Although the grand opening of electronics mammoth Best Buy may be the golden ticket for technology buffs and gamers in Ames, the store’s economic impact on competing businesses is still undetermined at this time.

About 10,000 people visited Best Buy, 1220 South Duff Ave., during its grand opening weekend, said Mike Veach, merchandising manager of Best Buy. The store held a “soft open” from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday and officially opened at 10 a.m. Friday.

“Business has been very, very good,” Veach said. “We’ve done about a half a million dollars in two days.”

Veach said Best Buy is popular with consumers because all the electronics they need can be found in one spot.

He said one popular item at Best Buy has been plasma televisions. Veach said he is not aware of any other location in Ames where customers can purchase them.

“We’ve already sold five or six of the larger plasmas,” Veach said. “It’s a new technology, plus it saves on space.”

About 50 percent of Best Buy’s 115 employees are ISU students, Veach said.

Natalie Thompson, Best Buy employee and senior in mechanical engineering, said the flexible hours and “the fact that we’re working for toys” entices many ISU students to work for Best Buy.

“Just about everybody is part-time,” she said.

Thompson described the store’s grand opening as “insane.”

“I’ve never seen so many people need a car stereo,” she said.

Jon Quandt, junior in history and religious studies, said he came to Best Buy on Sunday to browse some of the new technology. He said Best Buy offers customers more variety of electronics than other stores.

“I think they’re going to offer more selection in electronics than Staples or Wal-Mart,” Quandt said.

Tim Boardman, operations manager of Staples, 1333 Buckeye Ave., said he is not certain at this time how the opening of Best Buy across the street will affect business.

“Right now, we’re about where we expect business to be at this time of the year,” Boardman said.

He said the two stores have different focuses.

“We’re a full-line office supply store, where they focus on consumer electronics,” Boardman said.

Boardman said he is not sure how Best Buy will affect Staples economically in the long term.

“It’s hard to say. I would rather wait and see what happens in the next months,” he said.

Hastings Books, Music and Video, 620 Lincoln Way, declined to comment for this story.

On Sunday afternoon, consumers ranging from seniors to tots continued to clamber about Best Buy.

“We came to check out all the gadgets and games they have,” said Phillip Uhde, 13, of Ames. Uhde visited Best Buy with his father, John, and sister, Katie, 11.

“I just like to push buttons,” she said.