CompUSA to close all stores after holidays

I work at the CompUSA S. Tampa (Store 335) and a lot of us have know. This didn't suprise me at all. I just made 3 calls and will be starting a new job Next week. I loved working there due to the benefits and that we paid cost on stuff. Most of the costs were below Newegg.com.

I am just going to chalk it up as a loss. Shitty part is I have been off all week due to work related injuries. And I came in 2 days ago to have a liquidator greet me and 2 armed guards at the doors. We have already had 2 employees get canned for stealing. They must have thought they need a severance package.
 
Is it bad that my boss (I work for a big box retailer) went to our recently condemned neighborhood CompUSSR and started handing out business cards? I think he did 6 or so on-the-spot interviews... hehe.

Though it's good they're following a regular liquidation schedule, since that would be bad news for us. (We're in the same shopping center)

It was funny though, because last weekend (from inside knowledge) I heard they sold an entire three (3) [three whole] computers all of Saturday, no wonder they're finally going under.

The only useful thing I went to CompUSSR for was a good laugh now and then. I'd go in to scoff at their ridiculous prices and walk away. Well maybe I needed a fan or 2.
 
Good riddance.

The prices were ridiculous, the staff under paid and completely clueless, I myself applied for a job at a CompUSA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and Portland Oregon over a span of a few years as my shitty tech jobs came and went. I'm not suprised to see others had the same reaction.
The manager treated me as if I shold be flogged for appling at their store. This in Louisiana AND Oregon. Despite the fact I have years of experience and certifications and wasn't asking for more than minimum wage as times were hard, I was absolutely shocked that I would be treated like I'm soe scumbag begging for change.

Personally, I hope the managers and CEOs have an even worse and miserbale existence after this. Something is incredibely wrong with CompUSA and I am excited to see it go. Especially since I never had to stain my resume by actually working there and have landed a job at CNET a few months ago :)

Thing are looking up in the tech industry.

AMD and ATI are finally gonna be going the route they should have long ago, intregrated systems. Intel and Nividia will be the desktop kings and Mac is finally taking it's crown as the superior operating system built on beefy hardware... running Intel :)

CompUSuck is gone!!! yay!! ding-dong the wicked bitch is dead!
 
heatlesssun said:
No matter one's feelings on the end of CompUSA, I think that it does mark the end of the brick and mortar PC retail era. CompUSA was basically a computer store, unlike CC or BB which are more like department stores.
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To some degree, CompUSA had become a lot more like a BBY or CC....they had a lot of TVs in places that use to just be computer monitors.

You're probably right, though those with Fry's stores near by would probably beg to differ. OTOH, CompUSA hasn't had the variety of gear that you get online either. The selection of cases and PSUs was very limited. The same goes for Video Cards. They did have HDs, though certainly not the variety that Frys has always had. I don't ever recall them selling CPUs or a wide variety of RAM, though I suppose they had them, but didn't have a display of sorts (which would mean, at a minimum, a price list). I think what really got me to stop shopping there (aside from Frys) was when they changed the return policy on hardware. I buy to try joysticks from them....if I liked them, I kept them otherwise, I returned it. At some point they put up a sign that said opened H/W had a 15% restocking fee. At that point, I figured I might as well just buy it online (or at Frys if that change happened after the arrival of Frys).



I actually love to window shop, and the two CompUSA's near me where not all that bad for that. The one problem with online shopping is just that. As technology get more and more complex and less and less ability find solid answers easily online, I do see an opportunity for a new type on retail. On where consumers get to actually see the product in action.
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I did that at Frys, but rarely at CompUSA. They just didn't have a large enough selection of goods. Even 10 years ago, the Garland Micro Center had more than CompUSA.

How many of of buy stuff based on the opinion of some one else? When do we actually get to see a product at work before buying it?
The web often trades experience for convenience,.
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I don't think that's a real issue. I don't recall seeing a machines dedicated to demoing a video card or a Fan Display. Aside from Cases and Monitors, what good does seeing computer hardware really do you? I love looking at the Motherboard display at Frys, but seeing them isn't likely to sway my purchasing one way or the other.....I suppose printers would be useful, but they normally print out pics that have been optimized for that printer.
And very few stores (including Frys) sold the monitors I was looking at purchasing.

Where seeing it makes a real difference is on a desktop or laptop computer. I hadn't been in a Frys for a year when i went into the one in Austin and lemme tell you, it's pretty damn impressive to walk back and see 4 rows of laptops (roughly 50-60 different models if I had to guess).

I miss Frys, but CompUSA hasn't been interesting since the early to mid 90s.
 
Fuzzy Logik said:
and Mac is finally taking it's crown as the superior operating system built on beefy hardware... running Intel :)

CompUSuck is gone!!! yay!! ding-dong the wicked bitch is dead!
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Mac as the SUPERIOR platform? Please don't go there. This is a tired OS debate as none of the major OS'es Windows, OS X, Linux is clearly superior to the others.

There is a lot of anti-love towards CompUSA. Especially during this time of year, I hate to see honest people lose their jobs.

CompUSA is not my favorite store, but I've drop a fair amount of coin there over the years and never had any bad experiences.

I wish the employees well and good luck in their next endevours!
 
good ridence in a way. I hated seeing suckers walking in a getting owned by the markups and getting very little in return. I mean 120 bucks for a low end Celly that you could get online for 70? please!

I do have to say its fun to window shop BUT I would agree that if the prices were at least compairable to online that i woulda bought stuff from them.I saw no reason why i should pay 200 bucks on a mobo from compUsa when with a 3 day wait I could get the same one online for 120.00.

I am one of the few that keep extra parts stored just in case something goes bad and breaks. This way i got a running system untill the item i need comes
 
Steve said:
In my town it is big fish eats little fish.

Computer City comes in (years ago) and kills mom and pop PC retailers.
CompUSA comes in and eventually kill Computer Ciy and buys the remains
CompUSA starts selling Macs, kills local Mac retailers.
BestBuy moves in....right across the street from CompUSA
CompUSA annouces store closures and keeps only half of its stores open.
Our local CompUSA does a huge remodel (starts selling electronics / TVs)
CompUSA announces this



Online prices, BB really did them in. The only thing I really ever bought (in the last few years) at CompUSA was PC cases. I never order cases online because the shipping is as much as the case itself.

Sad to see them go....lack of competition in any town / market is bad for consumers
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The same situation in my area, except CompUSA got removed from the state in the last round. I'm also glad that I am not the only one who remembers Computer City.

Personally I would like to see more computer stores not less. :(
 
Here I am sitting in the middle of a little town called SAN FRANCISCO, and the only thing in walking distance is going to be the Damn APPLE store.
They have had the occasional good deal on DVD'r and a couple of things that are needed for immediate fixes,
The way the statement is worded it looks like some will be sold if possible, hopefully the one here stays since it is the only PC store in the downtown area.
 
Dan_D said:
I sometimes start ranting. :D
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even still, it was a very informative rant and answered alot of the questions I had about why compusa sucked so bad. Thanks for taking the time to write it!

I have a buddy I went to college with who had worked his way up to some sort of managerial position at compusa, claimed he was making almost 70k there and if that was true I can see why they had to shut it down cause as cool as he is...he was kind of a knuckle head :p

hope things shake out okay for him in the end though
 
maademperor said:
even still, it was a very informative rant and answered alot of the questions I had about why compusa sucked so bad. Thanks for taking the time to write it!

I have a buddy I went to college with who had worked his way up to some sort of managerial position at compusa, claimed he was making almost 70k there and if that was true I can see why they had to shut it down cause as cool as he is...he was kind of a knuckle head :p

hope things shake out okay for him in the end though
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Managers could make pretty good money but it depends on the management position. I know store managers made money like that but the technical services managers did not. I turned down a position as a tech services manager because my regular job paid FAR more than that did. I was only working there part time for the discount and extra cash. As a result I wasn't that interested in making a career out of a company that I knew wasn't going to survive much longer. I think the sales managers, store manager and operations managers made decent money, but the rest generally didn't. At some point they got rid of most of the operations managers, except at hub locations which were distribution centers for the website. (I worked at the Mesquite location which was one such location used for distribution.)
 
Me and Dan_D went into the CompUSA here yesterday and I flat out asked a sales guy what the best deal he could do on a camera was and he said "Retail Price" We laughed in his face and left. If CompUSA wants to just get it over with, they need to follow the plan we came up with. A 4 day sale.
Day 1: 25% off everything in the store
Day 2: 50% off everything in the store
Day 3: 75% off everything in the store
Day 4: 90% off everything in the store. Furniture and Fixtures $25 all you can carry in one arm load. $40 if it takes 2 people.
Day 5: Ex employees look for jobs.
 
Lebowski said:
Me and Dan_D went into the CompUSA here yesterday and I flat out asked a sales guy what the best deal he could do on a camera was and he said "Retail Price" We laughed in his face and left. If CompUSA wants to just get it over with, they need to follow the plan we came up with. A 4 day sale.
Day 1: 25% off everything in the store
Day 2: 50% off everything in the store
Day 3: 75% off everything in the store
Day 4: 90% off everything in the store. Furniture and Fixtures $25 all you can carry in one arm load. $40 if it takes 2 people.
Day 5: Ex employees look for jobs.
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That would clear it out quick. :cool:
 
Lebowski said:
Me and Dan_D went into the CompUSA here yesterday and I flat out asked a sales guy what the best deal he could do on a camera was and he said "Retail Price" We laughed in his face and left. If CompUSA wants to just get it over with, they need to follow the plan we came up with. A 4 day sale.
Day 1: 25% off everything in the store
Day 2: 50% off everything in the store
Day 3: 75% off everything in the store
Day 4: 90% off everything in the store. Furniture and Fixtures $25 all you can carry in one arm load. $40 if it takes 2 people.
Day 5: Ex employees look for jobs.
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i would for sure then and shop..heck even take off of work if it happend that way
 
The way I see it, they need to offer deep discounts and simply get all the money they can. They will not be able to sell anything for only 10%-20% off. Not when their prices are already at least that much higher than Fry's prices on the same items.
 
Here's my question. Say you work for CompUSA. Do you continue working knowing the company is going tits up and you could be screwed out of your last paycheck or do you jump ship and go else where and let them die on their own?
I for one, would stay all the while, putting things I want to buy super cheap in secret locations that way when the discount is really good I can buy that $600 video card for $100.
;)
 
I'd like to also say "Good Riddance to CompUSA." After giving the Little Rock store several chances, I completely stopped shopping there a couple years ago. I would go "test" the technicians about a problem or ask a salesman about a product and basically just laugh at most of them. Their return policy was a joke and a very time-consuming process, considering that the same person was also doing the register.

Dan_D said:
I sometimes start ranting. :D
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Even still, I read through it thoroughly and found it very informative. :D
 
Lebowski said:
Here's my question. Say you work for CompUSA. Do you continue working knowing the company is going tits up and you could be screwed out of your last paycheck or do you jump ship and go else where and let them die on their own?
I for one, would stay all the while, putting things I want to buy super cheap in secret locations that way when the discount is really good I can buy that $600 video card for $100.
;)
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I knew a lot of people that worked at the CompUSA that closed where I live and all of them, at least the full timers, all got severance packages and that will probably happen with all the stores closing now as well.
 
Dan_D said:
The way I see it, they need to offer deep discounts and simply get all the money they can. They will not be able to sell anything for only 10%-20% off. Not when their prices are already at least that much higher than Fry's prices on the same items.
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The sad thing is, they managed to do it here in Michigan; most of the CompUSA's in the SW area went bye-bye in the first round.

The liquidators marked everything up before marking down. It's very likely that they marked up to MSRP. Prices were ridiculous.

It took 4-6 weeks to close out the store, but even at the end, prices weren't any better than NewEgg's, and often still worse. The sole item I bought was an iPod battery; it was cheaper only because of shipping when compared to e-tailers.

And yet, the unwashed masses thought they were really getting deals. It's pure psychology --xx% off, limited stock adding a little pressure ("But Mabel, look, there's only two left of these here widgets! We gotta git one!") and suddenly, consumers forget to do research. And when you forgo doing your homework, you lose 90% of the time.
 
Lebowski said:
Here's my question. Say you work for CompUSA. Do you continue working knowing the company is going tits up and you could be screwed out of your last paycheck or do you jump ship and go else where and let them die on their own?
I for one, would stay all the while, putting things I want to buy super cheap in secret locations that way when the discount is really good I can buy that $600 video card for $100.
;)
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And during liquidation, if they catch you doing that, you're shown the door and you lose your promised severance package (generally good enough to encourage people to stay).
 
From a corporate/business purchasing perspective I decided to stop doing business with CompUSA when I saw how they were jacking around their sales people. A number of years ago they decided to pull all in store business sales people and send them all to Texas. They were given the option to move or lose their job. When that happened I said WTF and AMF. I knew it was a model that wouldn't work for them and sure enough it was only 2 years or so later when I get a call from a newly assigned CompUSA rep who tells me they are now back in stores here in town. Sorry I already had new representatives from other vendors who were anxious and able to fulfill my orders.

After seeing that happen I had no respect for the people running that company and couldn't bring myself to do business with an organization that I knew was poorly managed and had obvious problems at the top.
 
i worked in the arizona stores during closeout...

that is what they did pretty much, they will do it right after Christmas...

yup even after they sell computer warranties to people
 
Lebowski said:
Me and Dan_D went into the CompUSA here yesterday and I flat out asked a sales guy what the best deal he could do on a camera was and he said "Retail Price" We laughed in his face and left. If CompUSA wants to just get it over with, they need to follow the plan we came up with. A 4 day sale.
Day 1: 25% off everything in the store
Day 2: 50% off everything in the store
Day 3: 75% off everything in the store
Day 4: 90% off everything in the store. Furniture and Fixtures $25 all you can carry in one arm load. $40 if it takes 2 people.
Day 5: Ex employees look for jobs.
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Nah. You stretch it out so that you can get as much as possible for your inventory. Why sell something for 75% off on Saturday, when they'd sell out at 25% off (or half at 25% and the other half at 50% off)?

Let's face it, a lot of people will buy stuff at 25% off, even though that's more than an online price, simply because they don't know any better and it's a going out of business sale, so they need to get it while it's still in stock!!!!!
 
The only liquidation that I've been to that was good was when DAK went out of business. I went there almost every day for 2 weeks and got a ton of good stuff dirt cheap, for like $0.10 on the dollar.
 
Ok, so I needed a new mouse and I finally got time to make it to my local CompUSA. So I go in to see what other deals they have and all and just laughed as a I walked around. Told a few people they could get that stuff MUCH cheaper online, even with the lame discounts they had marked.

I get to the checkout and I say to the lady at the counter that even with the discounts, I can get just about everything online for a LOT cheaper. She is like "Well, I guess they know what they are doing". As I laughed really hard, I told her "If they knew what they were doing, they wouldn't be closing all the stores, now would they"?

I thought it was so funny that someone actually thought they knew what they were doing.
 
Cinge said:
I thought it was so funny that someone actually thought they knew what they were doing.
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Isn't CUSA already out of business? I was under the impression that the stores were now run by Gordon Brothers, who bought all of CUSA's inventory several weeks ago.

If tha'ts the case, then she's correct....after all, Gordon Brothers isn't going out of business.
 
nilepez said:
Isn't CUSA already out of business? I was under the impression that the stores were now run by Gordon Brothers, who bought all of CUSA's inventory several weeks ago.

If tha'ts the case, then she's correct....after all, Gordon Brothers isn't going out of business.
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That is one way of looking at it. But in any case, Comp USA is dead.
 
I have no idea about Gordon Brothers. I'm talking about CompUSA, the name that is still on the store, at least until it closes, since that's the HUGE sign (store closing) on the store now above the CompUSA sign.
 
Cinge said:
I have no idea about Gordon Brothers. I'm talking about CompUSA, the name that is still on the store, at least until it closes, since that's the HUGE sign (store closing) on the store now above the CompUSA sign.
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I understand that, but the checkout girl was almost certainly referring to Gordon Brothers, since that's who she works for.
 
nilepez said:
I understand that, but the checkout girl was almost certainly referring to Gordon Brothers, since that's who she works for.
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It still doesn't make sense. There prices are still MUCH higher than other places, especially online and that is marked down. For instance, a no name brand (ok, something stupid like IOMagic) DVD recorder with Lightscribe. $52 on sale. Asus SATA Lightscribe DVD recorder from NewEgg.com, $35 including shipping.

TVs like twice the price of walmart, same brand.

AMD 9500 Phenom $289 versus online at $199.

AMD 64 4000+ 939 $385 versus $65 online

They shutting down the store for crying out loud. They even have signs up they are selling the shelving and all.

No, my statement still stands. I really think they jacked up the prices and then marked them with 10%, 15%, etc. off.

For CompUSA to close their doors, they obviously didn't know wtf they were doing.
 
Cinge said:
It still doesn't make sense. There prices are still MUCH higher than other places, especially online and that is marked down. For instance, a no name brand (ok, something stupid like IOMagic) DVD recorder with Lightscribe. $52 on sale. Asus SATA Lightscribe DVD recorder from NewEgg.com, $35 including shipping.

TVs like twice the price of walmart, same brand.

AMD 9500 Phenom $289 versus online at $199.

AMD 64 4000+ 939 $385 versus $65 online

They shutting down the store for crying out loud. They even have signs up they are selling the shelving and all.

No, my statement still stands. I really think they jacked up the prices and then marked them with 10%, 15%, etc. off.

For CompUSA to close their doors, they obviously didn't know wtf they were doing.
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CompUSA sold all the invertory to the liquidators. CompUSA has NOTHING AT ALL do to with the current prices when you want into the store.

As for the woman telling you they know what they are doing, they sure as hell do. They will be down to next to nothing left when it finally hits 70% off. The computers, video cards, etc you see at 10% off, and you 'laugh at,' people are buying like crazy. You may not see it, as you may see a stocked store, but they keep the showroom floor stocked, while emptying the stock rooms in the back(what you do not see).

When people like you try to argue with them, they are laughing at you. They bought the entire store for pennies on the dollar, and selling at basically retail prices left and right.
 
That's because people are stupid and fall for any scam out there. They are stupid to pay prices like that, even with so called discounts. SERIOUSLY jacked up prices and then marked xx% off. That's why I was telling so many people to shop online for a good deal, that they were getting ripped off.

They still don't know what they are doing if they had to shut the doors.

They really need to hire people at these places that know wtf they are doing. Maybe BB will be next to go under, one can only hope. Hopefully more and more consumers will wise up to these people's scam.
 
Cinge said:
That's because people are stupid and fall for any scam out there. They are stupid to pay prices like that, even with so called discounts. SERIOUSLY jacked up prices and then marked xx% off. That's why I was telling so many people to shop online for a good deal, that they were getting ripped off.

They still don't know what they are doing if they had to shut the doors.

They really need to hire people at these places that know wtf they are doing. Maybe BB will be next to go under, one can only hope. Hopefully more and more consumers will wise up to these people's scam.
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Another thing you are not getting is that most of the prices are at retail prices. What you see online, everyday, are below retail prices. The liquidator just puts them at retail and then discounts.*

CompUSA was not overpriced, they had to pay much more overhead while doing far less volume than, say, NewEgg. Rent for each and every store(plus utilities), more employees taking time to explain things to possible customers, who then do not even buy, etc, etc, etc.

CompUSA's failure was not jumping on the discount website bandwagon early on like Fry's/Outpost, MicroCenter, while scaling back retail locations.

Of course, comparing those two stores to CompUSA, you see an extremely small retail chain compared to CompUSA's nationwide retail chain. Both of those companies have far less overhead.

*Many items are indeed over the MSRP, however, they are priced to earlier MSRP's before they were brought down by the manufacturer or incorrectly priced as, say, a GTX/Ultra when it is nothing more than a GTS. It could easily be that the SKU for that item(say a CPU) was indeed purchased at the old wholesale pricing, therefor they are using the old MSRP. While price cuts are great for the consumer, when you are a store buying a CPU for $200 each at wholesale, in lots of 1,000+, and the next month the manufacturer lowers it to $125, you are screwed as the retailer. You now have to sell the item at or below what you actually paid for it just oe be able to sell it and recoup some of the cost. Typically, the manufacturer tries to give the retailer plenty of time to sell old stock, but if you can not sell them in time, you are taking a loss per item sold.
 
I do understand the economics involved in brick and mortor having to charge a little more. However, when the prices are outrageous like ,most of them are, it becomes a scam. When you have BB doing stuff like switching sites to fool customers into paying more than the web site has it listed for, it's a scam. When you have floor staff intentionally misleading people into paying more for less, it's a scam. When you have idiots that don't have a clue misleading customers, it's a scam.
 
Cinge said:
I do understand the economics involved in brick and mortor having to charge a little more. However, when the prices are outrageous like ,most of them are, it becomes a scam. When you have BB doing stuff like switching sites to fool customers into paying more than the web site has it listed for, it's a scam. When you have floor staff intentionally misleading people into paying more for less, it's a scam. When you have idiots that don't have a clue misleading customers, it's a scam.
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Yeah I like the BB deal. Its like baiting people into the store thinking they are getting a good deal cuz of the price on the website.
 
One of Comp USA's problems was their inability to handle market fluctuations in pricing. If they started selling X1950XTX's at $399.99 and six months later they started selling for less, Comp USA would never adjust their prices on the card.

This was especially bad in regard to processors. A year after the FX-57 was released they were still trying to sell them for $999.99. :eek:
 
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