Despite early bad reports years ago, I've found CompUSA to be a GREAT Apple store--a close second to the "real thing"--in recent years. Walk-up warranty service, knoweldgeable staff, and all the latest Apple and 3rd-party goodies up and running. They encourage you to play around and try stuff, but when you leave they make sure a cool demo is running on the screen again. In other words, pretty close to a real Apple Store. And located in the midst of a store that Windows users frequent--probably a good thing for switchers to see.
I say bring on more Fry's! Yeah, there Mac section sucks, their staff are ill informed but they have some amazing deals and great return policys on hardware and it's not obvious if you are buying an open box item or not.
I worked at CompUSA like ten years ago and I was the dedicated Mac Guy and loved every day of it but then when they brought in a new GM (who traveled like more than 60 miles one way in his commute) and was a major ass to boot it was time for me to go.
I actually left and tried to come back. The day of my interview with this guy he says "first thing you need to do is tuck in your shirt and you gotta sell PCs too and do a major push with the extended warrenty."
I was the first in any of their stores nationwide who brought in my own DV video camera and demo'd off iMovie 1.0....then all the Apple sales reps came in with a DV camera provided by Apple and did the same. I was a legend in my own right
Fry's is considered to be one of THE WORST!
They have been citited several times for selling used products, and mis-labeled ones as well.
Oh boo hoo I can't pay 10% over retail anymore. Here in Dallas there's a Best Buy and CompUSA right next to each other. I'd go into CompUSA first and then ALWAYS find the same item cheaper at Best Buy.
I bet without that CompUSA close to a BestBuy, there is less incentive for Best Buy to work hard to keep your business. A great model for preditory businesses is to kill the competition off by undercutting them till they fold, then raise prices when you have little competion left.
Don't know about other stores, but the CompUSA in Emeryville seems to have gone out of its way to make the in-store experience as unpleasant as possible.
All the big ticket items have some kind of security device that makes a loud, high pitched "beep" about every 20 seconds (which means there are multiple high pitched beeps happening around the store at all times), and at least once every 15 minutes or so someone manages to trigger the actual alarm, which is head exploding shriek that apparently takes a team of professionals at least 5 minutes to locate and shut off.
Then there is the grocery store level of in-store music, which is regularly punctuated with horribly loud pitches for various CompUSA products and services, all in that tear your face off "cheerful and excited" style of voice over.
Add to that the confusing layout, malfunctioning display items, poor lighting, and the "in your face when you just want to browse but nowhere to be found when you have a question" staff, and the whole place is one giant headache machine.
Not that Best Buy is a garden of eden or anything, but somehow it just doesn't feel as oppressive.
Seems like you either have to be a real big box outfit like BB and just overwhelm people with stuff, or be good at focusing and developing a vibe other than "sleazy con artists" (failure at which being what killed the amusingly named "Good Guys", who in fact where thieving bastards).
Circuit City seems to be doing a fair job of navigating these waters, with much more appealing remodeled stores and a lot of emphasis on big screen TVs and home theater. We'll see.
All but one CompuUSA closing in Arizona. Now it's 120 miles to the nearest one for me. I can always use mail order if I have to.
As for Fry's, you always have to check the packaging very closely, then buy two of the same item. This is to increase your odds that you will get a working item. If you only bought one and it doesn''t work, it's back to the store. If you buy two and the first one you try doesn't work, the second one most likely will. If the first one works, great. Since you are most likely going back anyway, you might as well start by buying two of them.
I checked the remaining store list. Not a single store left in Orange County or LA County of California... Back in my PC days, I used to work at the Long Beach Store...
Interesting to note that the source of the cash infusion for CompUSA has not been declared; could it be part of a new marketing strategy for Apple? Might they have plans to revitalise CompUSA and move towards a big new re-opening in better locations and better stores, with their increasing product portfolio, which may well have grown larger still by the time the 'restructuring' of the CompUSA business is complete?
Don't know about other stores, but the CompUSA in Emeryville seems to have gone out of its way to make the in-store experience as unpleasant as possible.
All the big ticket items have some kind of security device that makes a loud, high pitched "beep" about every 20 seconds (which means there are multiple high pitched beeps happening around the store at all times), and at least once every 15 minutes or so someone manages to trigger the actual alarm, which is head exploding shriek that apparently takes a team of professionals at least 5 minutes to locate and shut off.
My local CUSA unit hasn't had any of the problems you described. That would be annoying and I would have stayed away if that's what they did.
I bet without that CompUSA close to a BestBuy, there is less incentive for Best Buy to work hard to keep your business. A great model for preditory businesses is to kill the competition off by undercutting them till they fold, then raise prices when you have little competion left.
There may be some truth to that, BB basically set the Musicland Group on a drain-circling spiral. I don't think they raised their in-store prices though.
I say so long suckers! The one here tries to scheme all the time. A while back they had G4 laptops selling for the same price as the new Intel laptops. They don't TELL the customer that there are newer laptops available for pretty much the same price, you just have to know that there are Macbooks now. Assholes.
I worked for CompUSA as a Tech salesman a number of years ago, and witnessed multiple incidents of management and other salesmen willing and knowingly decieving customers. As an example, other salesmen told me that a "great" way to increase the total ticket price on a sale was to grab higher margin items (printer cables/ink/etc.) from the shelf and placing them in the shopping basket while pushing a customer who had decided to buy a CPU, monitor, etc., basket to the front of the store...with the hope that the customer wouldn't really notice the extra $80 to $200 in items until after the sale. Really shady stuff.
In fact, I quit my job (which paid very well in commission otherwise...upwards of 60k a year for selling computers from the floor!) because I grew tired of the enviornment.
Maybe if their customer service didn't suck, people would actually shop there. At the one by me, if you weren't looking at a computer, you weren't getting assistance. But walk into the computer section, and you couldn't go 2 steps without being offered assistance.
And their great deals that mysteriously sold out before I got there even though I was there a mere 15 minutes after it opened. There was probably a bunch of the item sitting in the stock room that they moved off the floor in the morning so they were "out of stock."
As an example, other salesmen told me that a "great" way to increase the total ticket price on a sale was to grab higher margin items (printer cables/ink/etc.) from the shelf and placing them in the shopping basket while pushing a customer who had decided to buy a CPU, monitor, etc., basket to the front of the store...with the hope that the customer wouldn't really notice the extra $80 to $200 in items until after the sale. Really shady stuff.
Happened to me once, but I caught the guy doing it and told him off, then I yelled at the top of my lungs to a bunch of other customers at the checkout lines to check their carts for stuff that was put in their carts without their knowledge. I left without buying anything, and several others did too.
Wow, more stores. They did this about a year ago and the one in my town closed then. Let's hope the last one left in the KC metro will stay open...not that I ever go there. \
I hear ya brother! You live right up the highway from where I live(Oklahoma) Just like you I never go to COMPUSA due to the cold people and the store being to far away for what they have to offer. The only good thing is that one of the store reps knows his Apple stuff. He works there part time and is a Mac fan. But he said most people go there to get blank CD and get there PC's repaired. How sad is that??
Comments
Ok, let's try to edit before we post. I wouldn't have let that mess out without at least one read through. Embarrassing.
Um... who or what is that directed towards? The article?
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Loos like mine is staying open
I say bring on more Fry's! Yeah, there Mac section sucks, their staff are ill informed but they have some amazing deals and great return policys on hardware and it's not obvious if you are buying an open box item or not.
I worked at CompUSA like ten years ago and I was the dedicated Mac Guy and loved every day of it but then when they brought in a new GM (who traveled like more than 60 miles one way in his commute) and was a major ass to boot it was time for me to go.
I actually left and tried to come back. The day of my interview with this guy he says "first thing you need to do is tuck in your shirt and you gotta sell PCs too and do a major push with the extended warrenty."
I was the first in any of their stores nationwide who brought in my own DV video camera and demo'd off iMovie 1.0....then all the Apple sales reps came in with a DV camera provided by Apple and did the same. I was a legend in my own right
Fry's is considered to be one of THE WORST!
They have been citited several times for selling used products, and mis-labeled ones as well.
I would stay away.
Fry's is considered to be one of THE WORST!
They have been citited several times for selling used products, and mis-labeled ones as well.
I would stay away.
I second that. I bought a product I thought was new, that upon closer examination proved to be repackaged. I took it back and demanded a refund.
I haven't set foot in a Fry's since.
Oh boo hoo I can't pay 10% over retail anymore. Here in Dallas there's a Best Buy and CompUSA right next to each other. I'd go into CompUSA first and then ALWAYS find the same item cheaper at Best Buy.
I bet without that CompUSA close to a BestBuy, there is less incentive for Best Buy to work hard to keep your business. A great model for preditory businesses is to kill the competition off by undercutting them till they fold, then raise prices when you have little competion left.
i loved that store. i go there at least once a week!
All the big ticket items have some kind of security device that makes a loud, high pitched "beep" about every 20 seconds (which means there are multiple high pitched beeps happening around the store at all times), and at least once every 15 minutes or so someone manages to trigger the actual alarm, which is head exploding shriek that apparently takes a team of professionals at least 5 minutes to locate and shut off.
Then there is the grocery store level of in-store music, which is regularly punctuated with horribly loud pitches for various CompUSA products and services, all in that tear your face off "cheerful and excited" style of voice over.
Add to that the confusing layout, malfunctioning display items, poor lighting, and the "in your face when you just want to browse but nowhere to be found when you have a question" staff, and the whole place is one giant headache machine.
Not that Best Buy is a garden of eden or anything, but somehow it just doesn't feel as oppressive.
Seems like you either have to be a real big box outfit like BB and just overwhelm people with stuff, or be good at focusing and developing a vibe other than "sleazy con artists" (failure at which being what killed the amusingly named "Good Guys", who in fact where thieving bastards).
Circuit City seems to be doing a fair job of navigating these waters, with much more appealing remodeled stores and a lot of emphasis on big screen TVs and home theater. We'll see.
As for Fry's, you always have to check the packaging very closely, then buy two of the same item. This is to increase your odds that you will get a working item. If you only bought one and it doesn''t work, it's back to the store. If you buy two and the first one you try doesn't work, the second one most likely will. If the first one works, great. Since you are most likely going back anyway, you might as well start by buying two of them.
j
Go Apple Store.
Just a thought!
Agent Smith: "That is the sound of inevitability. It is the sound of your death." But CompUSA is no Neo.
Don't know about other stores, but the CompUSA in Emeryville seems to have gone out of its way to make the in-store experience as unpleasant as possible.
All the big ticket items have some kind of security device that makes a loud, high pitched "beep" about every 20 seconds (which means there are multiple high pitched beeps happening around the store at all times), and at least once every 15 minutes or so someone manages to trigger the actual alarm, which is head exploding shriek that apparently takes a team of professionals at least 5 minutes to locate and shut off.
My local CUSA unit hasn't had any of the problems you described. That would be annoying and I would have stayed away if that's what they did.
I bet without that CompUSA close to a BestBuy, there is less incentive for Best Buy to work hard to keep your business. A great model for preditory businesses is to kill the competition off by undercutting them till they fold, then raise prices when you have little competion left.
There may be some truth to that, BB basically set the Musicland Group on a drain-circling spiral. I don't think they raised their in-store prices though.
I say so long suckers! The one here tries to scheme all the time. A while back they had G4 laptops selling for the same price as the new Intel laptops. They don't TELL the customer that there are newer laptops available for pretty much the same price, you just have to know that there are Macbooks now. Assholes.
I worked for CompUSA as a Tech salesman a number of years ago, and witnessed multiple incidents of management and other salesmen willing and knowingly decieving customers. As an example, other salesmen told me that a "great" way to increase the total ticket price on a sale was to grab higher margin items (printer cables/ink/etc.) from the shelf and placing them in the shopping basket while pushing a customer who had decided to buy a CPU, monitor, etc., basket to the front of the store...with the hope that the customer wouldn't really notice the extra $80 to $200 in items until after the sale. Really shady stuff.
In fact, I quit my job (which paid very well in commission otherwise...upwards of 60k a year for selling computers from the floor!) because I grew tired of the enviornment.
I'm not surprised to see this happening.
And their great deals that mysteriously sold out before I got there even though I was there a mere 15 minutes after it opened. There was probably a bunch of the item sitting in the stock room that they moved off the floor in the morning so they were "out of stock."
As an example, other salesmen told me that a "great" way to increase the total ticket price on a sale was to grab higher margin items (printer cables/ink/etc.) from the shelf and placing them in the shopping basket while pushing a customer who had decided to buy a CPU, monitor, etc., basket to the front of the store...with the hope that the customer wouldn't really notice the extra $80 to $200 in items until after the sale. Really shady stuff.
Happened to me once, but I caught the guy doing it and told him off, then I yelled at the top of my lungs to a bunch of other customers at the checkout lines to check their carts for stuff that was put in their carts without their knowledge. I left without buying anything, and several others did too.
The CompUSA where I buy ink for my printer, and other things I can't find at the Apple Store is shutting down!
Sebastian
Wow, more stores. They did this about a year ago and the one in my town closed then. Let's hope the last one left in the KC metro will stay open...not that I ever go there.
I hear ya brother! You live right up the highway from where I live(Oklahoma) Just like you I never go to COMPUSA due to the cold people and the store being to far away for what they have to offer. The only good thing is that one of the store reps knows his Apple stuff. He works there part time and is a Mac fan. But he said most people go there to get blank CD and get there PC's repaired. How sad is that??