Verizon, AT&T To Setup Mini-Stores Inside 250 Best Buy Locations Nationwide
Best Buy is planning to make spaces available for dedicated AT&T and Verizon sections within 250 of its retail store locations by the end of the year, according to separate press releases issued by both wireless carriers. These mini store sections within Best Buy would be similar to the ones that already exist for Samsung and Apple.
Verizon said its "Experience Stores" will be staffed by "dedicated and highly-trained Best Buy employees" who are intimately familiar with its products and services, while AT&T was a little more vague saying its spaces will include "dedicated employees who are expertly trained" on its wares (we assume that also means Best Buy workers).
"The shops allow us to offer even better service to our customers, whether they need help with their data plan or understanding how their phone or tablet can better control their increasingly connected life," said Josh Will, Senior Category Officer of Mobile and Connected Home at Best Buy. "The mobile device is becoming the remote control to everything else in our lives, but it can be confusing. We can help shoppers make sense of it all."
AT&T and Verizon will co-exist in many of the same stores, just as Samsung and Apple do. However, AT&T will go beyond its mobile offerings and will promote satellite TV service through DirecTV, which it recently acquired for $49 billion.
This could be the beginning of a new Best Buy. As it stands, you can still walk into a Best Buy store and shop for products by categories with dedicated sections for televisions, audio gear, computer parts, and so forth. However, it's not hard to envision a mall-like atmosphere separate by brands rather than product categories.
Verizon said its "Experience Stores" will be staffed by "dedicated and highly-trained Best Buy employees" who are intimately familiar with its products and services, while AT&T was a little more vague saying its spaces will include "dedicated employees who are expertly trained" on its wares (we assume that also means Best Buy workers).
"The shops allow us to offer even better service to our customers, whether they need help with their data plan or understanding how their phone or tablet can better control their increasingly connected life," said Josh Will, Senior Category Officer of Mobile and Connected Home at Best Buy. "The mobile device is becoming the remote control to everything else in our lives, but it can be confusing. We can help shoppers make sense of it all."
AT&T and Verizon will co-exist in many of the same stores, just as Samsung and Apple do. However, AT&T will go beyond its mobile offerings and will promote satellite TV service through DirecTV, which it recently acquired for $49 billion.
This could be the beginning of a new Best Buy. As it stands, you can still walk into a Best Buy store and shop for products by categories with dedicated sections for televisions, audio gear, computer parts, and so forth. However, it's not hard to envision a mall-like atmosphere separate by brands rather than product categories.
