The above photo is of an apparent promotional sign spotted at a Best Buy in Rochester, MN touting the highly anticipated release of Blizzard’s Diablo III on February 1 of this year. A matter of weeks.

Several readers have pointed out that the sign features misspellings (the game apparently comes out in Febuary and not February) and the font seems off, point to an apparent photoshop. However, Joystiq, the site which originally ran the photo has called the store in questioned and verified that yes — the display is up.

Best Buy’s website also lists the game as being available on February 1, though Blizzard has not commented or set a date for the game. We’ll update this page when we hear more.

Buy now!

The iPad is on sale!

It’s a Memorial Day BONANZA at Best Buy.

Or is it?

Check your email. You probably have an email flyer from the big-blue-and-yellow-box store declaring a Memorial Day Sale — with an iPad starting at $499.

Thing is, that is the original, everyday price of the iPad.

Best Buy also advertises L.A. Noire for Xbox 360 for $59.99, which is also the original MSRP.

What’s on sale? Well they have “City Slickers” on Blu-ray for $9.99.

Oh, and 20 percent off ink and toner … but that’s only for Wednesday. Sorry, Memorial Day shoppers.

In fact, one of the only “sale” products listed, after clicking the “sale” link on the flyer is a really just awful Coby 32-inch LCD television for $249.99, which is hilarious considering that Best Buy also sells a really amazingly good Sharp 32-inch LCD HDTV for $329.99.

This isn’t exactly “Extreme Couponing.”

This article is meant to serve as warning for all who are looking into purchasing a new piece of gadgetry but are wary that the value of the product will go down significantly after the purchase. This worry is totally understandable since over the course of about two years, a newer and a better version of any given electronic will make your old piece of tech obsolete. I think Best Buy realized that there is a value to this and therefore they started their “Buy Back” program. But first, let’s discuss what the program actually is.

When you go into a Best Buy store and find the product you want, in order to enter into the Buy Back Program you MUST first purchase the Buy Back offer that is associated with the device. Think of it as an “extended warranty” that the person ringing you up will shout into your ear until you comply to buy it. So in order for you to give back your product, you have to pay them to take it back. Every price range has a buy back price. For example, a $600 product has a Buy Back price of $50. The payout, in the form of a Best Buy Gift Card, is organized into different term periods which create a dynamic where the longer you have the product, the more it depreciates. Here’s the breakdown: within 6 months you’ll get 50 percent back, 6 months to one year (40 percent), one year to 18 months (30 percent), and 18 months to 2 years (20 percent). TV’s get somewhat of an extension as the last term of 2 years to 4 years will yield you 10 percent in returns. If you go over the 2 year period for regular electronics and the 4 year period for TV’s, then the whole deal is canceled. It is unlikely that a piece of tech, such as a smartphone, will get so far in advance within 0-12 month period that it will be worth trading in. It is more likely that you will want to return the product somewhere in the one year to two year time range.

As previously stated, in return for submitting your old electronic that must have been purchased from a Best Buy store, you will get a Best Buy Gift Card, not cold hard cash or even credit back on your plastic. You must have photo ID along with the receipt and all of the parts and accessories that came in the original packaging. This means that the Buy Back Program is non-transferable, so that if you happen to sell your device to a friend, they cannot reap the minor rewards of the Buy Back Program. If your gadget has more than just regular wear and tear, i.e. dents, scratches, or even minor functional damages, Best Buy will cut your payout by half. If there are major problems on the surfaces or internal failures, then you get $0 and the Buy Back purchase is wasted (hear the playing of the world’s tiniest violin).

Understand that this is a clever way to trick people who may not know the ins and outs of future projections for electronics, but there is a well-known formula, Moore’s law, that basically states that the amount of transistors on a circuit board will double every two years. This means that you’ll unlikely see a big increase in technology with the same type of gadget and within the time frame that would allow you any substantial amount in returns. Still not convinced that the deal is sour? Let’s do the math then. Say you get a laptop worth $600, you have it for a period of a little less than two years, and you purchased the Buy Back for $50. It is in good working order with no internal or surface problems with the laptop. Being that it has been almost two years since you bought the laptop; (recall Moore’s law) the electronic companies have managed to double the advancements for the device for the price of $600. After you pass the inspection, your buy back would be $120 (which is essentially $70 net if you take away the $50 initial fee). If there were any significant scratches or faulty hardware problems, then your gift card would be reduced to $60 (or $10 net). So if you wanted to buy that newer, more advanced $600 laptop, the Buy Back Program will net you either 12 percent or 2 percent towards the new purchase, depending on how well you maintain your gadget. But consider this… if your laptop is in good condition, there should be no reason to give it back. If it works well enough, you should use it for as long as it works and take it somewhere that recycles old electronics when they are completely blasted. Instead, Best Buy wants you to take that $120 gift card and put it towards a new laptop in their computer department. You are more likely to sell your gadget for more when you sell it on eBay, Craigslist, Amazon, etc. with the added bonus of getting that cash money in return.

For the reasons above, you should be skeptical of the Best Buy “Buy Back” Program. The only positive, I hope, is that Best Buy recycles the old electronics so that they do not clutter our already oversized toxic waste dumps.

Those who think the era of print publications is over, might wish to reconsider. According to a report, national electronics retailer Best Buy is getting into the magazine business with its own ‘zine, @Gamer.

Video game retailer GameStop owns the hugely popular GameInformer magazine and, pending more informational details, it looks as if Best Buy wants a slice of that tasty, money-laden cake.

The magazine is titled @Gamer, and is described as the “official games magazine of Best Buy.” According to the report, noted games writer Andy Eddy (GamePro, Videogames & Computer Entertainment) is leading the charge, but whether the ‘zine is merely an exaggerated advertorial or is filled with actual editorial content, remains to be seen.

If it does turn out to be an official games magazine, I look forward to picking it up. What about you?

via Destructoid

Modern Warfare 2′s Nov. 10 release date is mere weeks away, and if you still haven’t decided on where you’ll buy the game, Best Buy today revealed every location nationwide opening their doors at midnight to sell the hotly anticipated title.

Here’s the full list, organized alphabetically by state.

ALABAMA
Alabaster
Auburn
Hoover
Huntsville
Mobile
Montgomery
Oxford
Trussville

ALASKA
Anchorage

ARIZONA
Ahwatukee
Arrowhead
Avondale
Camelback
Casa Grande
Chandler
E. Tucson
Fiesta Mall
Flagstaff
Goodyear
North Scottsdale
Paradise Valley
Prescott
Scottsdale Shea
Superstition Sprg
S.W. Tucson
Thunderbird Rd
Tucson
Yuma

ARKANSAS
Fort Smith
Rogers

CALIFORNIA
Apple Valley
Bakersfield
Brentwood
Cerritos
Citrus Heights
City of Industry
Clovis
Colma
Corona
Costa Mesa
Culver City
Downey
Duarte
East Orange
Elk Grove
Fairfield
Fresno
Fullerton
Glendale
Hawthorne
Irvine
Jamboree
La Quinta
Lakewood
Long Beach
Manteca
Marina
Menifee
Mira Mesa
Mission Viejo
Montclair
Montebello
Moreno Valley East
Natomas
Northridge
Oceanside
Ontario
Orange
Oxnard
Pasadena
Pinole
Pleasant Hill
Porter Ranch
Rancho Cucamonga
Riverside
Roseville
San Bruno
San Carlos
San Francisco
Santa Clarita
Santa Maria
Santa Rosa
Santana Row
Sherman Oaks
Signal Hill
Simi Valley
Thousand Oaks
Torrance
Tracy
Tustin
Vallejo
Victorville
Visalia
West Covina
West Hollywood
West L.A.
Westminster Mall
Westwood
Woodland Hills
Yorba Linda

COLORADO
Arapahoe and Parker
Boulder
Colorado Springs II
First and Main
Fort Collins
Grand Junction
I-70 and Tower Rd.
Northglenn
Parker
S.E. Denver
Southwest
Westminster

CONNECTICUT
Manchester
West Hartford

DELAWARE
Christiana
Wilmington

FLORIDA
Aventura
Boca Raton
Bradenton
Brandon
Coral Springs
Dadeland
Daytona Beach
Doral
Florida City
Fort Myers
Gainesville
Gulf Coast
Hialeah
Jacksonville N
Jensen Beach
Kissimmee
Lady Lake
Miami Beach
Millenia Mall
Oldsmar
Orange Park
Pembroke Pines
Pensacola
Pinecrest
Regency Mall
S. Tampa
Saint Johns
Sanford
Sawgrass
St. Petersburg
Tallahassee
Tropicaire
W. Kendall
W. Palm Beach
Waterford Lakes
Wesley Chapel
Winter Garden

GEORGIA
Alpharetta
Athens
Atlanta (Midtown)
Augusta
Columbus
Cumberland
Gainesville
Gwinnett
Kennesaw
Macon
Perimeter
Savannah

HAWAII
Aiea
Honolulu

IDAHO
Nampa
Twin Falls

ILLINOIS
Algonquin
Arlington Heights
Bloomingdale
Bloomington
Bolingbrook
Burbank
Butterfield Road
Champaign
Crystal Lake
Dekalb
Edwardsville
Evanston
Geneva
Gurnee
Harlem and Irving
Joliet
Kankakee
Kildeer
Mundelein
North Avenue
Orland Park
Schaumburg
Springfield
Tinley Park
Vernon Hills
W. Dundee

INDIANA
Apple Glen Cross
Bloomington
Clarksville
Evansville
Fort Wayne
Greenwood
Kokomo
Lafayette
Mishawaka
Muncie
Valparaiso

IOWA
Ames
Ankeny
Cedar Rapids
Davenport
Des Moines I
Des Moines II
Iowa City
Waterloo

KANSAS
Lawrence
Manhattan
Oak Park
Olathe
Overland Park
Topeka

KENTUCKY
Bowling Green
Elizabethtown
Florence
Hamburg Pavillion
Lexington
Outer Loop
Shelbyville

LOUISIANA
Baton Rouge
Lafayette
Lake Charles
Shreveport
Veterans Blvd.
Westbank

MAINE
Bangor

MARYLAND
Arundel Mills
Frederick
Germantown
Glen Burnie
Hunt Valley
Lexington Park
Rockville

MASSACHUSETTS
Brockton
Milford
North Dartmouth
Pittsfield
Saugus
Seekonk
South Bay
Taunton
Worcester

MICHIGAN
Allen Park
Ann Arbor
Brighton
Farmington Hills
Flint
Grand Rapids II
Gratiot
Kalamazoo
Lansing
Madison Heights/Troy
Novi
Port Huron
Saginaw
Southfield

MINNESOTA
Apple Valley
Baxter
Blaine
Duluth
Maple Grove
Minnetonka
Northtown
Oakdale
Richfield
Roseville
Shakopee

MISSISSIPPI
Gulfport
Hattiesburg

MISSOURI
Cape Girardeau
Columbia
Lees Summit
Manchester
Mid Rivers Mall
South County
Watson Road

MONTANA
Billings
Kalispell
Missoula

NEBRASKA
Lincoln
Omaha
W. Omaha

NEVADA
Carson Valley
Centennial
Henderson
Las Vegas II
Maryland Parkway
Reno
Sparks
Summerlin
S.W. Las Vegas

NEW HAMPSHIRE
Manchester
Nashua
Salem

NEW JERSEY
Cherry Hill
Deptford
E. Hanover
East Brunswick
Holmdel
Manahawkin
Manalapan
Mount Laurel
Rockaway
Secaucus
South Brunswick
Union
Vauxhall
West Paterson
Woodbridge

NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque
Farmington
Santa Fe
W Albuquerque II

NEW YORK
Albany
Bay Shore
Broadway (NoHo)
Big Flats
Clarence
Commack
Hartsdale
Henrietta
Huntington Station
Ithaca
Liverpool
Patchogue
Rego Park
Riverhead
Syracuse
Vestal
W. Nyack
Westbury

NORTH CAROLINA
Asheville
Asheville South
Burlington
Cary
Charlotte North Lake
Durham New Hope Commons
Durham Renaissance Court
Gastonia
Greensboro
Greenville
Hickory
Jacksonville
Monroe
Rocky Mount
University Place
Waynesville
Wilmington
Wilson
Winston-Salem

NORTH DAKOTA
Fargo

OHIO
Avon
Canton
Chapel Hill
Colerain
Dayton Mall
Eastgate
Elyria
Fairfield Township
Fields Ertel
Findlay
Grove City
Lancaster
Mansfield
Mayfield Road
Mentor
Niles
Parma
Polaris
Sandusky
Springfield
Strongsville
Toledo
Tri-County
Tuttle Crossing
Western Hills
Youngstown

OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City North
Owasso
Tulsa

OREGON
Gresham
Salem
Springfield

PENNSYLVANIA
Altoona
Century III
Cranberry
Erie
Harrisburg East
Mechanicsburg
Monaca
No. Fayette
No. Hills Village
Oxford Valley
Pittsburgh Mills
Plymouth Meeting
S. Philadelphia
Scranton
Selinsgrove
So. Hills
State College
Stroudsburg
Whitehall
Wilkes Barre

RHODE ISLAND
Middletown

SOUTH CAROLINA
Anderson
Charleston
Florence
Greenville
Myrtle Beach
Summerville
Two Notch

SOUTH DAKOTA
Rapid City
Sioux Falls

TENNESSEE
Johnson City
Kingsport
Knoxville
Memphis
Mt. Juliet
Nashville West
Rivergate

TEXAS
Abilene
Allen
Baybrook
Baytown
Beaumont
Brownsville
Corpus Christi
Denton
East El Paso
East Houston
El Paso
Flower Mound
Fort Worth
Forum
Frisco
Galleria
Grand Parkway
Gulfgate
Heritage Trace
Hulen
Lake Jackson
Laredo
Legacy
Lubbock
McAllen
Midland
Midway/LBJ
N. Garland
N. McAllen
No. Austin
North Arlington
North Irving
North Rim
Pasadena
Pearland
Price Plaza
Ridgmar
Rockwall
Rosenberg
San Angelo
San Antonio
San Marcos
So. Austin
South Fort Worth
Sugarland
Texarkana
Victoria
Victory Lakes
W. Oaks
W. San Antonio
Waxahachie
Weatherford
West El Paso
West McAllen
Wichita Falls
Woodlands

UTAH
Logan
Murray
Orem
Riverdale
South Salt Lake

VERMONT
Williston

VIRGINIA
Charlottesville
Chesapeake
Chesterfield
Christianburg
Fairlakes
Fredericksburg
Leesburg
Lynchburg
Newport News
Princess Anne
Reston
Roanoke
Springfield Mall
Stafford
Sterling
Virginia Beach
Virginia Center Commons
W. Broad
Williamsburg

WASHINGTON
Bellevue
Bellingham
Burlington
E. Spokane
Everett
Olympia
Puyallup
Seattle-Northgate
Spokane North

WEST VIRGINIA
Granville
Huntington

WISCONSIN
Bluemound Plaza
E. Madison
Green Bay
Kenosha
La Crosse
Racine
Southridge
W. Madison

WYOMING
Casper

Source: Best Buy

(ARA) — You’ve made your holiday list and checked it twice, but what happens when the salesperson helping you is naughty, not nice? Crowded stores, long lines, low inventory and cranky shoppers rushing to find that perfect holiday gift can often lead to a “perfect storm” of bad service.

That’s why many retailers are ensuring that they have service quality systems in place to avoid the typical holiday mishaps between shoppers and service staff, according to the American Society for Quality, which provides service quality training for many industries, including retail.

“The top four causes of customer dissatisfaction are out of stock items, discontinued items, returns and shipping charges,” says John Goodman, an ASQ customer service expert. “These are issues that are easily resolvable if sales staff have the right tools and training.”

Bigger stories like Bath & Body Works, for example, provide staff with training to handle these kinds of complaints. Its sales staff takes steps such as maintaining eye contact with customers during every step of the sale. They are also trained in how to detect and respond to unspoken needs and are told to “treat a return like a sale” because a properly handled return will often move the customer to buy something else.

Best Buy is ranked highest in customer satisfaction among national and multi-regional major appliance retailers, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates. One key reason is that they make customer service training a priority.

In addition to a rigorous certification process, employees are well-educated on complicated products and solutions, enabling them to better help customers, says Mike Fisher, senior director of Lean Six Sigma for Best Buy’s corporate campus in Richfield, Minn..

The store’s TRUST model ensures that employees thank consumers for coming into the store, respect their opinions, understand their needs, solve challenges together and thank and support the ongoing consumer relationship.

“Our goal is to put more sales staff or ‘blue shirts’ on the sales floor instead of handling paper work and other duties,” Fisher said. “That way they are immediately available to assist consumers with their questions and needs.”

While many retailers will make an extra effort to ensure excellent customer service this holiday season, Goodman suggests that customers take these steps to help ensure a positive sales experience:

• Get to know the sales clerks at your favorite stores. This ensures that you will be in the loop regarding stores sales and events. A salesperson who knows you may also be more apt to help if a problem does arise.
• Research store policies before you buy. Being aware of policies regarding cash refunds or sale merchandise returns can help you avoid problems later on.

So what happens when you run into a problem? Goodman offers these tips for successfully handling service complaints.

• Take three deep breaths — when you are upset you may not think clearly and therefore often don’t present your case logically.
• Tell the company rep that you know that the problem is not their fault – this reduces their defensiveness.
• After outlining the facts, state exactly what you want the rep to do for you – if you don’t they might go off in the wrong direction in developing a response.
• Don’t ask for cash compensation for your time — companies can almost never do that, but they can give you credit toward your bill.
• Never use profanity — most reps are authorized to hang up on you if you do.
• If you have been a long-term customer, point that out but don’t exaggerate — employees can often access your actual purchase history.

The simplest and most important thing you can do is to recognize good service when you receive it by remembering to say thank you.

Courtesy of ARA Content

Is the Wii about to have its price point officially slashed down $50 to $199?

Anonymous tipsters sending advertisement images to gaming blog Kotaku seem to think so, and from the looks of it, we’re ready to believe.

Although rumors are fun, we really hope Nintendo grants some clarity on this issue, and issues an offical statement.

As a PSP racing enthusiast, I love all things racing. However, growing up, my favorite game was always the PS1 original Gran Turismo. So nothing got me more excited than to hear that a new Gran Turismo game would be coming out for the PSP. The game will have 35 tracks and over 800 cars, so it’ going to try and assuage racing enthusiasts by including more cars than anyone can ask for. However, there are four special cars which you can receive by‚  pre-ordering the game from either Gamestop, Amazon, Best Buy or Game Crazy. Depending on where you order the game, you can get one of the four special car as an in-game reward. The offerings are as follows:

- Amazon: 2002 Enzo Ferrari in “Giallo Modena” yellow

- Gamestop: 2009 Bugatti Veyron 16.4 in “Black M” color

- GameCrazy: 1974 Lamborghini Countach LP400 in “Arancio” Orange

- Best Buy: 2008 Citroen GTbyCITROEN in yellow

Here are some photos so you can get a look at what’s what.

Personally, I’m going with the 1974 Lamborghini. What do you want to go with? Comment below so I can get a feel for which way everyone else is leaning.

Mega-retailer Best Buy is staking a claim in the gaming market this week as the electronics purveryor is offering 50% off a select Xbox 360 title when purchased alongside another full priced title $79.99 or below.

Now, we don’t particularly enjoy granting companies free advertising, but when a deal is this sweet, we feel like we should.

Interestingly, the list of titles in the promotion is extensive and glorious and actually extends to unreleased titles including Halo 3: ODST, and Modern Warfare 2, among many others.

If I did my math correctly, $90 will buy you ODST and Modern Warfare 2, or any other titles priced at $59.99. Not bad at all.

50% Off Xbox 360 Game Offer @ Best Buy

Sony announced the $299 slimmed downed, but feature buffed piece of hardware last week at GamesCom and stated that the new console would hit retailers beginning in early September, however, the systems are already showing up at Best Buy’s and other fine electronics purveyors.

According to Gizmodo, who sent an intern to a Daytona Beach Best Buy, the systems are in healthy stock awaiting your purchase.

So if you’re in the market for a smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more capable PlayStation 3, call your local Best Buy/GameStop/anyone who sells electronics, ask if they’ve got ‘em in stock, buy one, and enjoy the spoils of HD gaming!

Gizmodo

Buying new next-gen games nowadays can be quite a heft monetary endeavor to embark upon, but electronics‚  mega-giant Best Buy is offering up some attractive deals worthy of at least a look.

Starting this Sunday over 50 new PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS titles at Best Buy will be sold for a penny under $10.‚  Granted there’s a lot of crap here, but wading in the smelly excrements lie some pure gems awaiting your enthusiastic frugality.

As always, your market may vary, so read up in the Sunday circular when it arrives, but for now, enjoy the following lists.

Standout games, in my eyes, include 007: Quantum of Solace (PS3, 360), Bourne Conspiracy (PS3, 360), Soul Calibur 4 (PS3, 360), Guitar Hero 3 + Aerosmith (PS3 only), Devil May Cry 4 (360 only), Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 (360 only), Pure (360, PS3), Turok (360), Unreal Tournament 3 (360 only), and Samba De Amigo (Wii).

Full list of discounted titles at Cheap Ass Gamer.

Multi-platinum recording artist Christina Aguilera will release a live DVD filmed during her July 2007 shows in Sydney, Australia during her “Back to Basics” world tour.

“This breathlessly energetic, dazzling live concert spectacular brought the house down-and the cameras were rolling there to catch it all,” RCA Music Group said in a statement.

Back to Basics — Live and Down Under will be a 90-minute video available for $14.99 exclusively at Best Buy February 5.

“Christina’s done it again — another stunning long-form from one of music’s greatest performers. We are fortunate Best Buy shares our excitement and has partnered with us on this project,” said Tom Corson, EVP/GM of RCA.

The concert features 18 songs from the four-time Grammy Award-winning superstar’s career, including hit singles “Ain’t No Other Man” and “Candyman” and number one hits “Come on Over Baby (All I Want Is You)” and “What a Girl Wants.”

The DVD captures the excitement of this lavish tour, from the unique stage with 3 distinct scenes, more than 600 moving lights and a state-of-the-art hydraulic system, to production incorporating everything from burlesque cabaret to trapeze choreography, fire jugglers, and stilt walkers-but the heart and soul of the show is Christina Aguilera, with her awe-inspiring voice and silver-screen charisma. Bonus material gives viewers a true 360 degree perspective of the tour by featuring exclusive interviews with her dancers, wardrobe (Simone Harouche), hair and makeup (Stephen Sollitto), musicians, background vocalists, musical director (Rob Lewis), Jordan Bratman (Christina’s husband) and Christina herself.

Aguilera has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, and created four number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She is also a three-time Grammy Award-winner.

Track list:
Disc 1:
1. Into: Back to Basics
2. Ain’t No Other Man
3. Back In The Day
4. Understand
5. Come On Over
6. Slow Down Baby
7. Still Dirrty
8. I Got Trouble
9. Makes Me Wanna Pray
10. What A Girl Wants
11. Oh Mother
12. Enter The Circus
13. Welcome
14. Dirrty
15. Candyman
16. Nasty Naughty Boy
17. Hurt
18. Lady Marmalade
19. Encore: Thank You
20. Beautiful
21. Fighter
Disc 2: Special Features- Exclusive Behind the Scenes Footage & Interviews