Best Buy Expanding Their 'Compact System Camera' Offerings

Amin

Hall of Famer
According to a forum post at DPReview, Best Buy will begin selling the Panasonic GF2 on April 17, 2011. According to the poster, Sam Bennett, a salesman at Best Buy informed him that the staff were being trained regarding "compact system cameras" and will be actively pushing these as a class.

It all sounded like a typical "camera store guy said..." rumor until I looked at the link Sam provided (screenshot below): Compact System Digital Cameras - Best Buy

This kind of exposure at Best Buy could make a real difference in the United States.

Source: DPReview forum

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This is good news.

When I was down in Florida, I went to a Ritz Camera store, and I wanted to look at a NEX5. As soon as the salesman gave it to me to play with, he was trying to push me on to a "regular" dSLR explaining all the limitations about the NEX system in comparison to traditional dSLR. I really couldn't believe the guy. Salesmen don't qualify their customers anymore. My local wolf camera store seems more knowledgable. The salesman at the one I frequent says that they are selling the NEX system about 2 a week. He says he wish he could get more stock and better variety such as some of the panasonic and Samsung models in his store.
 
Well, the way I look at it is that this chain of stores Best Buy is kind of a store for the masses...sometimes good deals can be found, sometimes not so much...they sell a variety of items including refrigerators! So, I'm thinking that however this transpired... Was it Best Buy approaching Sony, or Sony selling the marketing to Best Buy, that it has the potential to deliver this camera - the NEX and all of its future iterations and lenses - into many, many more hands, thereby upping sales and hopefully increasing the likelihood of more lenses, the next NEX, etc. At least that's my take on it.

Honestly, I have only been to a Best Buy a few times because there is not one very near to where I live and I tend to avoid the big box stores because of where they are...usually on very busy "strips" that I just don't like to go to, but that's just me because tons of people go to Best Buy.
 
Thanks BB. That puts it into context a little more. I'm thinking we have comparative stores here in Oz, though never really find that their stocking of consumer photo items has much bearing on price. Their adoption of "if you find a lower price well beat it by x%" policies appears to have promise, until you present yourself with a print-out of B&H, Adorama or other US retailers and then they direct you to the fine print. :mad: Well I might be off the mark, but for us here, better bargains are to be had when you pluck up some courage in state postal systems and buy from overseas. So if stores, such as Best Buy, drive down US prices I assume some residual benefits might be felt for the more audacious Australian shoppers.....because we pay through the teeth for items over here.
 
Mark, I've heard about the prices you all must pay and feel for you. Perhaps there's an inventive yet legal way around all this - as you said from "state postal" systems. I'm getting the feeling that these systems are not the same from state to state and that there's not a ton of faith in them?

As I said, that's just my take on the Best Buy thing.
 
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