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CompUSA To Shut Down

Greenville, SC & Apple

I actually liked the local CompUSA for one main reason: the Apple shop in the back of the store - it is almost always packed & they usually had what I was looking for... the Apple rep that works there is always nice & cordial and always could answer any question that I might have. I just hope that Apple can keep him in the Greenville area - I don't want to have to go to Atlanta or Charlotte for my Mac help - the Apple retail employees are no where near as helpful or knowledgeable as the Apple reps @ CompUSA....
 
Discounts start Wednesday, maybe.

I visited the CompUSA store in Fairlawn, OH yesterday to do a little stocking-stuffer shopping & check the in-store prices.

All the discounts in place were normal holiday level discounts. I asked the clerk if/when some deeper discounts would kick in and he said it should start happening this Wednesday, Dec. 12.
 
Frys killed them on the West Coast

CompUSA was the best Mac reseller in Honolulu back in the early 2000s. There was no Apple Retail Store in existence when I lived there. CompUSA sold more Macs than any other store in America. Apple's market share in Hawaii was higher than other states.

Then in 2003 I moved to San Diego and discovered Frys Electronics. Between that and the Apple Retail Stores, I never returned to CompUSA again. Though Frys' Mac department was wimpy, they did have all models of Mac and iPod in stock. And they took returns without restocking fees.

Though Apple's Retail Store is great at what it does, I think the Frys chain had a more to do with its demise on the West Coast. Especially when you consider Frys (like CompUSA) sells PCs, PC components, LCD/Plasma TVs, office supplies, books, etc., -- but has larger inventory and more variety.
 
after I won my lawsuite with them I found them to be very unprofessional

I have had nightmare experiences with Comp USA in NYC! When waiting forever for the dual processor G-5's to launch, A salesperson at Comp USA said "hey, why wait for the duals you can now replace or upgrade your processors by yourself". I fell for this line of bull and bought it. Of course a week later the duals came out. And when I asked the tech support at apple about upgrading, he put me on hold and had me repeat what the sales guy at Comp USA had told me. The all I heard was the kind of laughter that beer comes out of your nose.
When I went to the store and spoke with the Manager he said the employee had been fired and he was sorry I listened to him.
When I bought my laptop from these crooks I was told I would receive the 23 month no interest no payment plan that was being offered. Well the salesperson wrote it up wrong as a 90 day plan and it took me almost 6 months of phone calls, letters to the Department of Consumer affairs, The BBB and The Chamber of Commerce. At last they came through and gave me what I had asked for. This is a classic bait and switch company that has no right doing business in the USA. I am sure they would be considered professional in Mexico though.
 
neoelectronaut said:
No idea as far as online prices, but I do know that the first round of discounts (Between 5% and 30%) will start Wednesday here.
Click to expand...

So is Wednesday the day all of the stores will start offering discounts?

I went into the NYC store this Sat and there were no indications of any price cuts. And as of now the website looks the same.
 
Where I live, I had two CompUSA stores (Edison + Princeton, NJ). I also have several BestBuy, CircuitCity, OfficeDeport, Staples, etc., stores in the area. And, one Apple store.

The two CompUSA stores closed in the first round. I was actually disappointed. I liked walking the aisles there. I didn't care that no staff member approached to ask me if I needed help. I really liked looking at all the PC accessories they had. I build Linux boxes at home, and they run MythTV. I was (and am) a serious consumer of specific Hauppauge WinTV cards (with the Conexant chipset). Sure, I could buy from Newegg, but sometimes I just needed the darn cards quickly. Add shipping to the cost, and the cards from CompUSA only costed ~ $5 more...

Basically... I liked being able to browse at the extensive and varied inventory -- including Macs -- all in a single store. And, best of all, not a single employee bothered me by asking if I needed any help.

Finally, my worst experience with warranty was with BestBuy. Ughhhh... The salesperson tried to sell me the warranty before making sure he had the laptop I wanted. Turned out that they were out of stock on that model -- but realized that ~ 20 minutes after pressuring me to buy the warranty for the battery. I eventually went across the street to CircuitCity and bought a laptop from an extremely clueless salesman. This was 2004, I think. Still have my laptop with the original battery. Never needed the warranty.

I am sorry for all the good folks who will lose their jobs. Luckily, I have never experienced any of the nightmare stories regarding CompUSA.

Since this is a Mac forum, I'll say that my best experiences at these types of stores have been at the Apple store in Edison, NJ. (The only other Apple store I've been to is the Cube at Central Park South -- that one was a bloody madhouse!)

EVP
 
GVegasMac said:
I actually liked the local CompUSA for one main reason: the Apple shop in the back of the store - it is almost always packed & they usually had what I was looking for... the Apple rep that works there is always nice & cordial and always could answer any question that I might have. I just hope that Apple can keep him in the Greenville area - I don't want to have to go to Atlanta or Charlotte for my Mac help - the Apple retail employees are no where near as helpful or knowledgeable as the Apple reps @ CompUSA....
Click to expand...

it's rumored and I stress rumored that Apple is going to be setting up a real Apple Store in Greenville, SC. (This info is not from an Apple rep. but from links posted on the Urban Planet Forums) More than likely it will be in the new shopping they will be building near the the current CompUSA called Magnolia Place. If that is the case it would be great if Apple could at least rent out the CompUSA Greenville store until they get the penament place build. Normally I would say just remodel the CompUSA but it's stuck in the far corner of a parking lot with low visibility from the main highway. If Apple doesn't located their I would love to see a really nice Apple Store in downtown Greenville.

For those in the Greenville area who are interested the local Mac User's Group (of which I am a member) is meeting tonight for Christmas party and other Apple fun. The Apple rep. will probably be there as well.

http://www.greenvillemug.org
 
Very Suprised

KiraDouji said:
Opinions on retail stores vary greatly from place to place. I mention this because I'm seeing mainly two types of posts here; "good riddance" and "oh, that's sad". Well, frankly, the type of service you get from any big chain it going to depend on the managers. The CompUSA in Greensboro, NC, for example, has a lot of good people in it because the management doesn't put up with ******** like five employees standing around doing nothing. Likewise, there are ones in which people have had bad service. I could give a reverse example with Best Buy; the one in Newington, NH has excellent customer service and is a clean, easy place to shop, but the one in Greensboro makes me hate people. Literally.

Please keep that in perspective when you go on about "good riddance" and "reaping what you sow". Personally, I sowed customer service and approachability that brought people back to the store; I certainly didn't sow losing my job directly after the holidays.

That being said, I wonder where I will be able to get that one computer component I need the next time someone's pc crashes and they have to get it working omg THAT DAY, considering CC and BB don't sell parts. :rolleyes:

- Kira
Click to expand...

It is astonishing to me that two of you think so highly of Comp USA in Greensboro. My company is 80/30 Macs/PCs and we never go to Comp USA b/c of the poor service.

Last Friday we went to pick up a 24 iMac, after about 20 minutes we were told there were none on hand.
Hopefully there will be a sale on the 50 iMac 20inch machines they have.

I have seen the Comp USA apple rep at the Southpark store, I'm sure he can transfer to friendly center once it opens.
 
shervieux said:
I have mixed feelings. Yeah, their service stunk and I knew more than most of their employees, but they were in a good location and always had a large selection of stuff that was usually in stock. I never had to run around looking for stuff because it was out of stock (like I end up doing at say OfficeMax, Office Depot, etc).

The Apple guy at the Greensboro, NC location was very friendly and the best employee that store ever had (in fact he is probably the only person left on earth to provide good customer service).

The thing I hated about CompUSA was the fact that if their employees were getting off shift and were purchasing something, they got to jump ahead of everyone in line.

I went in their this weekend after the announcement. They still had the "Now Hiring" signs up. The guy at the camera counter said, "yeah it sucks - I just started this job this week". Most everyone at the store said it would be closed by January, but they knew nothing about any sales or if they would have any sales. Nothing was marked down when I went in, but I did notice some shelves were empty as it appears they were not going to restock any inventory. One guy said "to prevent a flood of customers, they would probably have silent sales, where the employees would know first and you would only see a sale if you walked in the store - no advertising." One checkout girl said she was saving her money for when all the games go on sale, because they would still get to use their employee discounts.

So much for my new Apple or upgrading my home wireless network this weekend..... I was not paying $100 for a new router when I can get it online cheaper.

One tactic I do not think was fair was a white-board outside the store that said - "Buy your Apple here, why drive to Durham - we have them and better service too." I really hope they open an Apple store in Greensboro and they hire the Apple Guy from Compusa. It would be funny if the location they choose would be the former CompUSA store. They have a good location.

Why would I want to buy my Apple from a store that is closing?? At least Apple is Apple and I could probably get my warranties honored in Durham. But one thing I noticed about store closings is usually if the store closes the manufacturer does not honor the warranty and say "well you have to go through the store you bought it from".

We'll see about any sales, but I noticed the Apple stock is rather slim already...
Click to expand...
We drove to Durham after we were told there were no 24 inch iMacs in stock. If you look to the left wall above the apple area you will see about 30 20 inch iMac boxes.

The Apple store will be in Friendly Center:
The Apple store will actually be located at Friendly Center, adjcent to yet not in The Shops at Friendly Center. [IFO - Thanks, correction made.]

Thank you,
Ginny Olson
Retail Marketing Director
Starmount Company
 
CircuitCity is next

WhiteShadow said:
honestly I'm shocked CompUSA has been around for as long as it has, I predicted this would happen 5 years ago.
Click to expand...

I shop in Nashua (NH) where there is a CircuitCity right next door to a BestBuy. As it is almost impossible to find parking in the BB lot, I just park 30 yards up the hill by CC. The conclusion is obvious: CC cannot compete.
 
Ryan5505 said:
We drove to Durham after we were told there were no 24 inch iMacs in stock. If you look to the left wall above the apple area you will see about 30 20 inch iMac boxes.

The Apple store will be in Friendly Center:
The Apple store will actually be located at Friendly Center, adjcent to yet not in The Shops at Friendly Center. [IFO - Thanks, correction made.]

Thank you,
Ginny Olson
Retail Marketing Director
Starmount Company
Click to expand...

Well thank you Ginny, as I heard rumors on it being Hanes Mall closer to W/S. But I just googled before seeing your post.
article
 
Ryan5505 said:
It is astonishing to me that two of you think so highly of Comp USA in Greensboro. My company is 80/30 Macs/PCs and we never go to Comp USA b/c of the poor service.

Last Friday we went to pick up a 24 iMac, after about 20 minutes we were told there were none on hand.
Hopefully there will be a sale on the 50 iMac 20inch machines they have.

I have seen the Comp USA apple rep at the Southpark store, I'm sure he can transfer to friendly center once it opens.
Click to expand...
Good - he is a good guy. I would hate to see him lose his job. He was the CompUSA Genius Bar, and did many things the PC tech support charged an arm and a leg for. He stood by his customers. As for CompUSA in Greensboro, one thing I must say (despite their otherwise poor service and high prices) - all the other reps knew Apple was better and told people to talk to the Apple Guy before buying a PC. Only one person at CompUsa ever said to me "well, I wouldn't go with Apple".
 
Ryan5505 said:
Last Friday we went to pick up a 24 iMac, after about 20 minutes we were told there were none on hand.
Hopefully there will be a sale on the 50 iMac 20inch machines they have.
Click to expand...

I seriously hope you aren't one of those people who just stand around looking miffed half the time and think they need an Apple rep to check inventory. :rolleyes:

On another note, I doubt Apple will ever go more than 5-10% on sale. Since Apple is almost never on sale, most of the stock is going to be gone at that price point. You'll be beyond lucky to get it at 15-20%, but good luck anyway. Hell, I'd take it.

- Kira
 
My CompUSA and Best Buy are right next to each other. My saturday ritual is always to grab a coffee....drive on down to the Best Buy/CompUSA spot...and window shop for about an hour. I'd typically pick up a thing or two from time to time. Spend the majority of my $$$ in Best Buy though.

The CompUSA was handy from time to time. Sometimes they would have stuff that wasn't available anywhere else. I got my Touch from there when it first came out. Nobody else had stock.

I would never buy a system from them though.

I think what did them in was their reach in to the consumer goods area. They went overboard on the TVs, DVDs, player, remotes, Direct TV, ect, ect.

I really don't have a problem with Best Buy (they do need to bulk up their Apple selections...but they are just starting out).

I'm OK w/ CompUSA going away. I do HATE circuit city though. They have gone down the crapper as well.

Anyway.....looking forward to the deep discounts. :)
 
CashGap said:
I wouldn't be surprised.


Best Buy is killing them on price, store locations, depth of stock, and layout. Our CompUSA's (Nashville) haven't been refreshed since the late 90's. They have a very "Slummish" vibe, while the Best Buys are all crisp and clean.

It's also apparent that someone at CompUSA loses a bonus every time they open a cash register line, because they seem to view it as an absolute moral defeat any time they have more than one open! Best Buy seems to staff at a level that keeps checkout quick rather than painful.
Click to expand...

That's true. I usually frequent the BB in Rivergate area here - I have yet to see them sell mac computers?!? I haven't seen them, anyway.
 
Aeolius said:
Odd. The other day I read about a new Apple Store opening "early next year" in Greensboro NC, my neck of the woods. Now I see this rumor about the remaining CompUSA stores closing.

The Greensboro CompUSA store has maintained its "cozy corner" for Mac users for some time. The resident Apple Solutions Consultant is courteous, knowledgeable, and professional. It seems unclear, whether he would be transitioning from CompUSA to the Apple Store, but I hope that to be the case.

You have to wonder about the timing of it all, though. The Greensboro Apple Store is announced a week prior to news about Greensboro's CompUSA closing? I know CompUSA sells other items other than Apple products, but it makes you wonder if that was serendipity or a well calculated plan.
Click to expand...

OMG u just made me really happy. I heard about the compUSA closing and i figured we were ish out of luck since the closest Apple stores are over an hour away. i looked on the apple site, but didn't see anything about a new store in greensboro. maybe i didn't look n the right place. but either way u made my day. hopefully the service guy from compusa will get to go over to the apple store since i heard he's pretty decent.
 
With all due malice . . . .Good. I've never seen a worse company then CompUSA in regards to customer service. The ONLY time I could attract someone's attention in two of their stores here in MN was when I was in a suit. Otherwise shorts and a tee got me nothing. Then there is the 3 months it took to get my laptop back from their repair shop of doom. Eventually when I got it back they handed it back to me without the CD-RW drive door cover and had the gal to say it came that way. WTH?!?? Finally they were the ones that killed my true computer retailer love.....Oh Computer City. How I miss thee. Eaten by the megacrap chain known as CompUSA. But now I have a new love...Microcenter. CompUSA isn't fit to hold Microcenter's jockUSB cord.

So in conclusion if there isn't a level of heck for CompUSA I would suggest we petition Satan to get building soon.
 
poe diddley said:
OMG u just made me really happy. I heard about the compUSA closing and i figured we were ish out of luck since the closest Apple stores are over an hour away. i looked on the apple site, but didn't see anything about a new store in greensboro. maybe i didn't look n the right place. but either way u made my day. hopefully the service guy from compusa will get to go over to the apple store since i heard he's pretty decent.
Click to expand...

the Greensboro News and Record and an employee from Starmount both said the new Apple Store will be adjacent to the Friendly Shopping Center Complex. I heard rumors that the Apple Guy from CompUsa may be working at the Durham Store Temporarily until the Greensboro one opens. Either way, Apple is still going to be convienant to Greensboro. Since Greensboro and Durham is about 45 minutes from me, either one is local - but I must say the Apple Guy from CompUsa is generally more courteous than Durham. The Apply Guy from CompUsa is what Customer Service should be.
 
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