, as the company continues to battle for market share with online retailers and discount stores.

Read more: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2011/09/best_buy_to_cut_seasonal_staff.html

[alp227]

1. It was hard enough finding a job at Best Buy during summer

and this is even gonna be even worse. and these under-$100 deals will go for made in China products?

[thelordofhell]

5. Name one thing in Best Buy not made in China

[Javaman]

20. Their employees. nt

[MineralMan]

2. Yeah, well, it just may be that what they're selling isn't the hot

item this Christmas. Plus, you can buy most of the stuff they sell elsewhere, while shopping for other things. I can't see the attraction of Best Buy much any more. I did buy a refrigerator there once, because it was on sale and was just what I was looking for and at the best price I found. Otherwise, I have little reason to enter the store.

[No Elephants]

12. Is the point of speculating to suggest that there is no reason in the economy in general that

explains their reduction in seasonal hiring this year?

[MineralMan]

18. No. A number of businesses are hiring more seasonal workers

than last year, and are predicting increased sales. That's been in the news, too.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

3. "...increase the hours its regular staffers work..."

Cheaper to drive the current workers to exhaustion and beyond, than to hire a few more temps.

This is the "new normal", not just at Best Buy.

[julian09]

4. I buy from Best Buy on line

did they mention how sales are going on line, rather than dealing with crowds in stores? Free shipping is common, especially if item won't fit in ccar.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

8. I buy from them on-line too

but I'd hate to imagine what a hell-hole their warehouse and shipping operations could be. I hope I'm wrong, I hope they are good jobs with high morale.

I just bought a table for a television from a Best Buy store. Everyone involved was extremely nice and helpful.

[No Elephants]

13. Please read past the headline before posting a question about the opening post.

Probably takes about the same amount of time.

[thelordofhell]

6. It could be this, or it could be that their regular staff are part-timers

Either way, it sucks

[No Elephants]

14. The OP makes the reason pretty clear.

Or we could have guessed it.

They are hiring less because their overall sales are down.

The economy's bad.

[Doremus]

10. When my daughter was working there she would have appreciated more hours.

The new retail paradigm is to schedule workers under 40 hours so they don't qualify for benefits.

Most of the retail workers I know would love more hours.

[snooper2]

21. Sure, because those folks who work there never want extra hours or overtime

And Jesabus knows that standing at a register scanning items that weigh from .2-14lbs is such a labor that one must just crash in bed when they get home.

Oh, and not to mention yapping it up with your co-worker by the printer section until the random idiot customer comes and can't find the right ink jet :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:


I should go outside my work and mention it to the guys replacing sections of the street outside my work :rofl:

[Crowman1979]

7. Just another place I won't buy from!

I already ditched Amazon.com and closed my account. May as well ditch them also.

[Doremus]

11. Whoa.

Best Buy is actually a pretty decent place to work, for retail.

They've developed employee-friendly policies including one I read about that sounded rather crazy, where the worker could actually work from home (still scratching my head about that one, lol).

Point being, they are far from being a 'chew them up & spit them out' meat grinder, a la WalMart or Target.

Let's try to determine if the 'enemy' is an actual enemy before we punish them, eh?

[No Elephants]

16. Not sure why you would boycott them.

If the foot traffic and sales are not there and their overall income is down, how can they keep up the same level of expense as when they had higher sales without going out of business sooner or later?

How would a company with that many stores going out of business help the job situation?

[FarCenter]

9. PCs and TVs aren't selling as well this year

Pad computers are eating into conventional PC and laptop sales.

The great changeover from CRT to LCD and plasma flat screen televisions is mostly complete.

Sucks to be a brick and mortar store in the consumer electronics business.

[No Elephants]

17. Don't they sell LCD and plasma TVs and pad computers? If they don't, is there any reason they can't

start?

The opening post is pretty clear that it's the economy. You don't even have to click on the link. Just read past the headline.

Not sure why so many posters are ignoring that elephant in the room.

[FarCenter]

19. Most households already have LCD and plasma TVs, iPads are relatively cheap

When LCD and plasma TVs came out several years ago, they were priced around 2 to 3 thousand dollars, and there was growing volume as people trashed their old CRT standard definintion TVs. But now, that changeover has mostly finished, and households already have new LCD and plasma TVs. Prices have also fallen into the $500 to $1000 range. The manufacturers are trying to rejuvenate sales by advertizing LED, but that is just a change in the LCD from a florescent to a LED light source -- not much of a change. They are also trying to start a new replacement cycle by adding 3D features -- but that isn't selling so well.

iPads are around $499, with Android pads even cheaper. You can now get a decent notebook computer for under $500. It used to be that you had to spend around $2000 for a good PC or notebook. But you would only spend that if you are an intense gamer. Plus, any computer running Windows XP is sort of "good enough" and people aren't replacing them as quickly any more. Businesses that used to replace PCs and notebooks every 3 or 4 years are stretching the cycle to much more than that.

[lynne]

15. Can't blame them. Sales are down and it looks like that will continue -

- I know I haven't bought as much from them in the past 18 months as I used to. Why would any business hire people they don't need?

I used to buy from them fairly regularly but getting laid off has put a screeching end to me buying anything except stuff I need to exist. Can't fault Best Buy on this one, that's for sure.

[SoCalDem]

22. It could also signal a change in buying habits.

Perhaps people are no longer all that eager to change out their electronic gadgets every time a new version comes along...and perhaps parents have scaled back the goodie-buying they used to indulge in.

We found that once our three boys got to a certain age, it was better to just give them cash, and let them decide what they wanted to use that cash for. One was a bargain hunter and would stretch the cash as far as possible, one used his for mostly car-stuff & the other..well we won't "go there"...

People are paying closer attention to their credit card purchases these days too, so random impulse shopping trips for extras are probably on the wane as well.