CEO Corie Barry said the personalized approach is a safer way to serve customers and a better fit for the retailer, which sells big-ticket items like gaming consoles, kitchen appliances and home theater systems.
as it sells computer monitors, refrigerators and more during the coronavirus pandemic. The store has always been a place to touch and see the latest gadgets and electronics with its hands-on displays. But the company had to rethink that model as customers and employees worried about getting sick.reported Thursday that its first-quarter earnings and revenue fell
"We have a little less of an impulse sales mentality at Best Buy," she said in a call with reporters, pointing to its many higher-end consumer electronics items that can be complex to set up or operate. In March, however, the company — which is considered an essential retailer — took a surprising step. It announced it would close stores to customers and switch to a curbside-only model. In April, it said it would take cost-cutting measures,Best Buy said it retained 81% of last year's sales for the last six weeks of the quarter — but the decision potentially left sales on the table as other essential retailers saw customers continue to flock to stores.
Barry said the company will continue to adapt and test new ways to serve customers — even as the pandemic makes it difficult to forecast the future. She said the way Best Buy does business won't look the same across the country. Instead, she said, it will tailor its service to different regions and offer choices to customers that help put them at ease.
As stores reopen, she said employees have had to adjust to a more difficult environment, too. She said the company is providing training on how to de-escalate situations, as they've dealt with customers who are "scared, frustrated and occasionally hostile." So far, she said demand has been highest with large home appliances. Home theater equipment has also been popular, she said.
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