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Hernando Today

Best Buy Opens With Little Fanfare

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: February 28, 2009

SPRING HILL - There were more employees inside the newly opened Best Buy than customers Friday morning.
Retail chains have taken a beating in the last six months and even the arrival of the country's largest specialty electronics consumer store wasn't enough to draw a large crowd.

It did, however, attract some enthusiastic shoppers.

"I'm so glad to have a store here in Spring Hill. I think it's great," said self-described "electronics nut" Anthony Staiano. "I bought a GPS at Radio Shack, but I returned it ... I'm going to buy one here instead. There's more technical support here."

Many of the customers were relieved Best Buy opened - either because Circuit City is a month away from closing or because they grew tired of driving to New Port Richey to shop for electronics.

"We stopped at the one in New Port Richey this morning and they told us one had opened here today," said Becky Stalvey, who was flipping through a row of Van Morrison CDs. "We didn't even know about it."

The announcement Best Buy would move into the new Nature Center Commons came in April 2008, a month after anchor store JCPenney opened. Since then, a Mattress Giant and Cracker Barrel have opened and a Ross, Sports Authority and Office Depot are next.

Roughly 70 employees were hired at the Best Buy, said General Manager Sara Watlington.

"The good thing about our store is that our prices can accommodate any family," she said when asked about the fears of opening a new store in the middle of a recession.

Gilbert Milot, who lives across the street from Nature Coast Commons, had never set foot inside a Best Buy store before Friday.

When asked whether he was happy to see it open, he flipped around the question.

"I'm spending over $2,000 today, so they (should) be happy I'm here right now," he joked.

He and his wife were purchasing both a flat-screen television and a laptop computer.

The rear of the store has a variety of hi-definition televisions on display - mostly with 46- to 50-inch screens. Customers also may choose from several rows of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray discs, located a short distance from the registers at the front of the store.

Laptops, surround-sound speakers, radios, global-positioning systems and cameras also are available, along with Geek Squad services.

Bernie Hilton, of Timber Pines, was shopping for accessories to his Nintendo Wii. He was happy to be shopping at a store where salespeople were scattered throughout and where he could safely purchase an item he knew he could return in case it was defective.

Circuit City, by comparison, is liquidating and not accepting returns.

"I think that's the number one consideration," admitted Hilton. "They have good (customer service) and that's really what you need."

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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