Skip the Trip to Best Buy, These Are 10 Better Places to Buy Electronics

While Best Buy may be one of the biggest names in consumer electronics, it’s far from the only place to make a purchase. For years, Best Buy was the go-to place for everything electronics, especially in a post-Circuit City world, but fast forward to today, and you can easily skip a trip and choose from any other retailer on this list. 

It won’t come as a surprise to see names like Target and Walmart appear, but they are far from the only names you should consider. In fact, retailers like Costco, Staples, and even GameStop are even great places to visit, depending on what kind of electronic items you are after. 

10. Home Depot

• Locations: 2,300
• Known for: The world’s largest home improvement retailers
• Best things to buy: Large appliances, smart home products, security systems

The Home Improvement Store

It’s fair to think that many people consider Best Buy a shopping destination for computers and televisions, but a good portion of its retail footprint is big appliances. Home Depot competes with Best Buy directly in this space by offering even better prices on refrigerators, washers and dryers and frequent discounts on home security products like cameras and video doorbells. Generally speaking, Home Depot has a more knowledgeable staff about big appliances and electronics and can help you find an exact fit for your space. 

9. GameStop 

• Locations: 6,100
• Known for: Video games 
• Best things to buy: Video game systems, video games, video game accessories
• The Video Game Destination 

The Video Game Destination

While GameStop might be hyper-focused on video games, it’s still a better destination in this electronics category than Best Buy. Not only do you get a larger selection of titles for newer consoles, but you also get a catalog of games for older consoles. With retro games enjoying a renaissance right now, GameStop has seen its popularity skyrocket, something Best Buy has no interest in competing against. 

8. Staples

• Locations: 994
• Known for: Office supplies, consumer electronics
• Best things to buy: Laptops, desktops, shredders, scanners, office electronic essentials

Office Supply Retailer

You won’t find a large video game or general electronics selection at Staples, but it definitely competes with Best Buy in the laptop and desktop space. While Best Buy wants to focus heavily on gaming computers, Staples is looking more at everyday family machines with lower prices. For this reason, it can truly keep with Best Buy, which is even more true if you add in Staple’s selection of printers, scanners, and other small electronics. 

7. Office Depot

• Locations: 960
• Known for: Office supplies, office chairs, printers, computers, computer accessories
• Best things to buy: Anything related to office supplies, printer ink, electronics 

A True Office Supply Depot

While Office Depot is rightfully thought of primarily for its office supplies specialty, the company entered the electronics space long ago. As with Best Buy, Office Depot offers a large selection of desktop computers, laptops, printers, and smart home devices. However, Office Depot excels in pairing its electronics with a large selection of items like an office desk and chair, something Best Buy mostly ignores in its stores. 

6. NewEgg

• Locations: 0
• Known for: One-stop shop for computer hardware and consumer electronics
• Best things to buy: Computers, computer components, smart home electronics

A PC Dream

NewEgg is a great place to visit for those who love building their own computer and making their workspace feel very personal. While it sells many consumer electronics, including small appliances, NewEgg’s bread and butter is computers and related computer accessories and peripherals. If you have ever needed a new graphics card or motherboard online, there is a good chance you have already checked out NewEgg for pricing. 

5. Micro Center

• Locations: 28
• Known for: Being founded by two former Radio Shack employees
• Best things to buy: Computers and electronics

Small But Mighty

While Micro Center might only have 28 locations in 19 states, shopping at one is an experience in and of itself. The company prides itself on having some of the most knowledgeable employees. While many consider Best Buy employees knowledgeable, Micro Center staff are a step above. They can help you find or discover what you need regarding computers, computer accessories, gaming, and even computer components like graphics cards and processors. 

4. Costco

• Locations: 890
• Known for: Outstanding prices for members
• Best things to buy: Bulk household items, jewelry, snacks, produce, electronics

Best With A Membership

So long as you are a member, Costco can be a great destination for electronics and make you forget about Best Buy. Founded in 1983, Costco is one of the largest retail stores in the world and competes with Best Buy directly on televisions, smartphones, home appliances, and computers. Members get some of the best electronics prices in a physical retail store. 

3. Amazon

• Locations: 0
• Known for: Huge selection of electronics
• Best things to buy: Televisions, computers, smart home devices, security devices, tablets

One-Stop Shop

If any place in the world can compete with Walmart as a one-stop shop, it’s Amazon. With its line of popular electronic devices, Amazon is a fantastic place to find televisions, e-readers, smart speakers, tablets, video games, and more. With its famous Prime shipping, customers can generally order any electronic item and have it in two days or less. 

2. Target

• Locations: 1,956
• Known for: High-quality merchandise, including electronics, clothing, toys, household goods
• Best things to buy: Televisions, cameras, smartphones

Lower-Cost Merchandise

Target competes directly with Best Buy in multiple areas and offers a slate of various consumer electronics. While its overall television and computer selection is smaller, Target offers better pricing, especially for smart home devices. Target has a dedicated electronics section where customers can browse, shop, and even try many items like headphones, speakers, and video games. If you have the Target RedCard, you automatically get 5% off all electronics, which is a big incentive to choose it over Best Buy. 

1. Walmart

• Locations: 10,586
• Known for: Low-price electronics, groceries, clothing, everyday goods
• Best things to buy: Televisions, video games, general electronics

The World’s Largest Retailer

As the world’s largest company by revenue, Walmart is unsurprisingly at the top of the list as a Best Buy competitor. Walmart generally offers better pricing, though with a smaller selection of electronics. You won’t find refrigerators or washing machines, but with computers, televisions, video games, and general electronics, you’ll be hard-pressed to beat Walmart’s pricing and regular deals.