Deal of the day: $50 Sirius gift card for $55

So we're starting to realize how Best Buy is pulling in record profits while the rest of the industry crashes and burns: it's the little things, you see. For instance, the ubiquitous big box retailer is offering a $50 pre-paid Sirius gift card on its online site for the bargain price of only $55; a $5 markup for a little voucher whose "holiday version" can be purchased three lines below for the normal price -- that is, if it wasn't somehow sold out online. (How hard is it to print up a new batch of those things, anyway?) The distraught customer could head to Best Buy's XM section, where $55 gift cards only cost $55, or he or she could simply click over to rival Circuit City, where not only does the same $50 card actually cost $50, it's available immediately and not backordered one to two weeks.

Update: Looks like the price has changed to $50, which is certainly good for you, the consumer, but perhaps not so good for you, the Best Buy shareholder, who will now surely be a victim of plunging profits this quarter.

[Via Orbitcast]

[nxtiak @ Dec 31st 2007 10:42AM]

The Consumerist posted this first which Orbitcast linked from.
http://consumerist.com/338871/best-buy-50-sirius-gift-card-for-55-what

[blade417 @ Dec 31st 2007 11:54AM]

why do people do this, who cares where it was posted first.... it's frickin news.

Not everyone goes and checks consumerist all the time.

Not flaming you personally, but this is just growing into a pet peeve.

[John @ Dec 31st 2007 12:47PM]

I don't think the issue is whether people might have seen it already on Consumerist. I think what nxtiak is getting at is that credit should be given to the writer/site that originally reported the news. Evan seems to have gone out of his way to avoid doing so, given that Consumerist is prominently mentioned multiple times in the Orbitcast post. I wouldn't blame Evan, though -- there seems to be a general hush order re: Gawker blogs on Engadget.

Not the end of the world -- it's a funny post, and the linked Orbitcast piece leaves little doubt as to the originator of the story -- but a valid issue as far as journalistic practice is concerned.

[nikola @ Dec 31st 2007 7:27PM]

I advise anybody who's physically able to wait till after a snowfall, then go to bestbuy and trip on the sidewalk, call the manger and/or an ambulance and SUE them. SUE them. SUE them. SUE them. SUE them. SUE them. SUE them. SUE them.

I really hate Busted Buy

[DarkLightConnection @ Dec 31st 2007 8:45PM]

@nikola

And I really love BustedBuy :-)

Because the f'ing NewEgg won't accept international payments

And because the f'ing Mexican stores want to sell you a computer with 256MB RAM for $600

So, sadly, BestBuy is my best option... mine, and of all the people out there who live in a border

[rndmnme @ Dec 31st 2007 10:45AM]

Or you could, you know, give $50 cash.

Which in my opinion is a much better option because most of us are a little strapped for cash around these times and $50 worth of food, gas, bills, etc goes a lot farther than a little Radio does.

But hey it's the thought that counts...



...anybody got $50 I can borrow? ;)

[Phil Perman @ Dec 31st 2007 10:45AM]

Ah, but the normal one is only $49.99, not $50! That extra penny is definitely worth $5.01...

[Chaj @ Dec 31st 2007 10:48AM]

Best Buy is for tards... The sales reps have no clue in any of the products they sell AND best of all they all look and act just like the frickin' sales people in the movie 40-yr Old Virgin.

[Andrew @ Dec 31st 2007 11:20AM]

I have honestly thought the same thing myself while in our local best buy.

[Tavis Veighey @ Dec 31st 2007 11:47AM]

Best Buy has uninformed sales people on PURPOUSE!!! They do not want sales people who are knowledgable in their products! Why? Because sales people who KNOW the products sell the customer what they want, not what the STORE want's to sell them!

[Sam @ Dec 31st 2007 2:10PM]

It really depends quite honestly. If they are high school kids, there is large chance they are clueless. But they are also 16 or 17... how much can you expect from the great majority? There are also many good associates, but to expect them to know all that many of the die hards online know is absolutely ridiculous. They make like $9 an hour, they are there to give you a little more than the basics and know where products are. If you need more info use google, stop depending on other to think for you

[mac @ Dec 31st 2007 3:47PM]

Just be grateful you don't ask Target electronics employees some of the same questions you ask Best Buy employees....apparently the iPod requires headphones, USB chargers, etc. to say "work with iPod" on them or they have no chance of working at all. The things you learn...

[James Daniels @ Jan 1st 2008 2:24AM]

I actually work for the big box retailer and yeah, it is impossible to know everything about technology. When someone asks me a question I do not know the answer too I flat out tell them that I have no idea. At which point I politely go excuse myself to ask someone much more knowledgeable, because in a store with that many employees at least one person will know the answer. So no, we're not all "tards." Yes there are people that talk out of their ass but if you already knew the answer then why are you asking?

[BowserUSC @ Jan 1st 2008 12:28PM]

@mac
Don't get me started about Target. I went in there to get a small battery operated fan once. I asked some guy working there and he told me that the store completely stopped carrying fans.

[Dominic @ Dec 31st 2007 10:51AM]

Engadget's starting to make me feel like I'm reading Consumerist..except everything has already been posted and being repeated...

[Chaj @ Dec 31st 2007 10:54AM]

Then go read something else...

[Ghen @ Dec 31st 2007 11:29AM]

The consumerist isn't as light and fluffy so I don't read it on a daily basis. Keeping up to date on good stories for the day even if someone else figures it out first is a staple for any news outlet. Look in your local paper, see how many articles are actually written locally.

[Dominic @ Dec 31st 2007 11:31AM]

Don't get me wrong..I love reading Engadget..but this kind of news just really isn't suited for Engadget.that's all..and Chaj..I'm guessing you like being a jerk all the time?

[Chaj @ Dec 31st 2007 12:06PM]

Me be a jerk all the time? Nope... Only when people make stupid comments or complain w/o giving any kind of creative solution.

[Bumpman @ Dec 31st 2007 11:04AM]

In Ireland a €20 Wii points card costs €30. They advertise it as if they're doing you a favour.

[computer.dude.28 @ Dec 31st 2007 11:26AM]

This isn't NEARLY as bad as EB Games. I saw one in Edmonton that was selling 2000 Wii points (you can buy them on your wii for $20 USD, $19.74CAD) for $50!

[Ghen @ Dec 31st 2007 11:30AM]

And thats why I don't like the points system on console purchases.

[Matt @ Dec 31st 2007 11:34AM]

I don't like the wii points system since they force me to pay a 6% tax to a state I've only visited once.

Yes I could buy the cards in a store, but then I'd pay 13%... so shut up.

[MosquitoControl @ Dec 31st 2007 11:32AM]

Already fixed.

[Paul Barwick @ Dec 31st 2007 12:37PM]

You just gotta love Best Buy. I was looking at their listing for the Eee 4G the other day and they were offering a special deal by bundling the Eee and Microsoft Office. No mention, of course, that the Eee comes equipped with Linux and that Office won't run on that OS. I do have to give them credit. That offer was taken down the next day when I checked again.

[dudeInAmerica @ Dec 31st 2007 1:11PM]

You're an idiot if you (still) shop at best (worst) buy. Customer satisfaction is the lowest priority.

[js @ Dec 31st 2007 1:23PM]

I have to agree with most of the ppl here.... I asked more than one sales goons at Best Buy how to connect optical audio cable to computer speakers (which is a relatively simple question) and they have no clue on how to do it. They obviously have never heard of a home audio receiver.

[Jesse S @ Dec 31st 2007 3:46PM]

You obviously have never heard of a DAC.

[Jack Storm @ Dec 31st 2007 7:54PM]

relatively simple bu you didn't know....

ahh the irony.

[Jack Storm @ Dec 31st 2007 7:54PM]

relatively simple but you didn't know....

ahh the irony.

[js @ Jan 1st 2008 6:52PM]

@ Jesse S

So where could one find an Digital to Analog converter at Best Buy?

Yeah, I thought so.

[bsm0f0 @ Dec 31st 2007 1:43PM]

So if one doesn't shop at best buy, where should one shop? I hate best buy just as much as the next guy, but where else do I go? Circuit City (lol)? Radio Shack (for 80s gear I wanted yesteryear)?

I'd like to see where the rest of you are spending your cash. I'm talking brick and mortar, something I can walk into and ask someone a question and get a reasonable answer, not a dumb look or a puzzled search of the shelves for something I don't really want or need.

For the record, I know what I'm looking for when I go looking either through internet research or friends. I just see everyone bashing Best Buy but not giving out any alternatives.

[Akon @ Dec 31st 2007 2:44PM]

The only alternative is research the topic for yourself and bypass the people working at Worst Buy. A smart consumer is an informed consumer -- the people working at a brick and mortar shop are there to sell products, not satisfy customers. Just go to the store and try out the gadgets without the salesperson interrupting you.

Or, you could just try out the product they have there and shop online for the best prices.

[brian @ Dec 31st 2007 2:44PM]

this is not the first nor the last time this will happen with worst (best) buy. the constantly charge more than retail for many of their products. i refuse to shop with that company.

[nschively @ Dec 31st 2007 3:08PM]

Here's a handy little phrase: "No, thanks. I'm just looking." Then continue to play with the piece of gadgetry that caught your eye.

[OneLove @ Dec 31st 2007 3:12PM]

Sam, I agree, do you own research. However, shouldn't we expect more from our salespeople and teenagers?

[Michael @ Dec 31st 2007 3:17PM]

Best Buy's gift return policy is a crock of shit. They give you the lowest price of the item from the last six months, regardless of what it sells for now. This means if you got a video game currently priced at $60 and at one time it was marked down to $40, you can't exchange it for another of the current in-store sale price. They make an instant $20 for nothing. Don't support this store.

[NHAnimator @ Dec 31st 2007 3:29PM]

...and while I'm ranting...

How many people complaining about BB/CC/Sony/Apple/Whoever have actually stopped shopping at these stores? If consumers really did that, nobody would be buying anything from anyone anymore.

My Walkman from 1983 broke when I dropped it later that summer. POS! I'm never buying Sony again! Two Playstations, a PSP, a DVD player and two television sets later - boy, I showed them!

Most people I know complain about WalMart, yet go there time and time again because stuff is less expensive. No store is perfect. (Though LL Bean's is close.)

[NHAnimator @ Dec 31st 2007 3:21PM]

If you are getting your tech info from a Best Buy sales rep, then that is YOUR mistake. Try using the Internet, friends, print publications or the HUNDREDS of other sources that provide more reliable information. BB HAS never and WILL never be a good source of information.

I can't believe all of these people who are disappointed in what they get for information from an $8/hr high-schooler who took the job to get 10% off his DVD's.

I shop at BB. I don't love it. But I go there, get what I want, look around a bit, then leave.

[qld @ Dec 31st 2007 3:26PM]

HAAHAHA Best Buy sucks, never buy there. They're turning into the next CompUSA, I hope they crash and burn soon.

[Lou P. @ Dec 31st 2007 5:42PM]

I'll take Sirius over XM every time with Sirius having Howard Stern, Bubba the Love Sponge, and the NFL... though I wouldn't give a gift card that costs $55 for $50. That's crazy talk!

[G @ Dec 31st 2007 9:12PM]

Anyone here bashing Best Buy has no idea what they are talking about. Best Buy is a retail store. You walk in for a product you want and they hand it to you. If you are so smart and think you're so knowledgeable about electronics, then why the hell are you asking for help from what is usually a 18 year old high school student? Also Best Buy is a business, they try make money (although this Sirius gift card was obviously just a computer error because this is the first time its ever happened), so dont yell at the employees for having high prices, they just clerk the items and try to convince you why you should buy a more expensive item instead of buying the very cheapest.

[slvrgxr @ Dec 31st 2007 9:16PM]

I don't know what's up with all the Best Buy hate on Engadget. I'm guessing that 99% of the people on here who post "I hate Best Buy!" or "Best Buy burn in hell!" have never even had a poor experience at the store.

Are Best Buy's prices exorbitantly high on many items? Yes.

Does their customer service stink sometimes? Yes, but how much customer service could you possibly expect from a bunch of 17 year olds getting paid minimum wage? It's almost like the people on here think that Best Buy should be the Nordstrom of electronics. You can make the assumption that since the people on this site are reading a TECH blog that they are probably as or more knowledgeable than 90% of the employees at Best Buy (or many other brick and mortar retailers for that matter) so to even think that a high school kid could give you accurate tech information on damn near anything is absurd. I do my own research before I walk into there, and only ask for help when I need to locate a specific item.

Yeah, Best Buy doesn't have a great return policy, but one could make the argument that Office Max, Circuit City, or any other brick and mortar electronics retailer also have crappy policies if the consumer finds that the return policy of said store isn't favorable to them in a particular situation.

I, for one, will continue to shop at Best Buy or Circuit City regardless of the fact that 7 times out of ten the cost for a particular item may be more expensive than online. I'd much rather have the convenience of getting the item immediately, not paying shipping, and being able to take the item back for an exchange or refund rather than having to ship the item back and possibly even pay restocking fees or return shipping. I'm off my soapbox and ready to be voted down now. Thanks.

[G @ Jan 1st 2008 9:46AM]

Yes, people are dumb. People will always bash retail stores and I'll just laugh at their existence.

[tahksik @ Jan 1st 2008 3:17PM]

I don't get why people are mad at bestbuy when there's some idiot out there who bought it.

If I did the same thing, then I'd be fricken brilliant.

[something @ Jan 2nd 2008 8:45AM]

First of all, I HATE Best Buy. BUT, the reason the other card looks different, and is sold out is because it was part of the promotion they had going where if you purchased that specific gift card, you got a free sirius radio or $30 off a sirius radio (so you could give the card as a gift and let the recipient pick out their own unit). It wasn't a "shady tactic".

[Larissa @ Feb 13th 2008 12:42PM]

I don't have anything bad to say about Best Buy...but Sirius gift cards are a ripoff!!! My mother purchased $150 in Sirius gift cards at Radio Shack for my husband's birthday. The guy at RS told her it could be used toward the purchase of a radio. She even called Sirius to confirm that the gift cards could be used to buy a radio. On the gift card itself, it says it's toward activation and subscription with the purchase of any Sirius-Ready product. So, I went to use the gift cards to purchase a 2nd radio (have one in the new truck, need one in the old car) and the one year subscription...CAN'T use the gift cards at all on the new purchase/subscription. What???!!! My mom would have given my hubby cash or bought the radio on her own credit card had she not been misinformed. I had to purchase the radio and get a plan (1 yr is the best deal, 6 months is the smallest plan) and put it all on my credit card. I can redeem the gift cards(not today, though since their gift card system is acting up) and use them toward the future billing on either of our subscriptions...so in Sept when the truck subscription is up, the gift cards will be used toward the monthly fee and then next Feb, the balance will be applied to the automatic renewal of the one year plan on the car subscription. If my mother wanted us to use the $150 6 months to a year from now, she would not have given us the gift cards now! How stupid are these things?? So, the gift cards are only useful if you have a current Sirius account. DO NOT BUY THEM (at either the correct or incorrect price) unless you are buying them for a current Sirius account holder. If you want to give someone Sirius as a gift - just give them money or give a visa/amex debit card. At least your gift will be for the present and not the future. Nor they will not have to shell out any of their own cash to use your gift!