The first time I ever saw a Mac in real life it was at a CompUSA. If it hadn’t been for a CompUSA I would probably have never seen a Mac, or gotten a chance to try one out – and who knows if I’d ever made the switch.
The CompUSA in my local area has been closed for years, and from what I understand the ones that were still open were terrible places to shop. So it’s really not a surprise that CompUSA is gone. The company has been been purchased for liquidation, and any surviving stores will probably be closed up by the end of the year.
It’s a shame, to me anyway, to see one of the only chain stores that ever really had Mac stuff in them go out of business – but if they’ve been bad places to shop with horrible service, then I guess the company is getting what it deserves.
7 thoughts on “R.I.P. – CompUSA 1984-2007”
I honestly find this shocking, the CompUSA back where I lived was probably the best place to shop for computing equipment. Honestly now I don’t know where I would go now that they are being shutdown. Probably just stick to online ordering, or go directly to source AppleStore (which is much further away but worth the venture)! Compusa in my experience always had very helpful staff, and often they had Apple Representatives in the store to help market apples products. But I suppose this doesn’t necessarily retain to the company on a whole and if they where bad overall then like you stated they get what they deserve, I suppose.
/endrant
The problem with CompUSA stores is that few, if any, of there staff knew anything about Mac. So visitors to the Mac session were left all alone. Some of the stores did employ Apple staff at the store, but that was few and far between. Ultimately, because of this, Apple decided to open their own chain of stores with a knowledgeable staff that was passionate about the product.
The Apple Stores will remain profitable as long as they offer a focus on helping the customer know and love Macs. They did retail the right way and other companies have much to learn using them as a benchmark.
My cousin bought his Mac at CompUSA and then talked me into buying one. The CompUSA I went to was already closed so I headed to the Apple Store in the mall next door. I agree with Don Hayes entirely. My Apple Store in Lenox Square in Atlanta is where I get my “fix” every week. What great people they have working there. I love my Mac!
More than 20 years ago SoftWarehouse was *the* place to go in North Dallas/Addison to buy floppies, ribbons, tractor-feed paper, cables and the like at very reduced prices. The little storefront in a true warehouse area was always packed with a long line to check out; I typically parked in the street a block or two away.
Subsequently living near DC, I was thrilled when the major retail store opened in Virginia, as I recall. I was in the store within a few weeks after it opened. Soon after it was renamed CompUSA.
The passing of an era in retailing for sure….
The CompUSA experience should serve as a case study for what not to do in technology-focused retail. Everyone I know who’s bought from them in recent years has come away with stories of indifferent, ill-informed and inconsistent service. They simply did nothing to cultivate loyalty, choosing instead to focus on price.
Once you reach that point, you may as well fold up your tents and go home. Thankfully, they are. I’m sure there are plenty of other avenues where Macs and other technologies will be sold and supported with a greater degree of professionalism and care than CompUSA was able to muster in recent years.
It’s Darwinian and cruel, but the world’s better off without weak players like this.
Are you kidding? Good riddance to CrapUSA! As a Mac outlet, they were beyond terrible. My CrapUSA was part of the last round of store closings earlier this year, so I went to see what they had left. They still had a 12″ Powerbook G4 at a whole 25% off retail price. This was almost three years after that model had been discontinued, a G4 model in a Core Duo world! I told them their display model Core Solo Mac Mini was overpriced and I could go to the Apple Store in the same mall and get a new in box Core Duo Mini for less. They basically said go ahead. They really didn’t give a damn. They deserved to go out of business. Rest in pieces, you losers!