Ozark/Spfd Best Buy Review
Went to the big city and dropped by BB at around 4:30 so I got to catch the 1st shift sales folk. SLS display is on an endcap, and to the left down the aisle are all the other brands. Aisle brands are displayed according to descending price, starting with Bose at $2679. Sls listed at $449
Sls display is playing FM stereo thru only the satellite speakers. Woofer is NOT woofing. There are no banners or photos of Q, etc so the cap looks kinda sparse IMO. Bottom shelf would hold a boxed set.
Charming young salesgirl notices a 'dufus' twindling knobs and such and asks if I need help. I say, I want to hear the system including the woofer, and she gives me short lesson on surround sound/DVD and agrees to get knowledgeable person. He arrives rather quickly. (I have always found BB salesfolk to be at least kind and friendly) He starts doin' his thing and can't get woofer to work, so he leaves to get an RCA cable to replace the Coax. He finally gets the CD to play on the satellites but the woofer wont woof. Then he says that he thinks someone poked a hole in thru the bottom of the woofer and destroyed it's woofing ability. I ask "what you gotta do to get it replaced?" -- ' Well, we gotta return it but we haven't done it yet. '
At this point I confess to being a heavy investor in SLS and I will contact folks to get that type of shit fixed, and fast. I hope some of you will take this ball and run as I am not going to start hassling John.
Clerks comments include:
"These things sell like hotcakes, but we can't get re-orders filled fast enough. We have to shuttle inventory between stores in the region"
"It sounds great, but I think the Bose system is just a little bit better. However, when you consider the price difference.. Well, not a hard choice to make".
"We sell 5 times as many units here as other BB's, but I think that's cause we can say that this is a local company. Nobody has really heard of this company before".
"Well, this marketing campaign is a TEST, so I don't really know how many we or BB are selling". {I had to comment that selling thru BB is a pretty SERIOUS TEST! and he had a chuckle} As close as he would come was 25+ units to his knowledge.
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I thanked him, and left the store. {he was a nice lad, I had chatted with him before}
IMO, this was the "flagship" store, and someone from SLS ought to drop by and keep it SHINING. I mean, it is right next door, folks, SLS is less than 10 miles south. I should be able to drop in Monday eve and be able to hear the frickin' woofer woof.
I will entertain questions and comments if you like, but please address them to me at rufusswan@mac.com as we can post them on the board later.
Paz
