There is great effort now to make buying electronics in a store appealing again, but the trends are not favorable. People are increasingly buying electronics online, even if they go to stores to examine product features.

Best Buy is viewed by many analysts as being in a desperate fight for its life. In previous years its stellar financial results were strongly fueled by the collapse of such competitors as PC America and Circuit city. But now Best Buy is the last man standing and its survival is entirely dependent on its own efforts to respond to marketplace shifts.