I say the schools should get creative and ask the local Best Buy to donate computers. If they refuse, rake them over the coals publicly and tell everyone that Best Buy hates the children - they can even picket outside and tell all the customers that Best Buy doesn't believe in giving back, education for the children, etc. Jessie Jackson shake down style.
After which I'd hope the CEO would write a letter:
Dear Mr. Stevens,
You and I haven't met. I'm Brian. I'm the head honcho over here at Best Buy (or at least that's what my staff keeps telling me).
I wanted to ask you a small favor. And I promise to make it worth your while. Interested?
Here's the problem:
As you probably know, there are a lot of folks in your neck of the woods who are pretty darn miffed at us. If you've taken a drive by our store over on West 8 Mile Road, you've probably seen people picketing. They're mad. And for a good reason.
You see, they want laptops for their kids and they want us to donate 'em. Now so far, so good. I can't think of a better cause than giving kids every single tool they need to excel in school. In fact, that's one of the reason me and the folks over here put this together:
Best Buy Community Relations
Our shareholders weren't too happy with me, but you know what? Share price ain't everything, and I think you'll agree.
But back to the problem.
The people picketing over at the store near your home are saying we hate kids. That we don't believe in giving back to the community. The opposite is true! We try to give back as much as we can.
Now you probably know the profit margins in this business are razor thin. And when I say thin, Mr. Stevens, I mean THIN. And the bigger you get in this industry, the thinner the margins get.
We're pretty big. And while our margins are a little better than Circuit City's were (remember them?), they ain't anything to write home about. Sales are down, costs are up, and there are a lot of sleepless nights over here.
So here's the small favor I'm hoping you can help me out with. If you have a second, take a quick look at this page I've loaded up to our site:
http://www.bestbuy.com/michigan/detroit/hey-is-that-my-neighbor.html
On that page you'll see some pictures of people picketing our store in your area. If you notice anyone you know, would you pull 'em aside and let 'em know that we're between a rock and a hard place? That we're on the brink of not making it through this recession?
Now we'll definitely keep donating as much as we can through our community outreach program in your area. But donating ten to twenty million laptops throughout the country? Well, that might just kill us.
On the page with the pictures, you'll see a link at the bottom. I've come up with some great surprises for you and your family.
In the meantime, if you have any feedback for us about our products, service, prices, or even the atmosphere in the store near your home, please let us know. We want to hear about it. In fact, I've already let the staff in your area know that they may be getting a few extra visitors. They're excited to meet you. You probably know a few already.
I'll be frank. I want to stay in your community as long as you'll have me. And for that, I need your help. I need you to talk to your neighbors and let 'em know we're doing the best we can in this economy. We want to do better, but cash is pretty limited right now.
Anyway, thanks for reading, Mr. Stevens. I know you're busy and have better things to do than read a letter from me.
Sincerely,
Brian
P.S. Don't forget to check out the surprises I've put together for you. You're gonna love 'em.
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