If you like buying stuff from Best Buy but you can’t stand actually entering the stores, you might soon be able to just sit in your car and wait for them to bring your in-store pickup purchases out to you as though it were a lukewarm bag of Chili’s Chicken Crispers.
The “Curbside Pickup” program appears to be in some sort of testing phase – I searched for an item to pick up in the Minneapolis area and only one store, a relatively new one in Shakopee, was offering to bring my impulsively-purchased item out to my car. I wasn’t able to find pickup locations outside of Minnesota, either, so it might be a very-limited pilot program launching out of Best Buy’s home state. If it works, though, you can bet it’ll pop up elsewhere.
According to the FAQ, you have to actually call and schedule a pickup time with the store, which kind of defeats the purpose for those who want to avoid interpersonal communication until it’s absolutely necessary. Once you actually show up at the store, there’s a number to call to let them know you’re there or, if you don’t have a cell phone, Best Buy says, “We’ll be watching for you.” Sounds kinda creepy but if it means I can eat, sleep, and buy gadgets without ever leaving my car, I guess that’s something.
In all seriousness, there could be some very useful implications that go along with this. Handicapped people, the elderly, and anyone else with limited mobility might use a service like this all the time, so it’ll be interesting to see if it catches on.
You know, I may actually end up using this. I suppose it’s about time the drive-thru, uh, “arena” finally sees some growth or development.
Apparently Best Buy got all hot and bothered by Circuit City’s new advertising campaign and decided it was time to step it up. I still get a little creeped out every time some TV is trying to seduce someone while I’m trying to watch football.
They will impress me when I can pull up to the curbside pickup, open my laptop, make an order, and have it brought out immediately – then I can hit the drive-through at Wendy’s…
All in all- pretty cool deal. My questions are:
1. How long does it take to get in-stock orders ready?
2. How do they know when you are there to pick it up – a cashier standing outside?
3. Can I get fries with that?
The accessibility part is nice to hear but otherwise it sounds like a service for the truly lazy.
This is just an excuse to get the employees to leave the store so the locks can be changed out, effectively firing the employee.
Kind of a weird concept but I can work with it. Might come in handy a few times.
lol like people need to be ANY more lazy
Ever wondered why people in the midwest are ranking high amongst the heavyweights of the U.S ? We bring our kids to school in gas slurping SUV’s feed them mega portions junk food and have everything delivered to the house or truck….and wonder why we all are overweight ? Come on people ! Get your ass in gear and do something physical for once even if its bowling on the Wii or shopping yourself in the Mall of America :-)
If not you can expect delivery of a contraption that will take over the functions of your now extinct limbs …it’s very cool and called a wheelchair!
I think this is one of the most dumb things I’ve ever heard. If this becomes a reality in all retail stores i really don’t think the world will be a healthy place any more. We already have shipping that can go right to your door now it seems like we’re going to have a “Drive Thru” type of system when we go shopping.
Are they serious?
Laziness? Health? Why is going to Best Buy and having your order brought out to you any “lazier” than 1-click shopping on Amazon for which you don’t even need to leave your chair?
While I personally have doubts about the value added by curbside pick-up at Best Buy, I can see the justification.
E-commerce is hurting brick and mortar business, but the one comfort Amazon cannot provide is a tactile and immediate purchasing and returns process, for which local merchants win.
So Best Buy and others are trying to bridge the gap between 1-click and walk-in.
Expanding waistlines are a concern, but no more so than diminishing attention spans and critical thinking skills!
It sounds like it may helpful for people who have kids in the car and several errands to run. I want the Chili’s Chicken Crispers with my order though.
I bought an LCD TV the week after Thanksgiving, and used this service. It wasn’t quite as convenient or expedient as I had hoped it would be (I was in a hurry to get home and help my wife with some chores).
I’d estimate it clipped 20 minutes off the time it would have taken to go into the store, stand in line, have them go in the back and find the TV, bring it up, tell them it was the wrong one, have them bring the right one out, verify my credit card, figure out why it’s ringing up at the wrong price, verify my credit card a second time, and finally find a cart to haul it out to my car. Ok, so I’m a bit cynical about Christmas shopping.
I ended up taking about 10 minutes once I pulled up in front of the store before I pulled away. All-in-all a very decent experience.
-Ben
Obesity is growing…. literally :0) … and this will not help.
That being said, all stores should do this for elderly and disabled anyway. And I’m sure they would if you asked (the right person).
Wall-E is going to become a reality.
This should exist for the elderly and disabled… not the morbidly obese. Being that fat is not a disease, it’s a choice. And don’t get me started on alcoholism.
Wow that was cheerful. Merry Christmas.
The drive-thru day: Starbucks… check. McDonalds… check. Consumer electronics? Oh yes, check.
I’ve seen some comments regarding obesity in America. Summed up, they all have a singular point of Americans in general are becoming larger because we are becoming lazy. But i feel we have ignored one group. THE DELIVERY PEOPLE! Are they obese as well? I suppose that they too (when not working) are as lazy as the rest of America and have delivery for everything as well? haha idk
You know, I may actually end up using this. I suppose it’s about time the drive-thru, uh, “arena” finally sees some growth or development :)