@phoenix27: A wise man once said... "That's not my problem.".

DustyButt

Don'cha know they got their design techniques from Crazy Sarah's Moose Hunters of Wasilla.

Monty

Why not just start offering more products that they'd be interested in?

Nicer laptop bags are a great start (that everyone is doing now), but why not source a full line of girly products. Don't put them in their own "pink and frilly" section, put them right next to the silver and black guys stuff.

I'm sure geek chicks don't want to feel ANY MORE segreated in the electronics world.

Oh, and while they're at it, why don't they make sure that the employees (girls included) don't talk down to chick customers? That would be a good start.

DaveTyranham

Surely they would pander better to consumers by trying to come off as a Maverick store.

Overheal

They wanna add skylights?? Great idea! Put one right over the TV section! Plasma and LCD screens look awesome in the sun!

Mr.SithNinja

@DustyButt: It would, but they have alot more overhead to cover than an internet-only warehouse (alla newegg).

phoenix27

I smell a photoshop contest.

PCLoadLetter

People still buy from Best Buy? Damn, some still haven't learned. Either way I could give a crap less because I don't shop at any retail stores. Everything online for me as I'm sure it may be for some others on here as well. And no I don't shop bestbuy.com.

aceofcakes

@Noobs-R-Us: *sets tampon ablaze in protest*

shorty63136

I'm no marketing expert, but maybe competitive prices will cause PEOPLE to purchase products.

I might be wrong... But I don't think so.

DustyButt

Dear Best Buy.

There's a recession on and no one likes your store anyway. Gimmicks won't bring in female customers. Disposable income will. Credit will. When your customers stop having to buy Campbell's Soup, they'll buy gizmos. Until then, cut your ad budget.

OMG! Ponies!

Hell no, I don't buy into this crap. I actually find it to be RATHER condescending.

Why on EARTH would you assume I want to be in an "earth-toned" store to buy "pink gadgets"??? If I want earth tones, I'll go to the paint section in Home Depot. I like my gadgets black, silver, red, and the occasional lime green just like any other PERSON. WTF am I gonna do with a pink DS?? "Awww, that's so cute! I could play BARBIE on it!"

Best Buy - c'mere so I can shove a co-ax cable down your throat. Don't patronize me.

shorty63136

It kinda makes sense...especially to attract tweens.

AraCBR

Fry's>BestBuy

[x7productions]

@NilzXX:

male** (Gizmodo should add an "Edit" function to the comments.)

NilzXX

Hey! Step right up ladies, get your tampons right next to John Mayer's album!

Noobs-R-Us

More kitchen and cleaning appliances ought to do the trick ;) am i right ladies!

onewiththewurlitzer

I'll be damned, Best Buy's still in business...

Alex7575

:O
That kinda sounds ... dumb. It will kick out the make customers.

NilzXX

So... does that mean more products for females as well such as "massagers" and other such devices? Surprised no one else said it yet.

orrin

@DaveTyranham: I'd love to see a best buy employee treat me like a thinking human being instead of breasts on legs with no brain. And that's WHEN I chase them down to get them to help me. I'll stick to buying online.

Especially when the dvd burner I bought off of Tigerdirect for $30(no rebate! flat price) was selling at best buy for $79.

Ajh

in all honesty many of the girls i know will more likely then not buy pink gadgets over any other colour, but besides that i think women just do not find "gadgets" interesting, as in 99 percent of electronic devices. I do not think the store setting is the problem at all.

axed

Actually I don't shop at best buy because the prices aren't good and I get ignored in favor for the men wandering around. Breasts make you invisible in the computer section.

Ajh

Jane Six-Pack will love this!

Dirk

last time i checked the only women in best buy were the employees

Tweak

@NilzXX:

Are you kidding? I'll shop in a store full of women!

Have fun at Home Depot!

MichaelScrip

@NilzXX: @NilzXX: @[x7productions]: Having never entered a Fry's until I moved to the West Coast, I couldn't agree more. I love that place. It's like what CompUSA should have been like. (having worked at and shopped with CompUSA in the past I'm not surprised in the least that that place went out of business)

BigPanda

I have not stepped in a Best Buy store in over 5 years now, I'm not sure for everyone else but I don't buy items that are priced higher than every other electronic/gadget store. Oh and don't get me started on service, maybe they should save that remodeling cash to hire staff that doesn't have their head up their ass.

WD40

I don't shop there because they can't plan a store to save their lives. Plus, and I'm not sure if anyone's ever figured this out over there, but a color scheme is somewhere relevant to marketing: if your color scheme inhibits me from being able to visually locate what I need, I waste time looking for it. I am not asking the teenage twit who doesn't even know what it is I am asking about, let alone where it might be, so most likely I am going to walk out and go someplace else. I should not have to canvass the store just to find cables (cringe) or DVDs.

Also - the alphabet - it's a standard - so if you categorize your DVDs based on what channel they were aired on, I'm going to think you are mentally deficient and I am seriously going to consider giving up on my impulse buy and just ordering from Amazon (where I will pay 40% less).

Not that THAT happened last week.

Laura

@Overheal: No, maverick has started to mean "I do what I want, so FUCK YOU! You silly taxpayers"...

Not such a good connotation anymore.

bpapa9013

@Mr.SithNinja: I'm sure they will build a cave to keep the TV's in...

We all like to have our natural surroundings replicated for us when we are TV shopping.

bpapa9013

@aceofcakes: BestBuy.com is THE worst electronics site I have ever had the mis-fortune of using. Even fcuking WAL-MART has a better site!

bpapa9013

@DustyButt: Agreed. I'm real sorry you guys have to pay to head and light all of these stores, but Newegg beats your price by 30% so it looks to me like the problem is on your end.

bpapa9013

@[x7productions]: NewEgg>Fry's>Microcenter>CompUSA(RIP)>BestBuy>Target>Wal-Mart>Circut-Shitty

bpapa9013

@shorty63136: What, you don't like John Mayer??

Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude

There actually is a store around my parts in Naperville, IL called Studio d, which is a Best Buy concept store, with electronics and a setting geared towards women. I've been in a few times, it seems more like a Starbucks mated with an Apple store. They've got a small coffee bar with snacks and juices right in the store. Its all overpriced, slim, shiny gadetry, stylish home entertainment setups, and even a "classroom" supposedly where the moms can learn how to use their new iMacs to edit little Timmy's soccer game video.

LastVigilante

IF, (and it is a big if) I go into a store to buy a gadget, it will be Microcenter or Radio Shack. I just want the gadget, the selection, and the information I came in for. Why Microcenter? They are the only store any where near me (more like 30 miles) that caters to computer buyers. Why Radio Shack? I hate shopping and traveling to a store for anything. RS and BB are both only 3 miles away. If I have the choice between the chaos of Best Buy and the relatively painless Radio Shack, then RS it is. I would rather luck out on a Woot! item or another online source. And FWIW, black or shiny for my gadgets - never pink! I find the concept of attracting women to BB with "girly" designs just awful. UGH!

klz

DANG

i < j

Man!! I can't edit? :(

Cobol_Mongol

i = # of chicks more than current who will visit (& shop) BestBuy
j = # of dudes less than current who will !visit BestBuy.

if i > j

Seriously, was it worth it?

else

You doin' heckuva job, Alice (or some salesthing who conjured this)

Cobol_Mongol

@NilzXX: A lot of men will appreciate this. Some for the decor and others for the large numbers of females patrons. Best Buy might become the new bar scene..

Just imagine the pick up lines....

Jrsy is the dude, playing the dude, disguised as another dude

I was talking to my wife at how stupid hardware tools for women were.

All they did is smack pink paint on them and made them smaller, and, by extension, less useful. Not to mention sexist.

Good to hear that Best Buy is joining in on the fun.

I noticed one Best Buy near me tore down their Magnolia Hi-Fi home theater section and is installing an entire area dedicated to musical instruments. Didn't know their musical department was doing better than their home theater section.

Shook-Yang

@Ajh: You can rest assured, that if you have breasts and are provactively dressed, security will be following you on the cameras trying to get a good angle down your shirt. (Yes, I speak from experience.)

Lite

Let's see:

Appliances: Kitchen == Where the man belongs, microwaving my damn hot pocket.
Appliances: Grooming == Where the man will bring me toilet paper, after I eat my damn hot pocket.
Hometheater == Where I watch my Sex-in-the-City re-runs on girls night, while the husband microwaves my damn hot pocket.

As a former BB employee, we had a running joke that Best Buy was continually attempting to evolve into Target. Lower-end electronics, more random crap for impulse buys, and more and more clueless employees. I think for a while we had an entire isle of grateful dead t-shirts. Then there were books and magazines. Then they wanted to go after Radio Shack...

Even their uniforms are the same, only it's blue shirts instead of red shirts. Still wearing Khaki pants.

Lite

@NilzXX: Well, it's Best Buy. In most towns, guys don't have much of a choice when it comes to technology.

Even as a woman, I don't actually care about the decor. If they sell pink gadgets, well, fine. Maybe some of money for these gadgets go towards breast cancer research. *shrugs* I like pink. If there's an option of gray and pink, I'll take pink any day.

Regardless, I don't want to see Best Buy become like The Body Shop only with more iPods. Make it stop.

ImpulsiveTurnip

@Ajh: You've got that bass-ackwards. Nobody will talk to you because they're painfully aware of your boobies and have no idea how to react.

C'mon, I can't be the only one who understands the 16 year old geek male mind.

m4ximusprim3

@MichaelScrip: They don't call Target a "meat market" for nothing. That place is "Hot Mom Central"!

Galley

@bpapa9013: I thought it meant "I'm old and crotchety and could have a debilitating stroke and die at any minute".

Which kind of fits Best Buy, now that I think about it.

m4ximusprim3

@DaveTyranham:

If I go into a BB store for anything other than an appliance or a computer gadget, I immediately become invisible to ALL of their employees, male and female. If I go for a geek gadget, I already know my stuff and make that obvious with my initial question (if there is any staff available at all.) Do that, and they do not condescend - Know Your Stuff! Their appliance section, at least in my neighborhood, is well staffed - my Husband shops there and swears by their staff!

It is the times I have gone in there and been ignored that make me say "no" to BB. I often tell my patrons that Microcenter can answer some of their questions even though it is a pretty good trip for them.

klz

@DustyButt: Are you trying to imply that women are people? Look, if you want to make gadgets appeal to a woman you have to make the gadgets more feminine.

1) Make her mp3 player double as a compact.
2) Add an easy bake oven add-on to her desktop computer.
3) Put a ticker bar at the bottom of her cellphone that has up-to-the-minute celebrity gossip.

Now that's a gold mine right there.

Rabid Penguin

@Dirk: I thought it Jane Box-o-wine.

qbrad

@ripfire: Good luck getting the cable out of the blister pack before someone catches you. =| Just go to monoprice.com instead...

Lite

@axed: Some women will, some women won't. By marketing to a specific type of woman you may increase your sales short-term, but the more modern woman tends to be more savy, and they're the ones not married to everything pink. They also remember the change in your marketing tactics, and will hold it against you.

Market to people. I don't feel intimidated in Bed Bath and Beyond, why should women feel intimidated in Best Buy? They're often found in the same damn strip mall.

Lite

@Ajh: It probably has to do with your looks; not your tits.

My gf gets way great service at retail stores, and on the phone.

AlanR

@shorty63136: I am SO with you on that. I hate being marketed DOWN to. They have crappy prices and lousy service too.

Curves

I really cannot express how many times I would run into a situation where I had a couple buying a TV. I even sold a TV to the state governor and his wife for their kitchen. Which, for a lot of people it's a pretty big purchase. If I had a couple, and they were looking at a TV I would mostly have fun with role reversal. "This TV over here has picture-in-picture. Not only that, but there is a separate audio out for headphones in case you're enjoying your (gesture to female/effeminate member of couple if applicable) football game, he can be watching oprah in peace with the headphones on." (Cue chuckling customers here.)

The basic sales approach isn't about making the area more or less "comfortable to women. The colors and design are there to grab attention, and not so much make you feel "at home". Really you want a customer to come in, buy product, buy warranty, and buy accessories (where the real money is...) and get them out the door in as little time as possible.

They need to be comfortable with the sale, and their purchase. Not whether or not the carpeting of the "living room" is the correct shade of brown to make a woman feel "at home". I'm guessing they could do a lot more with training the sales staff, than altering the environment.

The marketing of products to women is already generally enough for them to develop neuroses as it is. Take a look at the sheer amount of airbrushing that goes on for magazine cover photos for a great example. Women do not need to be told that if their TV does not match their purse, then they're too $descriptive adjective.

Treat them as equals, perhaps change a few things in how business is handled to make them feel more comfortable. Don't pander...

Lite

Yeah great idea, lighting wits. It's not like the world economy is taking it up the duff.

AlanR

@klz: I've never had a problem hearing: "Can I help you?" 4 times while I'm in the store. Do I look like a lost puppy?
Me: "I want a wireless adapter"
BBDude: "A wireless adapter?" Shows her wireless routers.
me: "I have a wireless router.. I just need an adapter."
BBDude: "Ooh." Points half way down the aisle, "They're down there. The linksys is my favorite."
me: "Thanks.." Also the most expensive, almost twice what I can find online.

and who wants pink stuff? It's the black stuff that's hella sexy.

and I second Microcenter, if you live near one.

xvkarbear

@Lite: Security cameras you say? Hmmm. Tell you what, I'll pay you two $28.50/hr to come with me to Best Buy while I do quick runnover at the pricey AV cables section. Oh BTW, wear a yellow vest, safety goggles, a respirator mask and a blue shirt...

ripfire

Erm, CompUSA isn't dead. O.o

bbfreak

@qbrad: Yeah, no, not a female. Just happened to often be stationed back by the Direct TV systems back when they first came out, which was at the front of the store by the LP cameras. I'd get waved over, and the camera would be on some bouncy bubbly female in skimpy outfit.

In an attempt to save space at the new store we moved to, they stuck the LP station so close to the tag sensors, that the magnetic field warped the display on the security monitor.

Lite

@Shook-Yang: The profit margin in TVs used to be unbelievably low until you reached a certain size. Generally 10 years ago that was 30" and above. I'm not sure where the current translation level is. However they have basically integrated the audio and video departments. Which, should have happened back in the 90's. I used to get reamed for disappearing from my department for 50 minutes until the store manager saw the customer pushing an entire AV setup, with cables, and ESP (Usually only for TV's too large to move easily to bring in for repair.) in one fell swoop. I've had times after blizzards in which I was the only person manning 3 departments for 3+ hours (Audio/Video/Computer) because people couldn't make it in to work their shift in the morning.

I basically stopped selling ESP's on anything other than a large object I wouldn't want to bring in myself to a repair place, or computer under $1000 (Again, adjust for the 90's here...), once BBY closed their district repair shops and started shipping everything to district locations. My store at the time was not only the District HQ, but the district repair depot.

Lite

@Lite: No no. hehe. It's just that.. You see, I was just going to walk out with a cart full of ... then ebay... sell it for...

*sigh* nevermind.

ripfire

@Lite: Why are you dressing provocatively at BB? What are you trying to tell them there? That you're a prostitute in need of a boombox that will drown out the sounds of your Johns while you torture them on a bed in the nearest Motel Six? That never happened to me , but you know... it's been known to happen

qbrad

Er scratch CompUSA, since they're no longer the giant they were they are no longer the competition.

bbfreak

Will you Frys lovers shut-up about Frys. Until they have a damn store in Florida (where I am), I couldn't care less. Secondly, say what you will about Best Buy but at least they've got several stores across the country instead of just the few in certain states. Which is why they're still in business, because you know they're only real competition is Circuit City & Radio Shack and Comp USA. Hah.

Is Best Buy the best tech store on the planet, no, but they do provide a use and convenience that no other tech store does. Oh, and as for buying stuff online that isn't always a solution. Its nice to have a tech store there even if you don't use it very often.

bbfreak

It worked for Microsoft. The 360 is so so sexy.

Earthslide

@Curves: I'm afraid that you guys are a minority from my experience. I worked in a best buy store. I've seen the female trash that comes in. "Like, OMG, do you have this like.. laptop.. in pink? It's SO CUTE!!!!". Women are the worst speed bump when it comes to equality of the sexes.

shockwaver

I don't get how this is sexist. Is is racist/sexist/homophobic/intolerant to make products which appeal to their target markets? Sure sometimes marketing can be exploitative, and even reinforce stereotypes, but for f---'s sake, if there's a market for pink gadgets, who am I to tell gadget makers and marketers not to market and sell them? Women's fashion magazines are *much* worse than this when it comes to exploiting notions of femininity for commercial gain.

What *is* kinda funny is that the customer segmentation is so blatant that I'm sure customers will be able to exploit it. (Come into a store pretending to be a stereotypical customer, and on top of that ignorant, and you can talk a salesperson into a lot of concessions.)

OK, to touch again on the notion that this is somehow sexist, frankly the whole common notion of sales, and salesmanship is based on stereotypes, and it need not be. Maybe it's just because I'm a f---ing great salesman and I can identify what a customer needs very quickly and address that need that I don't need to exploit my customers or try press their "stereotype buttons" for a sale. In high volume, relatively low margin markets, you'll attract the dimwit salespeople, and less talented manager types who know how to parrot the corporate line for sales pitches, but who are incapable of teaching their salespeople how to work *with* people instead of treating them as black boxes.

That's simply the way it is. The talented people rush off to do more important work, leaving behind the rest. (Again, not to stereotype EVERYONE who works those jobs, because I certainly have before.)

thebackwash

Hmmm don't know which I prefer:

Bestrogen Buy
or
Best Bi

BeautifulAgony

Thats not a bad theory to make subtle changes. But renaming isles like Home theater to Family Room is just going to make guys get lost in there. And usually in best buy you see the guys in there and their girlfriends follow them around. I realize Best Buy wants to change this, but don't rename the isles & paint the store like a Bed, Bath & Beyond. In fact, if you want to make the store girlier you shouldn't be asking women what they want, you should be asking gay guys. They have alot better opinions on these types of matter IMO.

StlHakusho

I don't know why they are trying to attract women, I think they should be attempting to attract more of the type of customers they have.

shamoononon has a hebetudinous dog

@bpapa9013: compusa sucked but otherwise i aggree

lol123

Dear Best Buy,

If you make it, they shall come.

Have the Geek Squad paint nails (put them to work for once) and replace the Home Theater section with shoe racks. Not sexist enough? Invite the cast of The View for a grand re-opening and have an entire section devoted to sexual health and vanity chihuahua clothing.

Tootles

shamoononon has a hebetudinous dog

i have a crazy idea for profit increase at best buy. why don't they try training there employees to be nice and friendly, and, dare i say it, helpful.

no, that's preposterous, this will draw in way more profit.

mattxcorePOP

@shockwaver: Woah now! Not to get too much into a nature v. nurture argument, but guess who raised them to be "OMG cute" instead of "OMG specs?" Fussy frilly girly girls don't just fall out of the sky, you know?

Elaine Chow

Best Buy thinks it's going to get moe customers, yeah right.

NotHellTempest

@DustyButt:

There are lots of reasons people buy things.

PRICE isn't the primary factor for most people, VALUE is. (the price has to relate to the value, more value = higher price)

By your argument, no one would ever by an Apple computer.

endless

www.bestbuysux.org
www.ihatebestbuy.com

haddiman1

I was recently in one of the new stores concepts in the Mall of America. The design of the store was very easy to navigate and it just looked classier than the traditional Best Buy. There isn't any "pink and frilly" decor, just better layout, better lighting, better uniforms, and a better logo. I'd certainly go back.

PandaWear

Lets face it, the industrial designed big box stores look more like a warehouse than anything else. I don't care what they do, it's got to be an improvement over the non-design they have now. They could make them a little more friendly just by covering the metal racks with cloth, even a couple of living plants would help. They don't need a Hello Kitty mural or anything extreme.

Nick_Bentley

My wife refuses to go into a Best Buy because it smells too much like teenage boy. If they could just spray deodorant on some of the guys, including some of the employees, on the way in, that might help.

JoseJimenez

I hate when stores/companies just assume that all women want are pink and baby blue products! It's fine to have those colours, but give us some other choices too! Everybody has their own colour preference and we women don't all squeal like dolphins when we see pink.
This is what makes buying sneakers so painful. Everything in the women's section is pink and baby blue...nothing else. WTF? I am capable of seeing other colours you know!

wildfire759

@m4ximusprim3: There aren't many teenagers at the store near me. Most are over 25.

Ajh

@Lite: Yeah...I don't dress provocatively in stores. My chest still doesn't make any money, so it can't buy anything and I'd rather not have people talk to it.

Ajh

that's silly, the fact that girling up the store will attract more female customers, and some of the comments are just plain silly as well, if there are no girls in the computer section in your best buy....*shrugs*, around my parts, there about as many of us gals as there are men. if a female is interested in gadgets, whether the store is girly or not doesn't matter. and i personally don't like the colour pink and a home theatre is a home theatre...family room makes no sense *rolls eyes*

aurooba

@Lite: Precisely. Though they definitely should look into more designs for stuff. Not everything has to be business black or grey.

Ajh

@AlanR: It might also have to do with the area I live in.

Ajh

My store has a sign by the front door advertising that they're looking for women applicants for positions in the store. They are specifically asking for women to apply for jobs there. Isn't that a sort of sexism?

TurboFool

@shorty63136: Amen. Couldn't have said it better myself. It looks like Best Buy is getting their "input" from a bunch of dumbass teeny-boppers.

AeroBrat

I like to go against the grain and buy pink stuff even though I'm a man... take that, targeted demographic marketing!

EricAlder

@shockwaver: I happen to be a very girly girl (and proud of it) but that doesnt mean I have to be stupid. I can be feminine and sharp too. Dont believe the stereotypes.

Curves

remember when they put about 6-8 spots at the front of their parking lots for "mothers with small children?"

They were gone a couple months later.

generalassembly

Maybe we need a Photochop contest showing the new store front?

EricAlder

Yes, girls do buy into that crap. However, it's only the girls who we wouldn't be caught dead with.

plastikwaren

Woman do most of the shopping for major companies...and that includes buying printers, computers and other electronics...if they focus more on the women then they will spread the word about how great best buy is. Word of mouth is the cheapest way of advertising thanks to women!!

NinaFever