Best Buy Is Bigger And Better Than Ever!

I received an email last week about the new format of my local Best Buy store. Since Jason’s been looking for outdoor speakers for our new deck, I figured it was a great excuse to make the trip to check things out!

I don’t know who those random people are (sorry random customers!), but I wasn’t really paying attention to them when we pulled up to the store. The blue front and classic Best Buy sign was what really caught my eye. I love that you can’t miss it!

Best Buy is kind of near and dear to my heart. Once upon a long time ago, I worked for their corporate office.

I also lived down the block from their original flagship store in Richfield/Edina back in the day. One of the reasons I love the company is because they’ve chosen to stay local, even as they grew to be an international electronics powerhouse. Woohoo for supporting the local economy! Not only that, but they also truly support diversity. You can’t even imagine how excited I was when I found out my friend’s parents were invited to speak at the corporate office about GLTB issues. To me, that was more exciting than some of the employee concerts they put on in the parking lot.

Anyway, back to the store. Sorry, I’ll try to talk less and use more photos to show you what’s new and exciting about it. The theme you’ll see running through the whole store is that it is VERY customer-focused. They’ve redesigned the Geek Squad support and Customer Service areas to make it even easier for visitors to ask questions and get assistance.

The product displays are improved, too. More products are out so you can touch, feel, and play with them. There’s also great signage, so you can read information about the products they have out.

Take the GPS section, for example. I love that the aisle is clearly marked for Car Navigation, and that they have so many different ones out on display AND functional so you can compare the features yourself instead of just reading a description on a box.

The “virtual environments” (my term, not theirs) is probably my favorite thing, though. They’ve set up spaces that look like real homes. Well, ok, maybe they’re fancier homes than most people have, but still, you can see how appliances would fit in your kitchen.

Or where a TV would fit in your family room.

Jason and I are in the process of finishing our basement, so this area was probably the most exciting for him. He was able to check out all the advances in speaker technology and wall mounting for televisions in one place. Plus, since it was set up like a real house, it helped him visualize ideas for our space.

I wish I had brought a video camera so I could show you guys all of the store. It’s super easy to navigate thanks to a U-shaped sign in the air that lets you know which department is where, no matter where you are in the store. They have staff everywhere to help answer questions, and they’ve also added cash registers in different areas, so that if you’re just running in for, say, a laptop power cord, you can check out right at the computer accessory area without having to wait in line at the front of the store.

Of course, it wouldn’t be much fun if I told you all about the fancy store redesign if you didn’t get a chance to check it out yourself. Best Buy has generously provided $25 gift cards for me to give away to FIVE lucky readers!

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Contest ends July 6, 2012. Open to US only.