126 to 128 of CompUSA’s 228 US stores are being shut down anywhere between now and the next three months. They’re handing the dead stores to a liquidator and everything will be sold.
Good deals in the short run, but man, what a disaster. They’re completely vacating major markets. Seattle, which is tech central, has ZERO. The closest one is going to be freakin’ Spokane, a 5-hour drive away.
I’m a bit sad, because I have fond memories of the CompUSA in North Seattle. Bought most of my first computers there.
Killed by the Internet, with Best Buy and Circuit City as accomplices.
I used to shop at CompUSA 12 years ago. I’ve been there maybe 5 times in the last decade. Why pay close to retail prices when I can get something for 30% to 40% less online? And if I was in a “need it now” situation, there was generally a Best Buy or Circuit City closer with the same items at the same or slightly lower prices.
Well, lookin’ forward to the clearance sale, at least.
More surprising than this news was the bit in the story that the world’s third-richest man lives not in the USA or Saudi Arabia, but rather Mexico.
Sad. But I can’t say I’m surprised. Their in-store prices always seemed to be higher than Best Buy & Circuit City - and in our area their employees were always rude and unhelpful.
I will miss their greater selection/inventory.
I have to admit, I was glad to see this thread wasn’t about an actual massacre. You just never know nowadays.
Killed by their own stupidity. At least a few years ago, to check availability you had to call a central number, which would “check the stock”, when you arrived and the product wasn’t there the local store would claim the national number had no idea what was actually on the shelves. I hate compusa and their ultra rude sales people, haven’t shopped there for a few years, good riddance.
Oh what the fuck. I have ninety bucks worth of store credit there sitting in my wallet right now, and the closest one is going to be in Pittsburgh, which might as well be Venus.
…is what I thought at first, because I thought this thread was about Circuit City. Whew!
The only reason I go there is because I wander in there after going to the book store next door. On the other side of the bookstore is a Circuit City that used to be a Good Guys.
CompUSA was where my brother-in-law worked for awhile, and a more mismanaged corrupt retail store i’ve never heard of. (The South Austin location he worked is being closed). They switched from commission to salaried salesmen, which totally ruined morale and their skillset, and as well treated employees in that totally disposible retail chaff manner like does Best Buy.
But the real corruption was how the store managers - most of whom we’re not even 25yo - essentially stole every piece of inventory they could get their hands on, in whatever manner was available to keep it off the books.
In a low-margin business like retail computer sales, there isn’t enough slack to survive when your constantly massacring your employees to save on salary costs while fighting constant corruption within your management.
Way back when, I used to swing by CUSA every Friday on my way home from work, just to check out what new stuff had come out. But I don’t think I’ve bought anything there in five or ten years, so I guess it’s not surprising that they’re going out of business. With stuff like Fry’s around, there’s just no real reason to go there.
So far as I can tell, their business was essentially based on exploiting the computer-illiterate for a good long time. Back when the infamous Packard-Bell was a going concern, it was because they sold cases at CompUSA. Worst customer service ever, by the way.
Though I’ve never been to one (wrong coast) I’ve read posts waxing eloquent about Fry’s for years. I’ve never heard anyone say anything good about CompUSA, though.
Looks like my local store is getting the axe too but luckily I have a Fry’s in the area. I hear ya on the customer support, they were just fucking awful in all areas. You’d be lucky if you could grab a drone and ask what aisle such and such is.
How do you know if a local store is getting the axe? Is there a list of the ones being closed? I think the nearest one to me is 45 minutes away, it would be kind of far just to see if they are one of the ones closing.
I wonder if I could get a good deal on a quad core system there.
That’s kind of sad. I remember going to them all the way back when they were SoftWarehouse. But like others in this thread, I haven’t bought much from them in the last decade or so. Before that, though, I spent many an hour browsing games in CompUSA.
Wow, looks like both Dallas stores are closing, but the stores in Plano and Frisco will stay open. The Dallas store on US 75 is right next to the busiest Best Buy in the Metroplex, if I recall correctly.
Good riddance. I worked for them a while back after I got laid off by Egghead (who went the online route during the original .com boom) and they had some pretty retarded policies. They were already in the shitter financially by the time I left, I am surprised it took this long for them to finally fold.
The awesome thing about Fry’s is the selection. You definitely don’t go there for the customer service, although I’ve had a few lucky experiences, including the guy who sold my new car receiver to me coming over to my place and installing it for $50. Did an awesome job too. That is the one thing I really miss being over here on the East Coast. When I went back at Christmastime I made a point of checking out prices and stuff, and ended up getting a new camera while I was there.
