Are CompUSA's Closeout Sales Any Good?

[Frank Gentges]

Terry,

Yes,  it was really nice when it started as Computer Warehouse.  I can 
remember when the parking lot was jammed and getting in and out of the 
shopping center was a problem. Then they changed their name and business 
model and bought out the competition down the street.  Along the way the 
Harvard MBA crowd took over and tried to run it like the NY sandwich 
shop they had studied in their case study.

I went in several months ago and it looked like a morgue and almost no 
customers were to be found.  It did not create a sense of excitement or 
interest in what they had.  Everything was rearranged. Even a Mexican 
billionaire cannot let a chain of his stores keep hemorrhaging money for 
ever.

I regularly go to Microcenter before or after tacos to see the latest 
stuff and deals.  It does not feel like a NY sandwich shop with some 
gruff guy behind the counter.

Frank


Terry Fox wrote:
> I remember when CompUSA first opened, it was like a supermarket for
> computers.  It was truely great!
> 
> Then, some low-ball management specialist must have taken over.  They became
> customer antagonistic, with customer service something to shoot for - at
> least on the opposite end of the spectrum.  They treated their employees the
> same way, poorly.
> 
> Then, they started watching every move you made, virtually accusing you of
> taking something - just like the guy who used to own the Ritco surplus store
> in Annandale many years ago.  He went out of business as well.  We all hated
> going in there, and eventually stopped, going only to Sasco in Oldtown
> Alexandria instead.
> 
> It got to the point that the only time I went into CompUSA was if someone
> had given me a gift card.  While workign at Tyson's, I would rather go to
> MicroCenter, or even Best Buy instead of CompUSA.
> 
> You could see the writing on the walls - any company that treats their
> customers with such disdain will eventuallu lose them, and go out of
> business.  How many times must that lesson be taught?
> Terry
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mike O'Dell" <mo at ccr.org>
> To: "Frank Gentges" <fgentges at mindspring.com>
> Cc: "Tacos" <tacos at amrad.org>
> Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2007 2:35 PM
> Subject: Re: Are CompUSA's Closeout Sales Any Good?
> 
> 
>> Frank Gentges wrote:
>>> Tacoistas,
>>>
>>> In case you had not missed tha fact that all the CompUSA stores are
>>> closing in Northern Virginia and many other places.
>>>
>>> It looks like a trip over there may be more a trip into high pressure
>>> marketing area where things cost more than a trip into bargain land. You
>>> may want to save your gas for a more productive trip.
>>>
>>> See http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/004100.html
>>>
>>> Frank
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Tacos mailing list
>>> Tacos at amrad.org
>>> http://www.amrad.org/mailman/listinfo/tacos
>> Ah yes - i found the "closing" list. hmmm.
>> they were convenient for the random thing
>> like a compact flash card, USB drive, etc.
>>
>> probably good news for Microcenter
>>
>> maybe we'll get a Frye's !!!
>>
>> -mo
>>
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> 
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