Electronics stores

What's behind our electronics store Ratings?

The Consumer Reports National Research Center comprises highly trained social scientists, including 9 Ph.D.s, using state-of-the-art techniques to survey more than 1 million consumers each year about products, services, health care and consumer issues.

We look for:

Reader score
Overall satisfaction.
Price paid
Price paid for purchased product.
Customer service
Reflects online or phone support for websites and in-store sales help for walk-in stores.
Product quality
Quality of purchased product.
Selection
Selection of brands or models available from retailer.
Buying ease
A lack of problems using retailers website for online purchases; fewer problems such as sale items being unavailable, long checkout lines and crowded displays for in-store purchases.
Returns
Number of days retailer allows for return of purchased product.

Connect

Forums

Discuss products and safety with subscribers and fans.

Follow Consumer Reports

If you're looking for information about electronics stores, Consumer Reports is your best resource. Consumer Reports’ electronics store reviews will give you honest buying advice that you can trust. Use our electronics store buying guide to discover which features are most important to consider. We also provide unbiased Ratings and electronics store reviews to help you choose the best electronics store for your needs.

Electronics store buying guide

Online purchases of major electronic items have surged dramatically among respondents to our Annual Questionnaire, and they awarded top scores to the best Web retailers. Yet in our most recent survey, about twice as many readers bought in walk-in stores as on the Internet. Shopping at walk-in stores still has its place, notably for those who like to see products up close before they buy. And some of the better retailers in our Ratings are walk-in stores, although those standouts are mostly general retailers rather than chains that specialize in electronics.

The retailer types in this report are listed in the order in which we think most people should consider buying from them.