Improvements at CompUSA, and how Pscates cost me $400

I went into the North Portland (Jantzen Beach) CompUSA on my lunch hour to get a USB cable for a printer we're setting up here at the office.

Then I thought "Oh yeah, I've been meaning to check out that Mac Design mag that Pscates mentioned on the AI forums," so I went over to the Apple section (since the Mac-related mags are segregated from the more mainstream magazine section).

Right away I noticed that they'd improved the Apple "store within a store." The software selection had been fleshed out, they'd marked those two ancient iBooks "closeout" (though the prices were still silly), and there was some new stuff on the front endcap that's visible as you walk up.

Then after I found the Mac Design mag (congrats, Paul) I couldn't help but be drawn to the iPod. I've kind of toyed with the idea of buyign one but kept putting it off, since I already have a 6gb hard drive MP3 player (OK, it's only USB and it takes about four days to fill the thing up with MP3 files).

I was standing there staring before the iPod with my mouth agape (maybe it was sheer tech lust, maybe it was 3.5 hours sleep last night) when this guy walked up. He was wearing a shirt that was different from the CompUSA shirts. It said "Apple Specialist." He chatted with me a little about the iPod and I realized, "Hey, this isn't a CompUSA drone -- this guy actually knows what Firewire is, and stuff like that." He didn't really tell me anything I didn't already know (except he said every time they get a shipment in, it sells out immediately -- apparently they had just gotten in another shipment, and only had one left), but it was refreshing to talk to somebody with a clue (not to mention some Mac enthusiasm) at CompUSA.

So, drawn into the store with the intention of buying a $6 USB cable, then pulled over to the Mac section with the idea of buying a $6 magazine, I decided to grab that last iPod (it really WAS the last one -- I saw the empty space in their locked case with one lone iPod box in there) and take the plunge.

$412 later, I was on my way out the door and down to Taco Bell. How does a $6 trip turn into a $412 trip? Curse you, Pscates, it's your fault I went to that end of the store!

But now I can't wait to get home and open up the iPod (what a cool little cube box) and let 'er rip!

It's still less than impressive but it's a big improvement over the last time I went in there, a couple of weeks ago. And there certainly wasn't any "Apple Specialist" in there last time.

I think the key is just to update the displays once in a while, so customers who are browsing by don't get the strong impression that the Mac is a dying, abandoned platform. That's what it looks like when you have nothing but old software titles on the endcap displays -- it's like saying "Woo hoo, look -- we've got Starcraft now!"

Windows users see that stuff and it just confirms their thoughts that there's no software for the Mac. This time they had some Corel software, Office X, OSX, Flash, and a bunch of stuff like that up in front. Plus they had rehabilitated the iPod display and finally put a price on it (!).

Those ancient iBooks for $1199-1399 have got to go, though.