Compare and contrast Best Buy and Big Lots
Compare and contrast Big Lots and Best Buy
In the comparison and contrast between big lots and Best Buy, Big Lots is more convenient than Best Buy because it opens until late. This helps the people doing shopping at night due to time limitation during the day because of the tight schedule. Big lots do not open until late therefore less convenient. Both stores have good locations to serve all the social status classes, cultures and traditions. Those willing to go shopping with private cars, Best Buy require they prepare for alternative parking lot because theirs is small and accommodates lesser vehicles contrary to big lots, which has no problem with parking lot space. (Howard, 1998)
The physical designs match and one could think they used the same designer. Sales staffs in both stores are active and contribute to the stores success by 70%. This means that without them it is hard to maintain the store. In the past years, best buy did not have the best customer care as compared to big lots, which continues to do well in the same. The inventory levels and traffic patterns in both stores go together and an increase in traffic pattern levels of customers gears towards an increase in inventory levels. In best buy, pricing structure is better than in big lots. This could have to do with the name best buy and its prices are always lower than big lots only that big lot is more stocked and hard to miss anything from the detailed displays. At Big Lots, lighting, flooring and general atmosphere is more appealing compared to Best Buy. (Howard, 1998)
Going deep to the departments, I happen to explore more on the advertisement department in each store. Both stores use the same advertisement means like audio, visual and print media as well as billboards and wrapping coupons. They have no overlapping products therefore similar in pricing. They price products according to value and not demand. In general, the two stores have many similarities the most appealing similarity is that both have welcoming cautious customer care. They are however different from each other because of their strategies of attracting customers. Best buy tends to attract the customers by telling them how their products are available while Big lots tells the customers that they have all the products one could require under one roof.
I am not a customer in any one of these stores and if I were, I would have a problem choosing the best because they almost have the same services and good customer, which is the main concern to any customer. Regarding the atmosphere, best buy is more onto original products and the atmosphere is the goods will be original and at a good price. When entering big lots, the atmosphere convinces the buyer or the customer that there is everything needed under one roof. This increases the customer traffic level and in the end profits. (Howard, 1998)
Looking into details in each store’s website look, it is almost the same apart from the color schemes where Best buy has more red sections unlike big lots, which has all colors. Having the same look would mean one store copy from the other therefore a crisis.
McNair, B. (1998). Retail Development, Harper & Row, New York: NY press.
Shell, E. (2009). The High Cost of Discount Culture, New York: Penguin Press.
Foxall, G. (2005.) Understanding Consumer Choice. Baingstoke: Palgrave.
Howard, J. (1998), Theory of Buyer Behavior. New York: J. Wiley & Sons.
