In response to Adrian Francis’s “Risky Idea or Smart Move”

Here is another example why it is a good idea to properly understand a topic before blindly writing about it. I believe the key points of the initial article have been vastly overlooked as the point was not that Best Buy is looking to shut down stores in order to lower online prices.

The article writes about the differing views of management minimizing costs while founder Richard Schulze believes that better in-store customer experience is needed to increase revenue. Schulze’s key point of argument: Why research and buy online when you may come in-store and have an employee find a solution that best suits your needs?

Ultimately, by purchasing outstanding shares and taking the company private, Schulze would be free to make any changes he may see necessary, unhindered by the pressures of public investors. This move would initially drive up costs, but in the long run, greatly generate increased sales and revenue.

In response to Adrian’s comments that Best Buy’s strategy “would work… if you were Apple”, I believe that he has not considered Apple’s flaws which are Best Buy’s advantages. Apple sells Apple products, they do not sell HP, Dell, or Samsung, nor do they provide mobile devices, cameras, printers, monitors, and pretty much everything else you could ever want. This is the key flaw Best Buy is looking to exploit. If I wanted to buy a Macbook, I can only go to an Apple store, if I want cheaper laptop of equal – most often better – quality, then I have many options available, and Best Buy is smart in looking to develop its customer service to challenge that of Apple and overtake market dominance.