I’ve worked in about 10 different stores in my time at the company, been in every department from apart from whitegoods and carsound.
You could say I’ve been around the block a few times lol…..
If there’s something’s you are curious about, fire away.
Edit - Hey guys, I did leave a few years ago, I wouldnt be the best for asking buying advice on what to buy.
Salesmen have a base hour rate of $21 ish and the rest is commission paid weekly
Right on the dot :)
whats the wage of those at the counter? also the staff stacking dvd's, games and someone at the games section. not junior rates.
~21$/age/full time/part time
why is JB return policy the meanest in the market why can't they be like David Jones or Apple why do they have to be like small mean mom and pop stores?
So they expect a customer to stare at a sealed un opened box for one day an then say the staring of the sealed box is enough to tell me I don't like the item without actually experiencing whether the item was up to my expectation. This is especially true with mo bile phone they show you a piece of wood then tells you how nice the screen is looking at the wood or how good the camera is looking at the piece of wood. Then you are supposed to return a sealed un opened box to decide the screen quality or camera quality was not up to your expectation by merely staring at an un opened box.
What a load of rubbish if you ask me, officeworks has recently also adopted this sealed un opened box for returns policy because you are dissatisfied with the way the sealed box looked. Never mind about the item, the sealed box is more relevant to why you bought the item in the first place. They even doubt you when you spotted a factory abnormally blaming you in a patronising way 'I've never seen that before in my life and I had worked here for 100 years now'
It is not unusual when things are made by the thousands that sometimes a few are scratched and then packed and sealed. I had bought a brand new ipad Pro 11 where because of excitement to set up completely missed a manufacturer fault discovered 2 weeks later where the lacquered underneath the bezel had a tiny bubble that is beneath the glass that could not have been caused by any human. No one believed until Apple themselves had to write a letter to prove to the retailer it is a factory fault.
Consumer protection here is weak.
Apple products and mobile phones have a very stringent return/warranty process.
If there's a fault with Apple products, take it to the apple store. You're welcome to have JB take care of it but you'd be wasting a lot of time.
Phones are locked grid tight because of how they can be use maliciously and also spoofed/hacked etc. It sucks but the phones left out for Demo are always broken or tampered with and it is too expensive to keep replacing them.
I see that you're in Sydney, I've never dealt with stores south. I guess things are different up here, I've seen and let customers return laptops, cameras, tablets, speakers and even telstra mobile contracts, clawbback forms are not fun. As far as I know this hasnt changed, everything is evaluated case by case, but I can assure you JB hifi is way more on the customers side than any other retailer.
JB has the best warranty service as far as I can tell. JB is the only retailer who starts their extended warranty after a manufacturers warranty ends. ( I think HN also does this tbh not 100% sure though)
JB is the only retailer I know who honors the warranty coverage after warranty period(this is very case by case)
JB does a lot behind the scenes that people wont ever see or appreciate.
I use to think JB only hires those with lots of tattoos and ear piercings, now I'm more convinced than ever.
I'd be happy to meet for a coffee just to prove you wrong but you could be an axe murderer, so you keep doing you booboo. :)
Does having visible tattoos make you more likely to be hired?
What the maximum discount we can get on a custom MacBook Pro if we negotiate? Can it go up to 10% ? Thanks!
Unfortunately BTO's are not discountable for some god awful reason. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
Thanks tobi!
On CTOs 5% would be the most you could get off but you would have to be very lucky for them to do it.
Like he said, a lot of effort for very little commission.
Do JB salespeople receive any technical training for equipment they sell and would their opinion have value?
[For example, would JB computer salesperson ever recommend an Intel i5-based laptop became buying anything higher (hotter) would be throttled anyway?]
Most sales people have some background knowledge and get put into those departments.
Very often someone without technical knowledge will get dumped into a department they don't know as someone will call in sick or something might happen last minute.
In terms of training you rely on some of the training given but mostly from research that you do on your own. Something like thermal throttling wouldn't come up in standard training, but I would bring it up to a customer wanting a web browsing/Netflix machine but they happen to be looking at an i7 because I know that would be silly to buy.
Most JB Hi-Fi staff members are enthusiasts who are also very good at using "Google". If someone came in asking for a computer to do word, excel, emails and browsing, staff members would not try to sell them an i7 with a nvidia graphics card. They would go for a Intel i5 with a SSD. If you wanted to spend extra, I wouldn't stop you because build quality does improve.
What is your salary like relative to the minimum wage of 40k. Which state was your store? Is it metro area or regional?
Why did you leave?
Thanks
Money is good if you're good, you're lower tiered managers actually have it hardest tbh but they still get paid good.
I wont answer some of those sorry.
I honestly left because of the customers.
Thanks mate, I guess almost every job we leave because of the customer/boss.
I actually loved all my bosses and I think many were fond of me, even now.
I think only one of them was an absolute prick and even then he wasnt bad coompany when having drinks at the parties.
JB culture helped me grow immensely as a person and helped me learn how to deal with difficult people and life.
Taught me how to train my brain to problem solve and adapt quickly.
When I started (I no longer work for JB Hi-Fi) it was easy to average over $100 commission every day. This has dropped significantly in more recent times. While at uni I was part time I was clearing $50k a year working 3-4 days a week flexible part time.
During sales periods like boxing day, I would clear over $1300 in commission for the week. Supplier incentives are often higher than the commission from gross profit.
Some salespeople would make very little commission. The skill level varies significantly.
hahahaha nice dude
You probably worked in the Glory days, I came in after a lot of the commissions and bonuses were getting cut down.
Time for a serious question. Is there any regularity or predictability to the sales, eg. vinyl?
How much notice do the staff get about the sales?
How much of the sale stock is snapped up by the staff?
I know one ex-employee who used her staff discount almost daily, it was pointless for her to work there.
And honestly alot of the eBay Videopro deals are way below "JB staff price" lol
Solidussnake is mostly right, sometimes we could get information a few days in advanced about sales.
Another thing we have access to is Telstras mobile pricing schedule. We know when and what mobile phone plans are going to be in advanced.
1) Most sales that occur are negotiated at Head Office with the suppliers. I.e. Microsoft will provide a certain discount on Surfaces if JB Hi-Fi purchases a large order and offers a sale and marketing. I'm not entirely sure how these are negotiated these days.
2) An email comes through from head office with upcoming sales, usually less than 1 week for sales staff. Managers have a merch calendar however they do not share this information with staff regularly.
3) Most staff at JB Hi-Fi don't have the money to buy things when they go on sale or don't have the incentive as they get staff price (often similar to sales prices) at any time.
Do most salespeople treat their job as long term career, or, transitional and which is preferred by managers (ie. churn or stay)? Does JB offer a career path ala. McDonald’s?
JB does take care of staff who want to grow in the company. You gotta talk with your managers and let them know what you want to do.
You didn’t answer first question.
Hypie gives a pretty good run down on this.
Sorry, a lot of comments get missed, the notification feature isnt very good on the forum.
The answer to this question is no. JB Hi-Fi does not have any proactive programs for training managers effectively. A staff member who starts off as a retail salesperson has very little chance of proceeding past store management irrespective of their ability, skill and education.
Do salespeople treat their job as a long term career?
The majority do not, about 20% do consider it a long term career and aspire to be managers. Another 20% are apathetic about the job and are there for the money and happy to remain as a salesperson. The remainder generally have external ambitions including university etc.
Managers at JB Hi-Fi often stay long term unless they are poached by Coles etc. These guys very rarely progress past managing a single store.
The normal progression for a staff member is:
Counter/Storeperson > Sales > Sales Coordinator > Sales Manager > Store Manager
Moving from Sales Coordinator to Sales manager is generally based on politics and very rarely do positions become available. JB Hi-Fi prefers rotating managers between stores to keep things fresh rather than upskilling. Sales staff that are ambitious generally do the roles of sales coordinators without being properly reimbursed. This process can go on for years until that staff member either realises they won't get a promotion or moves on.
If there is one significant weakness within the JB Hi-Fi model, it is the training and lack of career path training. They previously ran various sales training programs, however these don't seem to exist anymore. They prefer focussing on manager training and use of suppliers to do product knowledge upskilling. I would find it hard to believe that a JB Hi-Fi executive has ever worked within a store. I can't fault what they have done with the company, but one day this will catch up with them. They are losing a lot of quality staff.
Why don't they keep your name in file, so it's easier to track a purchase in the future? Egg for warranty, tax issues.
They do it now!
Is the extended warranty worth it while buying electronics from JB? If yes, what would be the best way to get them at the lowest cost?
I too have a question re the extended warranty is it worth above what ACL offers? I read somewhere under ACL the TVs should be covered for 5 years anyway? Or is it up to the retailer? As Sony only offer 1 year JB offer a year extra taking it to 2 years, plus 3 years extended warranty option. Thanks
Absolutely worth the money, there are two kinds replacement and extended. Price of the items depends on what you can get.
For replacement warranty I would only get on items above 150-200. Anything cheaper is up to you.
When it comes to extended warranty I’d say you should always get it on big ticket items. JB extended warranty starts after the manufacturer warranty ends on most products.
The mandatory warranty from ACL is dependant on the price of the Product, don’t expect 5 years on a $300 TV.
The maximum period a product can be covered by warranty is 5 or 5.5 years I believe.
As far as i can tell job has the most customer friendly warranty coverage. But I only say that because I’m slightly bias and because of the things I’ve seen managers let slide.
3 years warranty will do me on Hisense TVs.
Like mobile phones I’m turning over tvs about that often.
For the majority, the warranties are not worth it. However if you are a passive person who does not like arguing. Buy a warranty, it will save you a lot of stress in the event your product becomes faulty. If you are capable of writing a few passive aggressive emails, you don't need a warranty.
That being said, the "care plans" JB Hi-Fi sells are meant to assist in other ways. i.e. covering food spoilage, movie tickets if your TV is faulty. 30 day repair time period guarantees.
"If you are capable of writing a few passive aggressive emails, you don't need a warranty."
I don't see how this advice helps anyone lol…..This wouldnt help the store or the person writing the email.
If youre flipping TV's that often, and youre below the 50Inch threshold, I'd say that's not too bad, If you look at bigger panels I'd say spend more and buy Sony, Samsung or LG and you'll flip 80% less and have some stellar quality.
What do you think of this..
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/471817..
Manager making things up? Why?
I’ll reply on their thread. :)
Answered this question.
Apple has a no questions asked 14 day return/refund period, even if the item was not bought from them, but through an official channel.
When I worked for a phone store, Apple had a strict Early Life Failure, and repair.
Most warranty items/repairs of most phones are not directly done by stores there sent to a back end team, (https://www.brightstar.com/) is a company which does/did it for a lot of telcos.
If they can't replicate an DOA arrival fault or a ELF fault when its submitted, they charge the store a full retail replacement cost. After this happened with the iPhone 3GS/Iphone 4, a lot of stores changed their policy (unofficially) to get the customer to take it to Apple, or (officially) send it away for Brightstar to assess and replace it.
Can an item like a 65" TV be moved interstate between stores ?
There's one I'm interested in but its in VIC and I'm in WA.
It can, but it won't (manager's discretion). Any current model can still be ordered directly from the supplier, however if you are after a ex demo etc. The cost of transport would be too great.
If there's the same model in the same state you want delivered it can be done.
How prevalent is selling second hand item as new?
I purchased a PS4 game - it was given without shrink wrap and DVD inside had smears. The salesperson just wiped with tissue when I mentioned this.
It was sold as "brand new" - this was my first PS4 game purchase so at the time I didn't think much of it but now I don't accept unless it's shrink wrapped.
Selling second hand as new would absolutely never happen. All the discs are removed from their cases and put securely behind the counter.
Fingerprints are from the cashier taking it out of the storage and putting it back in the case.
This method helps with stocktake, store requests and theft control.
Once a year (May), JB has 2 for 1 special on Blu-rays - who absorbs the discount- JB or distributors?
I believe it's the distributors, though I don't remember very clearly tbh. Maybe someone else might be able to shed some light. ☺
What is the criteria for selecting the guard that stands near the entrance?
Not sure tbh, JB deals with a 3rd party security company that handles all their training and hiring processes.
I actively avoid my most local JB now. The security guy asks to look inside your handbag every visit. It feels like such an invasion. As a female and a non-thief I fricking hate it, so now I won't go there.
You do have the right to say no.
If you refuse to let them look inside, surely they can't stop you from exiting?
They can't
They look in as many bags as they can, doesnt matter who you are.
If you have a large enough bag you can steal things in, they will ask to look.
You are allowed to say no if you want, depending on the situation they may do a number of things.
Like review footage and maybe even contact the police if you were found stealing stuff
"As a female and a non-thief I fricking hate it, so now I won't go there."
I dont see what being a female has anything to do with it? lmao
No security guard is eyeing what ever mystery goodies you have in your bags. If you dont want to get stopped, leave your bags in your car.
I've been quite nice this whole AMA but honestly please stay away from JB HIFI, I hope nobody at JB ever has to put up with someone like you.
It is part of their conditions of entry, which are displayed outside. You have the right to not enter or not take in a handbag
Do jb headquarters have a policy to send all the worst stuff to the atarmon store?
Sorry you had a bad experience lol……
things are done different south of the border…..
When you sign up to a telstra jb hifi phone plan, is it considered "complete" once the port is successful? Or can they see if you've left the plan early?
Are we talking about a mobile number port? It would be considered complete when things on the backend tie up and your sim gets accepted on the network and you can call/text/use data.
Staff at JB can see that easily for mobile ports.
For landlines ports it's a completely different story if you arent on the NBN. It gets a little hairy.
can they see if you've left the plan early?
do you mean to ask whether JB staff can see if you've ported out after it was completed? They can, but really once things go to "complete" staff do not go back into accounts to check anything unless something needs following up.
Yup mobile number ports. Thanks
What do you use that PDA/mobile phone to scan the barcode of the item from time to time for? How does the mechanism works?
They have much newer ones now since I left but mostly the same features.
It brings up stock levels, find out what is being ordered, commissions, adjust prices, add warranties, adjust prices, delivery information.
The new ones can do a lot more I believe.
May I ask what your salary is? Is it mostly flat hourly rate or commission based?