YakShaving

This “trick your customer” affair would make Seth Godin vomit.

As reported by Consumerist a while back, a “secret” intranet-only kiosk was placed in the Best Buy stores in order to deceive customers who tried to check product prices.

Here’s the typical use: buyer would be sitting at home on the internet, check a product on Best Buy’s site, and perhaps decide to come into the store to see it in person before making a purchase. The price in the store, they’d find, was a little higher than the price online. The customer talks to a Best Buy service rep, and is pointed to a kiosk to check the price “online”. The kiosk shows results that look just like the Best Buy website, but are not the online prices, they are the store prices or higher. And the service rep deliberately lies and tells the customer “The price must have increased since you left home”.
OK. Not only is this tactic rude and contemptible, but it’s just plain boneheaded.  We’re living in a world when $300 web enabled phones and a plethora of web apps abound to let people know the truth.

Seemingly, this could go a couple of ways.  Now that Best Buy has been vilified by the press (and by me, I suppose), it creates an opportunity for them to be the “good guys” moving forward. Best Buy could be the purveyor of all tangible electronic goods– People who are kinesthetic and need to feel and experience things before purchasing them might flock to Best Buy if they promised the same prices as online, or had transparent pricing.  Maybe their customer service agents would have to prove that they are adding value to the customer, and if the customer felt like they were treated well AND wanted the product at that minute, they would buy it from the store.  Otherwise, they’d go to the store and place the order online from the store.  A win for both retailer and consumer:  Best Buy keeps less stock in the store, and consumers get exactly what they want when they want it.

So, you’re the person in charge of all BB retail operations.  What would you do?  If your answer is: “Add a Disclaimer to the Secret Website“, you’re way off..