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Goodbye CompUSA, Hello Best Buy
December 28, 2007

Go to your local CompUSA ASAP - there is a going out of business fire sale. In the CompUSA near me I found computer equipment 10% off, networking equipment 15% and AppleCare (Apple Service Contract) at an unheard of 20% off. After years of coveting my neighbors 30 in Apple Cinema Display I finally bought one (Merry Xmas to me!).

The sad news is that earlier this month CompUSA was sold to Specialty Equity, an affiliate of private equity firm Gordon Brothers Group who announced that it would close 126 stores of the 225 in the U.S. This is sad for 2 reasons.

First, CompUSA helped make computers household words. It was the closet most of us came to visiting the Homebrew Computer Club, the place considered the birthplace of personal computing where Apple’s Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack first showed the Apple computer. Both places were where early adopters gathered.

Second and more up to date, in the store near me there was an Apple Solutions Consultant (ASC) named Buddy who I could talk to anytime. Buddy worked for Apple, was trained by Apple and was a true Mac Evangelist who really knew his stuff. You can find the job descriptions of the ASC’s through Google, but the bullet point I like best says “Building a community of loyal Apple customers who return to the store for service, support, and future purchases”.

I returned about once a month for that support because it was easy, it was accurate and it was honest. I did not have to wait an hour for phone support, log onto the Apple page and make an appointment with the Apple Genius (which rarely works for me either signing up online or having them ready for the appointment on time) or sign up and wait at the Apple store.

I would simply call the CompUSA store find out Buddy’s schedule and walk in. Within 15 minutes Buddy would give me all the time I needed.

About a year ago Buddy left. I was told the ASC program had been discontinued but in reality it had been transferred to a trial mode at Best Buy. That’s right Mac fans for the third time Best Buy will try to sell Apple computers. You may recall that in the mid-1990s, Best Buy tried to sell the entry level Performas and few years later, iMacs.

The motivation, as well as the pros and cons will follow in later blogs. For now - get thee buttocks to your local CompUSA. If you got a tie for the holidays and really wanted something more digital – it may be time to buy yourself a present.

Posted by Howie Fenton on December 28, 2007 | Comments (4)

December 28, 2007
In response to: Goodbye CompUSA, Hello Best Buy
Jim T commented:

I always found CompUSA to be over-priced. This Fall when the stores in Minnesota closed and they were discounting, their prices finally were at a competitive level. I never interacted with their service/support as I made my major purchases elsewhere. Sorry to hear you have lost the exceptional service you had grown accustomed to. Maybe if their prices were more in line, they'd still be around. I don't know if I can mention another retailer, but I've found Micro Center to be really good all around.

December 28, 2007
In response to: Goodbye CompUSA, Hello Best Buy
Howie commented:

Jim Thanks for your feedback and YES I love MicroCenter. There is one near the Denver Tech Center which is about 45 min from where I live and I go there regularly too. It is a little further for me so I only get there about once every 2 months but I like the staff and support better then most of the "big box retailers". I bought one of my five Powerbooks there are found they were more helpful and faster then anyone. When one of my 1 Mb chips went on the motherboard I took the computer to all the Mac dealers and they were the only one to swop the chips to detemine that it was a mother board problem. In fact I have had that same problem with 3/5 of my powerbooks. Thanks again for your feedback. Howie

January 2, 2008
In response to: Goodbye CompUSA, Hello Best Buy
Mark P commented:

CompUSA and others of their type chose not to compete with Amazon and the other 'brick and mortar' retailers who shifted their emphasis to online sales. By doing so, they priced themselves out of the market for products that were mostly self-installable and warrantied. When revenues fell, they reduced personnel and thus de-valued 'personal' service in the stores, which was their only real or perceived unique advantage. As a regular purchaser of electronic and digital equipment online, I can tell you that I stopped going to CompUSA and others a long time ago, unless there was a unique requirement. I now purchase more electronics than ever online, and certainly have saved thousands of dollars. On that note, I highly doubt the 10-20% discounts at CompUSA would compete with most online retailers, so contrary to your recommendation, I would suggest to continue to shop online until the discounts become competitive.

January 2, 2008
In response to: Goodbye CompUSA, Hello Best Buy
Joe commented:

Buyer beware - those "going out of business" sales are usually run by outside liquidators, not CompUSA. These liquidators often bring in products from other sources which they have acquired. That means that CompUSA will not want to repair/replace anything you buy that turns out to be defective or damaged. Make sure you verify the contents and condition of anything you buy before you leave the sale!