In case you were following the Best Buy In-Store Kiosk saga, I’m happy to report the final case-closed update on the matter.
Best Buy In-Store Kiosks allow users to browse the store in an interface that matches BestBuy.com. Initially however, they only listed in-store prices, which were not the same as referenced online. Sometimes they’re higher, sometimes they’re lower. This caused valid outcry from consumer advocates (including myself). Customers would bring in BestBuy.com to price match, and the store employee would show the in-store kiosk and claim the price online was out-of-date.
Now, last year, Best Buy fixed this problem. They added a huge banner to each page saying that the price was in-store, and did not reflect the pricing of BestBuy.com.
However, the latest update, as shown above, they now list the lowest price of the two. So, if it’s cheaper online, that’s the price that is shown. If it’s cheaper in the particular Best Buy store, that’s the price shown. And, they’ve also added the ability to do things you previously needed an employee for… like checking stock of nearby stores. You can now see exactly how many units other nearby Best Buy stores have in-stock.
California Best Buy stores now also display state-mandated notices which require them to honor the lowest advertised price.