Best Buy sells consumer electronics and so does Target. That would make the two companies competitors, right? Maybe yes and maybe no, depending on whom you ask and when.
It was just over two years ago that we ran a report on this site on how Target, among others, was upping its game with the intention of grabbing share of the consumer electronics market. Heck, the headline read: "Target, Wal-Mart Say 'Best Buys' Are at Their Stores."
So, how is it that we now come across a report by The Denver Post that Target is bringing Geek Squad "agents" into its 28 stores in the Denver market?
"What we are looking to do is to really include all of the services that a typical guest could get at any Geek Squad in a Best Buy store," Scott Nygaard, Target's vice president of electronics, told the Post. "These will be Geek Squad employees that are Geek Squad-trained and have all the same expertise."
Huh?
Okay, I guess we shouldn't be surprised by this. After all, Target has worked with others that could be considered competitors. RadioShack began managing Target Mobile Centers across the country back in 2010. More recently Target made news when it was revealed the chain was testing Apple Stores within 25 of its stores.
But what about Best Buy? Wasn't it just last month when management was making a big deal about its Connected concept and the central role that the Geek Squad was going to play in setting it apart from other retailers in the consumer electronics space? Did it mean others in the space with Target as the exception?