COMP USA going out of business.

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Lanyap

Elite Member
Dec 23, 2000
8,128
2,167
136

No good deals at my CompUSA either. They have people standing around the area with signs that say 30% off in big bold print and "up to" next to it in little print to make it look like everything is 30% off.

I agree that CC is not too far behind. I think they screwed themselves by firing their top paid sales people. I've heard that they are the ones that brought in the big $$$ sales. They lost customers like me because they did that.

They also lost sales with their CC rebates. Instead of giving instant off savings and manufacturer MIR on computer related items they chose to have a CC paid MIR taking a big chunk of the instant. Only recently have they started the no MIR on some sale items similar to BB. Too little too late.

I've also experienced the one checkout open with more than a few customers waiting. What makes it even more frustrating is that they have a bunch of employees standing around doing nothing when that happens.

Of course, when CC goes out of business that leaves fewer retailers which will cause prices to increase because of less competition. At least the office supply stores have provided some competition. Maybe Frys will move into my area and take over one of the vacated stores.

 

dman

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
9,110
0
76
I stopped by one in WPB, FL on Thursday. They had everything 10% off of 'original prices'. Some things were a little more off like Digital Picture frames. Basically, everything is AT LEAST the MSRP to start, so, way overpriced. Even when they get to 'up to' 50% and 75% off tactics you'll be hard pressed to find anything of significant savings, but, feel free to try.
 

JohnnyCNote

Junior Member
Sep 26, 2003
9
0
61
I drove by the original location in Jacksonville, FL, and there were people out on the corners with signs advertising "UP TO 30% OFF!". After having read this thread, I kept on going. While I've actually managed to get a good deal on a close-out sale once or twice in the past, somehow I'm not that optimistic in this situation. Besides, there's always the temptation to buy something I really don't need.

I can't say I'll miss the place. I used to work at the old Computer City that was bought out by CompUSA and haven't been that fond of the place ever since. Fortunately, there are plenty of mail order sources, but as others have noted, they don't help if you need something now (and I won't shop at Best Buy) . . .
 

indamixx99

Golden Member
Oct 17, 2006
1,957
0
76
Originally posted by: dman
Basically, everything is AT LEAST the MSRP to start, so, way overpriced.

That's correct. When they closed down the stores here in So. Cal., the prices all went back up to their regular MSRP prices. No instant savings or anything. So, I think that's why many people think the prices were raised purposely by the liquidators. We're all used to seeing instant savings on most of the products we buy, and when these are gone it becomes instant price-gouging.
 

VinDSL

Diamond Member
Apr 11, 2006
4,869
1
81
www.lenon.com
After 6 pages of BS...

Basically, CUSA sucks as much at going out of business, as they did when they were in buiness!

Have I got this right?
 

chazzzer

Member
Nov 1, 2005
110
0
0
Originally posted by: VinDSL
After 6 pages of BS...

Basically, CUSA sucks as much at going out of business, as they did when they were in buiness!

Have I got this right?

Don't blame CompUSA, they don't exist anymore. The owners sold the stores & inventory to a liquidation company (Gordon Brothers Group) in early December. (They did the same thing last year when they closed a bunch of stores.) The Gordon Brothers Group is the one raising the prices and trying to get suckers to pay too much, it's not the original owners.
 

TestGuyCT

Senior member
Aug 14, 2003
258
0
0
For those interested, a little CUSA history from the Wikipedia.

R.I.P. CUSA - even though I could never get the store managers to do legitimate price matches ...
 

VinceDee

Member
Jan 26, 2007
157
0
76
Originally posted by: hans007

uh how can they afford to make better margins than frys if they are bleeding money?

stores sell. they push extended warranties. the reason frys is around is because they serve a clientele that doesnt need extended warranties, and can genreally figure out what theya re doing. plus their volumes are much higher and they have way less overhead becuase they have less retail locations.

they reason compusa failed was becuase they didn't know what they wanted to be. they kept going from a "computer store" to a "poor mans best buy" to their latest strategy of "a brick and mortar store for corporate electronics purchases" (like a b&m cdw which was just plain dumb). they also had about a billion stores with overlapping areas for a long time since they stupidly bought computercity and the goodguy and ruined those companies.

are you kidding? They are bleeding money because:

1. They try to sell products at higher-than-retail prices during the Internet era, when companies are competing against Newegg, etc

2. They have no customer relations whatsoever. They basically ignore customers who come into their stores, which results in customers not coming back

3. They are blatantly and overtly greedy. They make no pretense of their hostility towards customers. They act as if the customer is an enemy to be conquered instead of a person who's needs should be satisfied. Every time I ever asked for a price match, for example, they just plain said no.

4. Also, I agree about some of the reasons you cited as well. But those were efforts to stay competitive when they started their long, inexorable slide rather than them not knowing what they wanted to be. They just started doing everything except lowering prices and providing better customer service.

They were a much larger corporation than Frys, which gives them better wholesale purchasing power than Frys. Yet instead of passing on those price savings to the customers, they chose to try to maximize their own margins by keeping that extra profit and even adding markups. But in this era when customers can simply buy products with a few clicks of the mouse for good prices, combined with CompUSA's open dislike of their own customers, it became a perfect storm for them. They made all the wrong choices and this was the result.
 

j0j081

Banned
Aug 26, 2007
1,090
0
0
The COMPUSA where I live is still only 10 percent off so as many people have said already still comes out to more expensive than online or even BB and Circuit City in a lot of cases. I feel sorry for the regular Joes that go in there thinking they are getting a good deal and are still being ripped.
 

rickon66

Golden Member
Oct 11, 1999
1,823
15
81
Not too many folks here(Franklin-Brentwood, TN) are falling for the 10 and 20% off deals, CompUSA is pretty well fully stocked and is still getting some new stuff in. I spied a BFG 8800GTS 512OC in the case that was not here a few days ago and they have a ton of power supplies of various sizes and brands sitting at 20% off. I'm hoping the supply will stay decent as the discounts go up.
 

StepUp

Senior member
May 12, 2004
654
0
76
Originally posted by: rickon66
Not too many folks here(Franklin-Brentwood, TN) are falling for the 10 and 20% off deals, CompUSA is pretty well fully stocked and is still getting some new stuff in. I spied a BFG 8800GTS 512OC in the case that was not here a few days ago and they have a ton of power supplies of various sizes and brands sitting at 20% off. I'm hoping the supply will stay decent as the discounts go up.

I'm in Franklin, and I too have been spying the store. You can bet that I won't be shopping until the deals really come. I just hope the posh of this area won't be picking things up because they save a dollar or two. This college boy needs some deals!
 

johnsonbrewer

Member
Dec 1, 2007
126
0
0
Still no "action" in Wichita. 10 to 30% off, but nothing very good yet. Of the 10 to 12 people I passed coming out as I was going in, only one had made a purchase. We're not stupid!!
 

slashbinslashbash

Golden Member
Feb 29, 2004
1,945
8
81
I got some good deals there when the first round of CompUSA closings happened earlier this year, especially during the last couple of weeks before the stores closed. Good prices on MS software (XP, Vista, Office 2007 at 60% off) and a few Mac accessories. Also a couple of motherboards at decent prices. I picked up an ASUS P5K for $70-something.
 

Fingolfin269

Lifer
Feb 28, 2003
17,948
31
91
Originally posted by: StepUp
Originally posted by: rickon66
Not too many folks here(Franklin-Brentwood, TN) are falling for the 10 and 20% off deals, CompUSA is pretty well fully stocked and is still getting some new stuff in. I spied a BFG 8800GTS 512OC in the case that was not here a few days ago and they have a ton of power supplies of various sizes and brands sitting at 20% off. I'm hoping the supply will stay decent as the discounts go up.

I'm in Franklin, and I too have been spying the store. You can bet that I won't be shopping until the deals really come. I just hope the posh of this area won't be picking things up because they save a dollar or two. This college boy needs some deals!

I'm still keeping an eye out in the area as well. The problem is at some point certain people will bite thinking they are getting a good deal. All of the good merchandise will be gone from the store at internet pricing and by the time it gets down to 50% off there will be nothing left.
 

gplracer

Golden Member
Jun 4, 2000
1,750
16
81
ALL SALES FINAL that means it would really have to be a good deal for me to buy it. I would love an epson r1800 or some really cheap hard drives.
 

AndrewR

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
11,157
0
0
Originally posted by: chazzzer
Originally posted by: VinDSL
After 6 pages of BS...

Basically, CUSA sucks as much at going out of business, as they did when they were in buiness!

Have I got this right?

Don't blame CompUSA, they don't exist anymore. The owners sold the stores & inventory to a liquidation company (Gordon Brothers Group) in early December. (They did the same thing last year when they closed a bunch of stores.) The Gordon Brothers Group is the one raising the prices and trying to get suckers to pay too much, it's not the original owners.

Let's save some ire for those absolute morons who buy the overpriced products without comparison shopping online or even at a competitor like BB. I am so very tired of ignorant fools like that ruining the opportunity for good deals by buying things before the prices are decent.

Someone needs to take away their credit cards.
 

sgrinavi

Diamond Member
Jul 31, 2007
4,537
0
76
Just stopped by the local CUSA in Ft. Myers, FL. Prices have crept down an additional 5% on a few items, PSUs are 25% off, software 15% ... 30% off is still the max.

 
Aug 23, 2000
15,511
1
81
I was in a CompUSA on Friday and ened up buying a HP Camera. Can't beat a 5MP camera for $60 after the discount. Other than that, the prices on most stuff was way out of line. I tried to haggle with the manager and he said they couldn't override the price and I told him good luck getting rid of the stuff if we can't bring it back. I wouldn't buy a big screen TV or even a LCD monitor if I can't bring it back if it has dead pixels. Well I would buy it but It's have to be like 50% off
 

SketchMaster

Diamond Member
Feb 23, 2005
3,100
149
116
I went in to my Compusa today to see if there were any good deals on video cards. The prices have gone UP since Christmas! I walked around the store and saw that many items I had an eye on had gone up. It looks like what they are doing is bringing the prices back up to retail and then "marking them down" 15% to make it look like you are getting a deal, it's just wrong. I told my friend about it and he said I'm not the first person to notice this.

And people are still in there buying crap!
 

Gillbot

Lifer
Jan 11, 2001
28,830
17
81
Originally posted by: SketchMaster
I went in to my Compusa today to see if there were any good deals on video cards. The prices have gone UP since Christmas! I walked around the store and saw that many items I had an eye on had gone up. It looks like what they are doing is bringing the prices back up to retail and then "marking them down" 15% to make it look like you are getting a deal, it's just wrong. I told my friend about it and he said I'm not the first person to notice this.

And people are still in there buying crap!

Same at our local store. My brother and I went in to check it out and the prices were a joke to say the least. Low end Nvidia AGP vid cards for nearly $100? Power supplied in excess of $300? Coolermaster cases in excess of $200? It was an absolute jike but even worse were the people in there buying stuff.

The icing though was when I went to the back where they had the display PC's but into boxes with marker written on them as to what they were. Mind you these were DEMO units and they were priced the SAME or HIGHER than their sealed in box new equivalents!!!
 

The Master

Member
Feb 4, 2000
72
0
0
No good deals at my local own.. though.. like Raiden..

Compusa had a board up selling inventory tools.. which was weird (like forklifts kind of tools etc)
 
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