Best Buy Eliminates Hundreds of In-Store Consultant Roles

Best Buy has reportedly eliminated hundreds of roles in its brick-and-mortar stores.

The cuts are centered on the electronics and appliance retailer’s “consultants” who focus on selling computers, smartphones and other complex products, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported Friday (April 14), citing unnamed sources.

With these consultant roles eliminated, their responsibilities will be shifted to other roles, and the former consultants can reapply for other positions or receive severance, according to the report.

Best Buy did not immediately reply to PYMNTS’ request for comment.

“We’re evolving our stores and the experiences we offer to better reflect the changes in customer shopping behavior, as well as how we organize our teams to ensure we continue to provide our expertise, products and services in the best possible way,” a Best Buy spokesperson told the WSJ.

The report attributed the elimination of the consultant roles to the 900-store retailer’s cost-cutting efforts, a continuing shift of the business to online channels and slowing sales of electronics and appliances after the surge seen during the pandemic.

These cuts follow a series of such changes Best Buy has made over the last two years as it reduced positions focused on planning home entertainment layouts, stocking shelves and helping customers on the store floor, according to the report.

In Best Buy’s most recent earnings report, the firm said it expects sales will continue to dwindle this year, with its outlook assuming comparable sales declines of 3% to 6% as cash-strapped consumers shun big-ticket home electronics.

“As we enter FY24, the consumer electronics industry continues to feel the effects of the broader macro environment and its impact on consumers,” Best Buy Chief Financial Officer Matt Bilunas said in the report.

PYMNTS research has found that big-ticket discretionary items that consumers considered buying in 2022 are off the table in 2023.

Just 24% of consumers said they plan to purchase expensive electronics or appliances in 2023, according to “New Reality Check: The Paycheck-to-Paycheck Report: The Economic Outlook and Sentiment Edition,” a PYMNTS and LendingClub collaboration.

The report attributes this to consumers cutting back, trading down and forgoing various purchases as inflation continues to impact their retail purchase decisions.