A Best Buy customer dropped a major tip about the outlet stores that could help customers in the market for electronics save thousands of dollars.
The information comes from arnidegd (u/arnidegd) who posted on the Best Buy subreddit about two weeks ago.
In the title of the post, the user claims, “The best buy outlets are so clutch man.”
The user also shares order confirmations for several items that he managed to get at a steep discount.
First is an MSI Stealth laptop from Intel. The customer paid a total of $317.03 for the machine. While the exact same model is unavailable at this time, a similar laptop from Walmart retails for just under $2,000. This means the customer saved over $1,500.
The next item is a handheld gaming device from ASUS. The Redditor says they paid $158.83, including taxes, and a quick search reveals the same handheld touchscreen available at Walmart for $519.99, before taxes. Again, the Redditor seems to have saved at least $350.
The last purchase is for a Samsung 58-inch Smart TV, and the Redditor paid the unbelievable total of $64.52. This same model appears to be out of stock at most stores, but a similar model at Walmart is priced at $447.99, which means the Redditor saved around $380.
What is the difference between Best Buy and the Best Buy outlet?
While Best Buy stores often have sales, the best deals can be found at the Best Buy Outlet stores. Best Buy Outlet stores offer open-box and clearance items, while the online Outlet also features refurbished and pre-owned products.
Clearance items are new but discontinued, open-box items are tested returns or displays, and refurbished and pre-owned products are restored and verified for proper function. So long as customers don’t mind buying a product that isn’t fresh out of the box, they can get a pretty good deal.
The debate over outlet deals
While arnidegd managed to snag some great deals at their local Best Buy Outlet, they may have gotten lucky. Several commenters claim the outlet stores near them never have good merchandise.
“The one near me never has anything except refrigerators lol,” one said.
“The outlet in Farmers Branch is nothing but beat up fridges and washers with a sprinkling of tiny TVs,” another wrote.
“Where are y’all finding these deals? I can’t seem to find anything remotely close to these steep discounts,” another confused user wrote.
In the comment section, the OP admitted that they had a bit of luck finding the deals they did at the Best Buy Outlet. They claim that the laptop and gaming device might have been pricing errors. Additionally, they pointed out that all the items they got were open box items.
They said, “The laptop I got didn’t have its original box, it was bubble wrapped inside a shipping box … It did have its proprietary charger with it though and for $230 i really could not care less if it was missing a box I was going to end up throwing out anyways.”
the best buy outlets are so clutch man
byu/arnidegd inBestbuy
The Daily Dot reached out to the Redditor via a comment on their post, and to Best Buy via email.
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