"Best Buy" in Shanghai

economy - A bustling Best Buy

In a longstanding webloggers' tradition I first gave my opinion about the future of "Best Buy" in China, before I went there to have a look myself. A lazy, cold Sunday afternoon, so what better than to investigate new shopping possibilities?
I was not the only one who thought that: the huge store was pretty packed, apart from the counters, where it looked pretty empty in the hour I hang out there. A lot of foreigners too, although the Shanghainese of course dominated.
Huge amounts of staff, much more than I have seen in any of their US stores, hanging around doing very little. Obvious both staff and customers had very little to talk about since haggling was not a standard practise- although it is also happening up to a certain degree in the US.
Most perspective I see outside the field of computers, computer appliances, cameras, mobile phones and so on: competition next door will be killing and their prices looked rather in the high end. But they might have a chance in the very top-end of the market. The huge TV-screens simply do not fit into the little stores in the other electronic malls in Xujiahui. Also the more expensive foreign brand household appliances that do not match the agenda of the hypermarkets could be an interesting niche.
Otherwise: a very nice store, where Chinese competitors still can learn a lot.