At least if I buy an Apple product from Best Buy and it doesn't work for me I can take it back for a full refund. Try doing that at an Apple store and you get hit with a restock fee. I never buy at an Apple store unless I have to, and there is one right close to my work.
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CompUSA To Shut Down
- Thread starter Daveway
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You will want to go into hiding to elude the collection thugs the executives hired. They have payments to make on their jets, trophy wives and illuminated-glass kitchens.
i work at the birmingham,al compusa. not sure what ill do yet but i know things are gonna get really interesting
you will pobably still make payments to HSBC, the company tat actually gives the credit. im not sure how the no interest deals will hold up
you will pobably still make payments to HSBC, the company tat actually gives the credit. im not sure how the no interest deals will hold up
Yep. I don't think I've bought anything from CompUSA since I found Newegg some years ago. I'll walk in occasionally... and be like "WTF, $16 for an CAT5E cable?" and leave.
i worked at compusa in the late 90's and even then i was surprised that they were able to stay open. one of my managers told me on day 1 of my job that CUSA was the "wild wild west" of electronics retail; meaning wheeling and dealing, pricedrops and addons to get sales, freebies to get warranty sales, "creative" inventory management, staffing rollercoasters, etc.. were all par for the course there. so while i feel bad for those about to loose their jobs, it should not be a surprise to anyone, especially with the round of closings recently.
when i buy consumer electronics, i will research what i want on the internet, learn about the options of various products, then go into a bigbox store and look at one in person, and then go order it online where i will get it cheaper even with shipping, and not have to deal with saying "no" to an extended warranty 20 times before i can leave. when i am approached by an employee of such a bigbox store, i tell them i am all set. if they insist, i tell them i am going to buy product X online and if they can match it i would buy from them instead. they are never able to, so i get it online. one thing i do not do is waste thier time pretending to buy only to walk out.
i am not the only one who does that, which is why a place with expensive, low margin items like CUSA are hard to keep in business. thats also the reason why their cables and such are INSANELY overpriced.
when i buy consumer electronics, i will research what i want on the internet, learn about the options of various products, then go into a bigbox store and look at one in person, and then go order it online where i will get it cheaper even with shipping, and not have to deal with saying "no" to an extended warranty 20 times before i can leave. when i am approached by an employee of such a bigbox store, i tell them i am all set. if they insist, i tell them i am going to buy product X online and if they can match it i would buy from them instead. they are never able to, so i get it online. one thing i do not do is waste thier time pretending to buy only to walk out.
i am not the only one who does that, which is why a place with expensive, low margin items like CUSA are hard to keep in business. thats also the reason why their cables and such are INSANELY overpriced.
Radio shack doesn't have much competition to it's core business. I really don't see Radio Shack disappearing any time soon.
I will say however that for a company that sells technology I've never really seen them apply it well throughout their own company. Nothing really brilliant in inventory control, or POS solutions.
What they have in place is something that is very functional yet fails to get the consumer excited about using it.
But then this describes BestBuy and CircuitCity as well. Last July, I bought my MBP at BestBuy. They had them locked in the display case and didn't have any Macs on display. The guy who got mine out of the locked display had no knowledge about Macs whatsoever and so I just paid for it and left.
CircuitCity is the same way. A few years back I was buying a portable XM satellite radio. I had two others already and so I knew how the subscription worked. This idiot who brought me the radio from the storage asked me if I wanted the extended warranty. I told him no because I never ever buy extended warrantys and never needed one on anything electronic. He told me that even if the radio broke I would still have to pay XM for my subscription. I laughed at him and paid for the radio.
They all hire idiots in some way.
How I wish it were Best Buy shutting down instead of CompUSA. I don't shop in either very often (NewEgg, Amazon, MacSales/OWC have been my usual suspects), but when I do I inevitably leave Best Buy in disgust; not because their pricing is all that bad, but their staff, customer service and business practices are one bus stop shy of arriving at Feebletown.
Oh well, I suppose it's the end of an era.
Oh well, I suppose it's the end of an era.
Of course it is. It kept me out of CompUSA and brought me into BestBuy to buy my MacBook Pro. I would have bought the computer at CompUSA if they had approved me.
Not sad to see them go - both of the CompUSAs I've had the displeasure of shopping at had some of the worst costumer service I have ever experienced, in any industry.
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I'm not shocked, Cusa never did a great job of adapting to the new millenium.
I'm not shocked, Cusa never did a great job of adapting to the new millenium.
Yes that is where Apple Soltuions Consultants would end up. They would not find a home for them in Apple Retail. They work directly for Corporate in a different channel then retail. A lot of Best Buys a;ready have a direct Apple EMployee working in it full time. SOme of these guys have been doing this job for Apple for close to 7 years in various markets. Best Buy seems to be the place they will all end up. There are a few Apple Shops that went up in best Buys that will not have a rep but most will. You can find a list here http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat137100050004&type=category or a lot of info on the presence in Best Buy here http://www.bestbuy.com/apple
Kevin
huh
yeah, the good ol' days before the apple stores is long gone. i used to love going to comp usa and bumming around the apple store. some of my friends and i would go in and try to stump the salesperson in the apple area and go one up the pc guys with the greatness of mac. however, haven't set foot in one since the apple stores opened. kind of a nostalgic loss, other than that, oh well. i do in every regard HATE best buy. nothing but a bunch of no-nothing pimply teenagers trying harder to look cool in their blue and yellow than actually serve any customers. now if best buy bit it, i'd be one happy customer. prob not going to happen . . .
yeah, the good ol' days before the apple stores is long gone. i used to love going to comp usa and bumming around the apple store. some of my friends and i would go in and try to stump the salesperson in the apple area and go one up the pc guys with the greatness of mac. however, haven't set foot in one since the apple stores opened. kind of a nostalgic loss, other than that, oh well. i do in every regard HATE best buy. nothing but a bunch of no-nothing pimply teenagers trying harder to look cool in their blue and yellow than actually serve any customers. now if best buy bit it, i'd be one happy customer. prob not going to happen . . .
Your statement is totally absurd! Unless you are very young and don't know any better or maybe you are just plain old stupid! Apple is a business not a religion get over your obsession with Apple products.
Its scary to think that you are so in love with Apple that it upsets you to see there products on the shelf with something else, scary! its a computer for God sake, kids have them in kindergarten now days 5 - 6 year olds but it really shocks me to see adults treat Apple products like a God with little shrines instead of a desk.
I think you're wishin' upon a star if you think an Apple Store is going to come to Waco anytime soon.
Our CompUSA store closed last year then CompUSA downsized here in Texas. The Apple Consultant there left CompUSA and opened his own authorized Apple reseller booth/store in a local camera shop. I don't know how he managed it but he has small sampling of hardware/software and of course he can order anything else. He's a good resource and I still go to him to support his business.
Man those were the good days, CompUSA was the only place you could really go in case of a computer emergency... if you needed a part etc... *sigh* yea they didn't do a great job keeping up to Best Buy I suppose... stupid best buy...
The one retail store I liked to set foot in is closing down for good. Maybe I should drive into Dallas and plead with the CEO. 
There IS an Apple store being built in Little Rock at the new Promenade at Chenal. I know it is confirmed because they've applied for a plumbing permit for construction.
I agree though, it would have been much better at Midtown...
I'm not shedding any tears over this. ChumpUSA hired a lot of flunkies and a few guys who knew their stuff. Unfortunately, the guys who knew their stuff would be out of there pretty quickly with better jobs, leaving the flunkies. Poor guys. Don't expect great service if you go there for deals. They're just gonna be running out the clock at that point.
With Comp's demise comes the PC obit...
The decrepit shelves were a look into Apple's past. Broken and outdated demo machines. Uninformed salespeople. Apple tried the in-store genius, but the culture was all wrong.
Those red-shirted twerps gave tech a bad name. I wouldn't go in there, for a final goodbye, as a matter of principle.
The decrepit shelves were a look into Apple's past. Broken and outdated demo machines. Uninformed salespeople. Apple tried the in-store genius, but the culture was all wrong.
Those red-shirted twerps gave tech a bad name. I wouldn't go in there, for a final goodbye, as a matter of principle.
Clearly... It's not a big deal. Apple stores have many people can easily replace that CompUSA guy.