Like the post states:

Whats it like to work for this company? I was offered a position
with this company and want to know the real skinny. Any info
good/bad is welcome.

Thanks

 

well i used to sell cell phones for Sprint PCS inside a best buy, i talked to some of the installers and it seems to be a very easy job. pretty much no custom stuff, mostly headunit and speaker install. sometimes video and headrest(the only custom work).

 

A person that was fired from a shop I worked because he screwed everything up was hired by Best Buy as an installation manager. The reputation of the shop that fired from was good enough to overcome his shortcomings. They thought he was great. Go figure.

You won't have to do anything difficult but you won't have anybody to learn from either.

 

From what I have heard you look forward to selling warranties and shitty pay.

 

For all those who responded thanks....Please keep them info
comming. Now I know that some of you have worked there
before.. Don't be ashamed...there really is no cause for it.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by luciferi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
You won't have to do anything difficult but you won't have anybody to learn from either.</TD></TR></TABLE>

LOL ...you are probably right,but you can always learn something from
everyone. Maybe it helps that this is a job I love to do. Here a list of
some of the companies I have worked for in a mobile capacity:
Highland/Silo/Circuit City/Tweeter. I think I have a lot to offer and teach
if they are willing to learn .

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by auex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
...from what I have heard you look foward to selling warranties and
shitty pay...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think you are quite right...But let me spin a tale:
I can remember a time when installers were paid very well ( some
still are ). You got $ per hr ( more than min wage ) plus
up to half of the install labor. Pretty cool huh? The biz got the product
and material dollars plus 50-75% of the labor cost. So you can see
how it a mutually benifitial for both parties. Those days are long
gone.

Keep the info coming everyone.

 

I am currently an installer at best buy. i love it... i used to work at a mom & pop shop before here but i think working for a real corporation is a lot better because you dont have to deal with some of the bullshit that comes along with working at a little shop. You dont really do an custom work at best buy, they pay good, its really easy to get days off/switched, its a fun environment and the discounts kick ***. I really like it.... thats my .02$

 

discounts are great if ur looking into getting the mainstream brands, but even then, it would be the low - mid models.

 

true, but you get discounts on everything in the store which is NICE!

 

Thanks for the info...keep it coming

 

You worked for Silo. That goes way back. you must have more experience than the typical best buy employee

 

I install for Best Buy, and I love it, too... No custom stuff really, except for the occasional bracket made of ABS for someone's XM radio when they don't want it stuck to the dash... Pay is great for a guy with no college degree, and chances of being promoted are pretty good... I would say go for it... The discount rocks, especially on necessities like batteries and cables and such...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by luciferi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You worked for Silo. That goes way back. you must have more experience than the typical best buy employee</TD></TR></TABLE>

You are soooo correct,luciferi. I have been in the industry for...
lerts just say quite a while ..well over 10 years.
This should be interesting....

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by audioroach &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I have been in the industry for...
lerts just say quite a while ..well over 10 years.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Same here

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Auex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">From what I have heard you look forward to selling warranties and shitty pay.</TD></TR></TABLE>

id have to really disagree i used to work for best buy and to be honest i got payed real well but then again im in cali so probably better pay then the rest of the US.
i say go for it should get easily 15 maybe even 20 an hour for how kick back the job is i say go for it ...plus overtime kicks *** there

 

My buddy is an manager for BB. He's always telling me how ppl get x'fered to his dept, just to get fired. Managers sniping at people left and right. It seems like a very stressful place to work from what I hear. Oh and he says the health insurance stinks.

 

i have worked for best buy and still have many friends that still work there, even on the district management level. i liked working there, but i like not working there also.

 

what requirements do you need to work there? do you need mecp? im also interested in working for best buy or circuit city.. but i have no work experience related to it. my friend got a job at circuit city and loves it, theyre teaching him a lot of things. i can install stereos and such but have never hands on an alarm.. but neither did he and he got accepted to circuit city

 

What type of discount do you get if you work at Best Buy?

 

Discount is generally 5% above what the store buys the product for... So whatever has the biggest markup percentage, you get the best discount on. Like car stereo stuff is half off retail price most of the time, however, computers are only like 20 bucks off.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by simpleaznx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what requirements do you need to work there? do you need mecp? im also interested in working for best buy or circuit city.. but i have no work experience related to it. my friend got a job at circuit city and loves it, theyre teaching him a lot of things. i can install stereos and such but have never hands on an alarm.. but neither did he and he got accepted to circuit city</TD></TR></TABLE>

Since I used to manage a roadshop I can answer this one.
1. have the will to learn ( we all had to start somewhere)
2. have some basic knowledge of working with tools and electrical.
3. have a basic set of tools ( if you want a list IM me I'll tell you)
4.Bonus: Look into the MECP sudy guide and have it proctored by
a local librarian. ( this will get a heads up over the avg joe off the street)

Best Buy/ Circuit are great places to cut your teeth. You will be
exsposed to many cars and a wide variety of tasks. To be a good installer,
you have to be good at a variety of tasks ( MyGuyver so to speak). The
only downfall is the work ethic and experience of the lead/manager. If
its bad...you wont benefit. Sorry but its true.

"What about the schools....":
My advice is to attend after you have been employed for 2 years
min. Yes this can be a difficult task...You want a job in the field/but no
one will take you with no experience. I feel that if you have the practical
experience you will benefit from it much more. ( I know of some leads/shop
managers who went to a school and dont have a friggin clue on installing
..so sad ) Don't get me wrong I love the schools...Its just that classroom and
practical shop experience are two different animals.
( Plus many companies will rembursh you for attending...check with HR)

Have fun



Modified by audioroach at 10:58 AM 5/7/2004

 

yeah i really want to learn more about it thats why itd be great to get a job with it. i do as much of my own work as possible, i do a lot of reading, read the car stereo cookbook,forums, etc, i learned everything taking apart my integra and just trying to use common sense. so are you saying that i should get the mecp certification? is it just a written exam? think ill check out the site again right now to double check

 

Yes...it can open a lot of doors for you. The study guides are an
excellent resource. You can get the guide...study it, make
arrangements to have it proctored when youre ready. It shows
that you are serious about it. Look at me...i still dont consider it
a 'real' job ( it my hobby)

 

Well the BB that I work at is a little different than the other ones in the company. We DO do custom installs/work. We just finished up a custom box & amp rack for a brand new RX-8 yesterday, (custom built box, plexi, lighting, panel covers, etc.) and are doing another custom box for an SUV right now. Pretty much most of the work that the smaller mom & pop shops can do, we can do. It's just the issue of us not carrying the same product in store. But if you come into our store with some lcd screens and want them cut into your headrests, we'll sure as hell do it. Our sup is kind of an old school installer with more experience than anyone installing in the bay, and everyone has the opportunity to learn. MECP isn't required to get hired as an installer, but it's encouraged and it gets you an automatic raise once you are cert'd. Again, my store is a little different, I'm in the bay area, cali & our location has Gucci, Burberry, etc. less than half a block from our store, in the same shopping complex.

 

wassup, i'm an installer, but i don;t work for bb or cc. i've herd it sux because you don't get any % of the labor. you only get hourly.

also i went to Mobile Dynamics in AZ like 2 years ago. its really a good step to take, but you have to have 6000 laying around. and then they don't really teach you anything about the accual install. its mostly how to fix problems and you get to build a few things with fiberglass. but they do teach you alopt about electronics. and they get you first class certified. and i know i've seen a few guys who come out of it and have no idea what to do, luckily i got a job working with a really good installer, i learned most of my **** from him. i think the best thing is to get a job w/an experienced installer that'll help you the most. good luck with the jobs homies

 

Do you work at the Santana Row location?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ExodusFX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well the BB that I work at is a little different than the other ones in the company. We DO do custom installs/work. We just finished up a custom box & amp rack for a brand new RX-8 yesterday, (custom built box, plexi, lighting, panel covers, etc.) and are doing another custom box for an SUV right now. Pretty much most of the work that the smaller mom & pop shops can do, we can do. It's just the issue of us not carrying the same product in store. But if you come into our store with some lcd screens and want them cut into your headrests, we'll sure as hell do it. Our sup is kind of an old school installer with more experience than anyone installing in the bay, and everyone has the opportunity to learn. MECP isn't required to get hired as an installer, but it's encouraged and it gets you an automatic raise once you are cert'd. Again, my store is a little different, I'm in the bay area, cali & our location has Gucci, Burberry, etc. less than half a block from our store, in the same shopping complex.</TD></TR></TABLE>