I walked into Best Buy on a mission. My Apple Watch strap had given up the ghost and I needed a…read morereplacement without waiting for Amazon to deliver it tomorrow, which is already next day but somehow still feels like too long when you want a thing right now. This is the singular remaining superpower of a physical retail store in 2026: immediate possession of the item you need. The Force of instant gratification remains strong, even here. Found the strap, mission accomplished, and then did what I always do at Best Buy, which is wander. Checked out the latest video games, browsed the Arcade1up cabinets, scanned the toy section, looked for MTG sealed products, circled the LEGO display. This is less shopping and more of a wellness walk with a receipt at the end. I was greeted at the door by staff asking if I needed help, which I appreciated even if my answer was essentially "no thank you I am just here to roam the sector." Here is the honest part though. Best Buy in the early 2000s felt like Coruscant at its peak, a sprawling, buzzing destination where you could spend hours and leave with something genuinely exciting. Walking through the Castleton location today feels more like visiting a once great Republic outpost that the Empire slowly drained of resources. The floor space that used to overflow with product now echoes a little. The video game section gets thinner every year as the industry goes digital. The whole experience carries faint Radio Shack and Circuit City energy, two names that should send a chill down the spine of any retail establishment still standing. And yet here I am, still going. Still wandering. Still leaving with something I could have ordered online but didn't because getting out of the house matters too. Best Buy is not what it was, and it probably knows it. But it showed up, it had my strap, and it gave my family a reason to browse on a Sunday. That counts for something in this galaxy. Four stars for a 3-star establishment that survives on convenience, nostalgia, and the slim hope that someone still wants to see a PS5 video game controller in person before buying it.

It has been just a week since I updated my review of Best Buy based upon my misadventures buying a…read morerefrigerator from them followed by purchasing haul away and installation services. While I had no plans to update my review, as the experience has finally wound down I decided it was appropriate to write a review based upon the entire process now that my old refrigerator is, in fact, hauled away and my new refrigerator is kinda sorta installed. As I'd noted, I'd had a poor experience eight years ago and since then have sworn off Best Buy despite an affection for the company from an experience interviewing with them many years ago. My refrigerator died not long before Labor Day. I'd never had to deal with replacing an appliance. However, I needed to get done fairly quickly since food was going bad and so were some medicines. I looked around. My space in my home isn't the greatest and dimensions had to really be just right. That wasn't an easy task. I checked quite a few places. Best Buy was having Labor Day specials and I found a fairly simple fridge at a great price. I ordered it as it had nearly perfect dimensions for my space. I scheduled delivery and opted for the install and haul away package. So far, so good. The first attempt at haul away/install occurred over Labor Day weekend on Saturday. I received advance texts with clear directions on what to do prior to their arrival. They gave me a window of time a couple days from when I placed the order. They arrived on time. The unfortunate part begins with the discovery that the dead fridge was hooked into my waterline underneath my kitchen sink. Apparently, Best Buy drivers are not allowed to disconnect what takes about five minutes. We discussed options and it was agreed that I would call them to set up a revisit. Within the hour, I had the disconnect done and called to schedule a new time. They said I couldn't do it. Despite being told to do exactly this, I was told I had to wait until the end of their shift so that the lack of installation/haul away was in the system. I was literally still within my delivery time. Never mind that one rep had already called me about it. So, I was stuck with spoiled foods and spoiling medications. So frustrating. So simple to fix. I had the fridge ready to for hook-up, I had the old fridge ready to be hauled away. Instead, I had to wait and buy the time I was able to actually put the revisit in motion only the 3rd was available (I was even off an extra day on the 2nd, however, by that point it was clear they didn't care about me, my meds, my fridge, or anything but their bottom line. After an afternoon spent trying to get things arranged, my frustrations boiled over. I came close to simply canceling haul away/install and arranging for another person to do it. I came close to returning it. I finally rescheduled for today, my next day off. I received the same reminder call. I asked them to make sure to send the manual (they actually did. Yay.). The delivery team was here on time in my window of 1-5pm (they actually arrived around 1:20pm and called 10 minutes away). Another fun catch: In addition to being unable to disconnect a refrigerator from water, they also cannot reverse the hinge on a reversible hinge (which I needed for my wheelchair). So, if you're keeping score. Install and haul away is a waste of time and money. Don't use it. They have all kinds of limits that are not in writing and I've yet to experience anyone interested in actually helping. If you've read my reviews, you know I lean positive. Out of 1800+ reviews, I have about 16 1-star reviews. This is easily one of the worst retail experiences I've had and undoubtedly the end of my relationship with Best Buy. There's not a chance I will use them again. As I told their social media, even after the initial issues there was a great chance of fixing the problem and helping me feel good about it. Best Buy failed at every point and, worse to me, never seemed to care. Best Buy? Bye-bye.