10 Years ago this week Future Shop shut down by Best Buy

Donoreo

Best Buy had purchased Future Shop in 2001 and run both brands until 2015.

https://retail-insider.com/retail-insider/2025/03/10-years-since-future-shops-closure-in-canada/

Dks01

It seems like yesterday…

markuswarren

Ah, that explains why I always felt FS was very much Best Buy like. I only moved here in 2003 and so was not aware of the purchase in 2001.

Donoreo

markuswarren Ah, that explains why I always felt FS was very much Best Buy like.

It was like that before they bought them. The biggest difference up to the end: Future Shop had commissioned sales people, BB did/does not.

MichelR

I remember going to the stores on Merivale Rd. in Ottawa. FutureShop and BestBuy were right next to each other, so I’d go to both to see which one had the best price for what I wanted to buy.

Hydraglass

MichelR They were in the same plaza in kingston (RioCan on Gardiners) - one next to Staples, the other next to Jysk - I used to cross-shop the same, but the commissioned sales folk in Future Shop were kinda like vultures when you walked in the door, ready to pick the money out of your wallet like a buzzard picking at carrion, and that was annoying. Eventually I just ended up going to BestBuy most of the time and I would say after 2008-2009 I probably never went into FS again.

Avernar

MichelR FutureShop and BestBuy were right next to each other, so I’d go to both to see which one had the best price for what I wanted to buy.

They did that one purpose. Having both stores close to each other would drive up sales in both.

Donoreo

Hydraglass commissioned sales folk in Future Shop were kinda like vultures when you walked in the door,

On the upside, you could find someone. Hard to do that now in BB.

MichelR

Donoreo On the upside, you could find someone. Hard to do that now in BB.

Here they have a greeter at the entrance and I noticed that if you look like you can’t find what. you want, someone will ask if they can help.

dillyhammer

Donoreo At my Kitchener BB the sales folk areon me like white on rice.
Within 10 seconds of entering the store at least 1 associate has approached me asking if they can help.
I kind of like it most of the time.
But sometimes, while walking to the very back of the store, I’ll get apprached 3 or 4 times, sometimes more - a bit tedious.

Avernar

MichelR

“Here they have a ~~greeter~~ loss prevention person at the entrance”

Fixed that for you. 😜

[deleted]

Avernar “Here they have a loss prevention person at the entrance”

And they don’t prevent any loss because they can’t do anything if someone steals. So many places have these Security “Guards” that are told not to engage with anyone stealing.

What’s the point? The staff can call the cops if need be.

Hydraglass

[deleted] There are plenty of cameras, so its more that the greeter can take note of the time and day and what they suspect - and they can memorize your face in case you try to come back in the future, add printouts of your face to all the checkouts as persona non grata, and if they feel like it, file a police report.

MichelR

Avernar “Here they have a greeter loss prevention person at the entrance”

Fixed that for you. 😜

I thought that was the job of the beep-beep thingy we go through. 😉 Actually they have no one at the exit (you can get out through the entrance, but there’s a side exit).

HELLFIRE

Last time I was at a BestBuy:

transformed entirely to an appliance / TV shop. Very little actual computing tech left.
virtually no physical media stock left. The one small cube – if one could call it that – was all new releases, and all virtually sold out.

Regards

[deleted]

HELLFIRE transformed entirely to an appliance / TV shop. Very little actual computing tech left.

Yeah it’s too bad. I wish we had something like MicroCenter here.

I guess in Ontario it’s Canada Computers. Not sure if they have stores anywhere else.

Donoreo

HELLFIRE transformed entirely to an appliance / TV shop. Very little actual computing tech left.

They were always big on TVs, but all the appliances now does seem odd. I do not know of anyone who bought from them except me having bought a mixer last year (it was in an email it was on sale otherwise I would not have thought of going there).

HELLFIRE

Out west where I am, very few chains – much less independent stores – left providing tech sales and service. Memory Express and Staples is about the only one I can think of, offhand.

I remember a few year ago when Microsoft made an effort to launch brick-n-mortar stores, and including in-shop tech support and teaching. Needless to day, THAT went by the wayside in fairly short order…

shrugs

Regards

urbanriot

Donoreo

Best Buy had purchased Future Shop in 2001 and run both brands until 2015.

I miss the brief period of time when we had access to both since they had alternating sales, different products, etc..

I also miss the period of time in the 90s when you could actually find someone to help you at Future Shop. In the late 90’s and early 2000s they would all congregate near the girl selling mobile phones or whatever, so the trick was to go in the entertainment section and they’d jump on you immediately and you’ll pull them away to help you in the section where you needed help. I extended that trick to Best Buy, same issue there.

The last time I went into Best Buy it was sad, all the stuff I used to like is gone and replaced with cheap appliances.

Avernar

[deleted] And they don’t prevent any loss because they can’t do anything if someone steals. So many places have these Security “Guards” that are told not to engage with anyone stealing.

What’s the point? The staff can call the cops if need be.

People are less likely to just walk out with something without paying if there is someone near the door. Other staff are normally too busy to keep an eye on the door. It’s a deterrent. They’re the ones who will let management know they should call the cops. You really think that they’re there just to say hello and good-buy? (pun intended)