They told us they are going to stock the new flat panel iMacs.</strong><hr></blockquote>
That's very odd that they are stocking the new iMacs. My understanding was that they would sell remaining channel inventory and slowly phase out selling Macs.
I have to agree with those who say this isn't a bad thing, but at the same time it would be better for Apple to have a strong, positive presence in as many places as possible. However, if the sales help and displays are lackluster those positive effects are negated. On a side note, I did several Demo Days at CC and of all the stores that carry Apple products, they had the best hardware displays.
Well, I went and changed clothes, thinking I might need to rush if I want to snag a good deal. But I called a couple of Circuit City stores before I left, just in case.
At all three -- and I'll name them for Brian J's benefit: Freehold, Eatontown, and East Brunswick -- they all knew nothing about no longer selling Apple products. So naturally, they had no markdowns or clearance items, other than the standard reduced price on CRT iMacs.
Bizarre. But maybe it'll take a day or two before it trickles down to our local stores. I could really dig a good deal on an iPod.
They *had* outrageously low online prices for original 550/667 MHz PowerBook G4s...but the website no longer finds any products when searching for "PowerBook G4" ...
Well, thats odd. And one of the managers said theyd get the new iMacs in a month or so about a week ago. Oh well, they were displayed poorly and abused at that store. The salesmen didn't know a thing about them anyways. Most kids just came in to see if they get mess up the macs, even though they were unsuccesful because of OSX and restrictions that were applied, but still
Anyone know if they are giving/selling the displays? Not the computers, but the cardboard backs and stuff. It seems a shame to just throw them away. They were nice.
OK, there is a lot of good points on this at MacCentral, many posted by either CC employees, or Apple Power Reps (Marketsource employees).
I was an APR (first for Sears and then for CC), and handled several stores for several years. I have not been part of the program for several months, though, so I'm not too worried anymore about my NDA.
From that perspective, I'd like to confirm/elaborate on the following points that have been made elsewhere:
1.
The vast majority of CC sales reps were either apathetic or openly disdainful of the Mac. You could hear some of them repeating to co-workers or even customers, "I HATE Macs!!" If you tried to teach them, they avoided you at all costs, or anything you told them would go in one ear and out one other. Obviously, there were exceptions - maybe one sales rep per store if you were lucky.
2.
The vast majority of CC sales reps don't know squat about Windows, either. They basically make it up as they go along ("Yes, sir, that comes with Windows Millenium Edition and that's the same as Windows 2000 since Year 2000 is the new Millenium)", tell the customer what they think the customer wants to hear so they can make a sale, and hope the customer is not more knowledgeable then they are. YES, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS - one or maybe two reps per store, in my experience.
At MacCentral, there was a CC "ex-Mac guy" posting, bragging that he was "highest ESP sales several times" - that's ESP as in Extended Service Plan as in the high-pressure "upsell" that earns them higher commissions than the computer itself. The entire CC structure, from corporate management to store management to individual sales reps, revolves around ESP sales.
3.
The wide variety in quality in the Apple buying experience among stores seems due in large part to SOHO managers operating their own little feifdom, with many having personal dislike for Macs, refusing to have displays with DV camera and other items specified for the Mac display by CC Corporate, etc. etc.
4.
One good rep who knew something about the product and was willing to demonstrate it to people (especially newbies looking for something easy) would outsell the entire rest of the department combined, or even double it (of Mac product sales).
5.
CC's corporate structure and product distribution is horrible. This is the reason new Macs were generally at least 30 days slower hitting CC shelves than hitting Apple Stores, Apple Dealers, online stores, CompUSA, etc. etc. Basically, CC manages inventory like Apple did in the mid-1990s, and have no new machines when they are hot, and way too many old machines long after they are discontinued.
6.
The decision to carry ONLY iMacs & iBooks was made by CC and NOT by Apple.
7.
For several weeks after the iPod was released, we were armed with sales propaganda, etc. to hype it up to the sales associates. Then, we were informed that CC had decided NOT to carry the iPod (which as you all know has made everyone's list of the hottest mp3 players and is a huge seller) - how Delbertonian is THAT?????
8.
CC selection of Mac software was steadily improving till about a year ago, when CC got a new Head of Purchasing. After that, Photoshop, Virtual PC, MS Office, Norton Utilities, and even Quicken, just gradually disappeared from the shelves and were never replaced in any of the stores I visited.
9. Marketsource & Apple were interested in extending to CC the full-time Apple Rep program that's such a hit at CompuUSA, but CC Corporate shot it down.
Yeah, every time I buy something at Circuit City, they try to sell me an ESP. I once attempted to buy an Epson Stylus C80 from them about 30 minutes before closing time. The guy sold it to me, gave me the receipt and everything. I had to go pick it up at the service counter, but they said they were out of stock. So they fetch the guy that made the sale and he says it is in the store, but it was pulled into inventory at the last minute.
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> Not true. Broken and otherwise messed up Macs, hostile or ignorant sales staff, and lack of a good software selection does not make good publicity. All it does is reinforce all the Apple misconceptions.
Comments
<strong>
They told us they are going to stock the new flat panel iMacs.</strong><hr></blockquote>
That's very odd that they are stocking the new iMacs. My understanding was that they would sell remaining channel inventory and slowly phase out selling Macs.
I have to agree with those who say this isn't a bad thing, but at the same time it would be better for Apple to have a strong, positive presence in as many places as possible. However, if the sales help and displays are lackluster those positive effects are negated. On a side note, I did several Demo Days at CC and of all the stores that carry Apple products, they had the best hardware displays.
At all three -- and I'll name them for Brian J's benefit: Freehold, Eatontown, and East Brunswick -- they all knew nothing about no longer selling Apple products. So naturally, they had no markdowns or clearance items, other than the standard reduced price on CRT iMacs.
Bizarre. But maybe it'll take a day or two before it trickles down to our local stores. I could really dig a good deal on an iPod.
I was an APR (first for Sears and then for CC), and handled several stores for several years. I have not been part of the program for several months, though, so I'm not too worried anymore about my NDA.
From that perspective, I'd like to confirm/elaborate on the following points that have been made elsewhere:
1.
The vast majority of CC sales reps were either apathetic or openly disdainful of the Mac. You could hear some of them repeating to co-workers or even customers, "I HATE Macs!!" If you tried to teach them, they avoided you at all costs, or anything you told them would go in one ear and out one other. Obviously, there were exceptions - maybe one sales rep per store if you were lucky.
2.
The vast majority of CC sales reps don't know squat about Windows, either. They basically make it up as they go along ("Yes, sir, that comes with Windows Millenium Edition and that's the same as Windows 2000 since Year 2000 is the new Millenium)", tell the customer what they think the customer wants to hear so they can make a sale, and hope the customer is not more knowledgeable then they are. YES, THERE ARE EXCEPTIONS - one or maybe two reps per store, in my experience.
At MacCentral, there was a CC "ex-Mac guy" posting, bragging that he was "highest ESP sales several times" - that's ESP as in Extended Service Plan as in the high-pressure "upsell" that earns them higher commissions than the computer itself. The entire CC structure, from corporate management to store management to individual sales reps, revolves around ESP sales.
3.
The wide variety in quality in the Apple buying experience among stores seems due in large part to SOHO managers operating their own little feifdom, with many having personal dislike for Macs, refusing to have displays with DV camera and other items specified for the Mac display by CC Corporate, etc. etc.
4.
One good rep who knew something about the product and was willing to demonstrate it to people (especially newbies looking for something easy) would outsell the entire rest of the department combined, or even double it (of Mac product sales).
5.
CC's corporate structure and product distribution is horrible. This is the reason new Macs were generally at least 30 days slower hitting CC shelves than hitting Apple Stores, Apple Dealers, online stores, CompUSA, etc. etc. Basically, CC manages inventory like Apple did in the mid-1990s, and have no new machines when they are hot, and way too many old machines long after they are discontinued.
6.
The decision to carry ONLY iMacs & iBooks was made by CC and NOT by Apple.
7.
For several weeks after the iPod was released, we were armed with sales propaganda, etc. to hype it up to the sales associates. Then, we were informed that CC had decided NOT to carry the iPod (which as you all know has made everyone's list of the hottest mp3 players and is a huge seller) - how Delbertonian is THAT?????
8.
CC selection of Mac software was steadily improving till about a year ago, when CC got a new Head of Purchasing. After that, Photoshop, Virtual PC, MS Office, Norton Utilities, and even Quicken, just gradually disappeared from the shelves and were never replaced in any of the stores I visited.
9. Marketsource & Apple were interested in extending to CC the full-time Apple Rep program that's such a hit at CompuUSA, but CC Corporate shot it down.
[ 02-09-2002: Message edited by: FormerLurker ]</p>
There is NO such thing as bad publicity.
Unless your a Clinton.
<strong>
There is NO such thing as bad publicity.
Unless your a Clinton.</strong><hr></blockquote>
<img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[No]" /> Not true. Broken and otherwise messed up Macs, hostile or ignorant sales staff, and lack of a good software selection does not make good publicity. All it does is reinforce all the Apple misconceptions.