Best Buy overhead paging?

[ljc]

Does anyone know how to access overhead paging in Best Buy, if they have it? I don't even know if they have it but a store of the size that most Best Buys are would most likely have an overhead paging system.

[Raptor]

I've seen best buy employees using hand-held radios to comminicate, maby they can brodcast over the pager from those...?

[afreak]

Best Buy uses your standard Nortel Networks phone system.

[ljc]

I've got a Nortel Meridian phone here. I added a PAGE button to it to see how it works. Is that what they use? Or do they pick up the phone and dial an extension? If it's the same Nortel Meridian paging feature I've got on the phone I've got here, I don't believe it's possible to transfer to it from any line.

[zsh]

Best Buy's phone system around here used to be Executone....I thinks...and I've never been able to get on their system. Staff at the Best Buys around here tend to be pretty lax though, so it probably would have been easy to watch them, especially around the holiday season when they are all busy. About six months ago, they upgraded to Cisco IP phones around here and I'm not sure how those work either. I just noticed them on a quick ten minute run to the local Best Buy and haven't even had a chance to play with them. Since Cisco is a IP phone system, there isn't, most likely, a factory programmed paging code. The new Cisco phones have displays and it's possible Page is set as a speed dial key. The old phones were from a defunct company, and I couldn't find the manuals. The phones were quite basic, with no programmable buttons or displays, just several buttons that would hold or transfer calls. Here's a picture of the old phones:.

The new phones look like this:


To Raptor: Although it's possible to hook up radios to a PA system...it's impractical and highly unlikely. You'd have to register a dedicated channel and connect a radio or scanner to the PA page port. Around here, they use basic cheap FRS radios, so giving each employee a fancy Motorola repeatered radio might be a bit of a problem. If they did it with FRS, that would however , be easy to talk on, but also interesting to hear all the old people over the intercom at the Sam's Club next door..."GEORGE...I'm in the food asile! GEORGE ANSWER ME!!!!"...My own mediocre attempt at humor has been highly amusing to myself.

afreak: I've never seen Best Buy use a Nortel System but it is not impossible...store specs probably vary with area.

LJC: Also, generally, Nortel Systems will use a proprietary button or code, not set up as an extension, so you probably wouldn't be able to remotely access it.






Just my two cents.

[ljc]

I hate Best Buy which is why I want to get into their PA. Since afreak said it's a Nortel phone system (I've got a Meridian phone here, but it doesn't have a feature button), and zsh said it's now a Cisco IP phone, it sounds like the phone system is different everywhere.

I'm going to go over there soon and try to get the info for the phone system out here. Let me know what you want to know about Best Buy's phone system and I'll try to figure it out if I go over there. And I'll try to take a few pictures too.

[Raptor]

nice info!

If you really wanted to get on a overhead pager, screw a place like walmart, because the stores generally are bigger, and the employees, well... more stupid.  You said they used FRS radios... If you wanted to mess up the employees, Just grab yours from home (assuming you own a pair of walkie talkies) and start calling employees all over the store! If they are usong a sub-channel (like my cobra frs/gmrs radios have, that I ironically bought at Best buy) you can scan through those too.

[afreak]

I hate Best Buy which is why I want to get into their PA. Since afreak said it's a Nortel phone system (I've got a Meridian phone here, but it doesn't have a feature button), and zsh said it's now a Cisco IP phone, it sounds like the phone system is different everywhere.

It really depends on where, yeah. The Canadian Best Buys (which is what I am familiar with) are relatively new, as most have been built in the past three years. If you were to hit any Best Buy in Canada, you are certain to find that they have a Nortel-based system.

[Edit]
Now I remember how they get into the paging system: apparently it is a feature code of the ilk of 426. This may vary per store.