Best Buy Co. Inc. will soon start a test selling Macintosh computers in some of its stores. Dawn Bryant, a spokeswoman for Richfield-based Best Buy, confirmed that the company is running the pilot program in a few Best Buy stores. She declined to name the stores or the markets where the tests are being done. Bryant said that starting Aug. 10, these stores "will begin carrying a larger selection of Apple products and Apple sales representatives will work in those Best Buy locations."
Having Apple representatives in Best Buy stores is similar to a program that Apple runs with computer store CompUsa. Apple representatives have praised that program as contributing to higher sales of their computers. Apple also has a network of 60 of its own stores, including a store in the Mall of America. The computer company plans to have a total of 70 stores open later this year. Apple computers were once sold in Best Buy stores, but the companies parted ways in 1998, when Apple decided to focus its sales effort on CompUsa and withdraw its computers from other electronic equipment stores, including Best Buy, Sears and Circuit City.