Best Buy advertising higher than regular prices as sales?
By Donald Melanson 
posted May 24th 2010 1:07PM
posted May 24th 2010 1:07PM
Could some Best Buy "sales" not really be sales at all? Shocking, we know, but stay with us for a minute. As Consumerist reports, the mega retailer seems to have recently begun advertising some laptops at prices that are actually higher than their regular price, and then taking things one step further by placing "as advertised" signs on the laptops in store -- thereby giving consumers the impression that they're getting a deal. A tipster to Consumerist specifically sites laptops like the Dell and HP modes advertised for $649.99 and $699.99 in the latest ad pictured above, which are apparently $20 and $50 higher than their regular price -- previous laptops advertised at higher prices also now seem to have gone back to their regular price. Of course, all of this seems to technically be on the up and up, since Best Buy isn't actually advertising the laptops as being "on sale" but, if it is indeed a regular practice, it's definitely not doing a service to customers, to say the least.
Update: So here's the deal: Best Buy is bundling 6 months of its Ask an Agent and Virus and Spyware Protection packages into the offers. Each would normally cost you an extra $20 ($40 in total) which Best Buy is now giving away for "free" with the inflated price tag. Hey, we're sure you were going to buy those anyway, right?
Update: So here's the deal: Best Buy is bundling 6 months of its Ask an Agent and Virus and Spyware Protection packages into the offers. Each would normally cost you an extra $20 ($40 in total) which Best Buy is now giving away for "free" with the inflated price tag. Hey, we're sure you were going to buy those anyway, right?
You would think Engadget has better things to do than report "non-news". This goes on at EVERY company that has EVER advertised something. Get back to drooling over Apple.
PS. The ad clearly says that you get 6 months of spyware/anti-virus in addition to 6 months of their "ask an agent service." I'm sure that the agent service costs more than $20-$30 for 6 months of service.
I was fortunate to purchase my LG 32LH40 LCD from Best Buy when I did- I got it for $480 and not two weeks later they were selling it "As Advertised" for $685.
Wow the title to this article should really be changed this is very inaccurate and deceiving. no where on that page does it say that those laptops are on sale, they are simply showing what they sell and how much it cost. only thing on sale on that page is the Mouse, if that sale price was more than last weeks regular price THEN you would have a story, this is just sad.
Prices change every week, some go up and some go down, its called business. actually i believe the proper term is market reactions.
by the way if the price of an item ever drops the next week for what ever reason just go back and get a price match, problem solved.
its very sad and disappointing to read such false information on engadget, who know maybe engadget is getting paid to make bestbuy look bad so people will turn to some online store that is paying them or maybe they just took a story from somewhere else without checking its credibility.
Makes me ashamed to be a bestbuy employee, then again, I don't purchase anything from bestbuy, except when I need to replace something immediately.
One word : NEWEGG!
Best Buy is good for one thing and one thing only - hold on, I'll think of it.....
I work for bestbuy in PCHO (thats the computer department) just because we dont sell our computers at a loss(when we sell an item but lose money..ie. frys) doesnt make us bad. all these computers are pretty much at costs price. its business. if you dont like it go shop somewhere else, im sure bestbuy will still thrive without your weak $700 sale. lol On to some real news now!
@way34 PC Home Office for the win. Most are sold at a loss. In fact if you yuppies actually did some research using the info in the consumerist report. You would see that the prices in the add are still better than you would find at the manufacturer's websites and at most brick and mortar retailers....
No surprise, Best Buy has always been a ripoff IMO.
Good article. Information is power.
Even though kids may know that Best buy does these shanannigans, does not mean everyone knows them, especially grandparents. Would you like your grandparents, mother or father being treated this way? I think not. Bestbuy's own ex/employees admit to these "advertisement" tricks. I consider Bestbuy unethical and more wary of them compared to a store like Walmart. They tried tricking customers with their intranet prices, when folks saw cheaper prices online.
However, I would still buy big items from BestBuy such as a big tv. I dont want items being damaged in shipping and having to pay the return cost. And I am glad Bestbuy is still in business against Walmart and the local mom and pop shops. Local shops play shannanigans as well.
I only visit Best Buy as the last resort. Not a fan.
I once worked at a retail store that went out of business. They put up a huge "LIQUIDATION" sign and didn't change the prices at all for months. I couldn't believe how many more people started buying stuff! I guess the trick is to make people THINK they're getting a deal.
I prefer to shop at the Buy More anyways....
Best Buy is known to do things like this. That's why you have to do your homework.
To clarify... Compare the exact SKU's in question to those on manufacturer's websites. Then complain about the price again. Second of all. Prices are not inflated to account for Ask An Agent or the Anti-Virus. Ask An Agent is new within the past 2 months and the prices haven't jumped at all... They still do their normal $20-$30 fluctuation over/under "regular" price. Engadget should be careful before posting unfactual information... I understand freedom of the press, but slander is unethical...
LOL! On 5/22/10 we purchased a 40" Samsung LCD TV on sale for $648 ($101 off reg price) .. now the same model is "on sale" for $674.99 ($75 off reg price).
Too funny -- and before we purchased we called to ensure they had price protection (if it sells for less in the next 14 days they'll refund the difference).
The really annoying thing was the "sales person" who "wasn't paid on commission", but tried to jam an extended warranty, a monster power strip, video tuning and some other unnecessary things down our throats. That was awesome... and reminded me to buy everything online in the future.