US chain Best Buy opened their second UK store in Hedge End last Friday. Because I can’t be arsed with crowds and queues I’d thought give it a few days before seeing what they’ve got stocked on their shelves.
First impression – it’s just like stepping into one of the newer Currys stores, only the staff are dressed in bright yellow shirts. The videogame section was slightly disappointing – new releases, such as Blur, were priced up at full whack (£39.99) while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – which is currently £24.99 at Game – was £44.99. For some reason one of the Kirby games on DS was a ludicrous £32.99.
Considering the store is called ‘Best Buy’ I thought that they’d be at least a couple of quid cheaper than the RRP. In fact, I’m willing to bet that many titles were cheaper in the Sainsburys across the road.
As reported by various news sites, Best Buy is indeed selling pre-owned games, which appeared to be formed at the moment out of old stock. All of the “pre-owned†games for Xbox 360 were actually all Ubisoft titles including Surf’s Up, TMNT and End War for £14.99 a pop.
I did see a few bargains though such as DJ Hero for £39.99 and Scribblenauts on DS for £9.99. The CD section was also pleasingly well stocked with CDs both new and old – many of which were part of a 2 for £10 deal – while the DVD section had plenty of movies for £2.99 each.
If you hear of a Best Buy opening near you, I wouldn’t get too excited.