大象传媒

bbc.co.uk Navigation

Darren Waters

End of the road for CompUSA

  • Darren Waters
  • 18 Feb 08, 01:21 GMT

CompUSA, the American chain of technology shops, closes its doors for good in a few weeks after admitting defeat at the hands of online shopping and retailers such as Best Buy and Circuit City.

I popped into the shop on Market Street in San Francisco yesterday as I wanted to check out the last minute bargains and for reasons of nostalgia - I bought my first ever PDA, an iPaq 1910, from the shop about five years ago.

The shop resembles a jumble sale, with laptops, cables, and software piled high in bins and on shelves with prices slashed: they are selling big name laptops at up to a third off and recent software like OS X Leopard at much reduced prices.

The problem for CompUSA was that the place always resembled something of a jumble sale. It was never easy to find anything and the level of knowledge of sales assistants was pretty poor.

I remember being on the verge of giving up on plans of buying the iPaq until a fellow customer kindly answered some of my queries.

CompUSA failed to adapt to the mainstream-lining of technology; people wanted to join the computer revolution but didn't want to have to think to hard about how, what or which.

So farewell then CompUSA and if you're in need of a cheap coffee pot, then I'd recommend the store on 4th Street (see video above).


Comments

  • 1.
  • At 08:31 AM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • Nick Gassman wrote:

The reason for the closure is given as the pressure of internet selling, yet there are other chains and individual stores that are not closing. The reporter states that his own experience was that it was difficult to find products, and that the assistants didn't assist very well. Maybe a poor retail operation is more to the point than the internet.

  • 2.
  • At 10:16 AM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • Ulrich Zwingli wrote:

CompUSA's problem was that it flattered to deceive. From the outside it looked like it should be a nice store, a comfortable environment to choose technology without coping with the frenetic pace of a BestBuy or a Circuit City.

So sad it was therefore to discover that all the investment had clearly gone into lighting and carpets, and not into having a decent stockline, well informed staff, or competitive prices.

Retail, whether online or in the mall, is all about making a transaction as pleasurable as possible. Nothing CompUSA ever did made me feel treasured or wanted as a customer, and to that end it's not a sad day to see them go.

  • 3.
  • At 11:32 AM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • Norman Speight wrote:

Also arrogant and discourteous store managers.
I went into their Orlando store with a pocketful of cash looking to buy. A sales assistant called over the manager because I had a technical query. He simply rapped out a pseudo tech-speak answer and turned his back on me and walked away - so did I.
Complete contrast with Best Buy on Oseola Avenue. couldn't be more helpful and as a result I spent hundreds of dollars buying nintendos for my many grandchildren.
Management of many stores is a reflection of the rubbish senior management of the businesses. These people are more concerned with their personal prestige than they are with identifying sales weaknesses emerging from just how customers (the spenders) see the store. THAT is the most important characteristed which breeds sales. Of course, such persons will say "yes we know that and that is why we......." BUT. They bloody well don't. Put ANY store closure like this down solely to 'Management' - there's no other cause. I've run businesses for over fifty years so I know.

  • 4.
  • At 04:35 PM on 18 Feb 2008,
  • Stephen Turner wrote:

How much does an HD-DVD player at CompUSA cost? :-)

This post is closed to new comments.

The 大象传媒 is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

大象传媒.co.uk