Re: CUSA NotThatMuchOfAnOpenHouseOrDidAppleScrewThePooch?
Re: CUSA NotThatMuchOfAnOpenHouseOrDidAppleScrewThePooch?
- Subject: Re: CUSA NotThatMuchOfAnOpenHouseOrDidAppleScrewThePooch?
- From: Jerry King <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2005 16:59:06 -0500
Title: Re: CUSA NotThatMuchOfAnOpenHouseOrDidAppleScrewThePooch?
This is also an individual posting from an Ambassador / President of a MUG in the SW Florida area.
We are a medium sized (~300) club. Until this past fall, the closest stores for Apple products involved a 120+ mile drive (< 2 hours) to the East Coast of Florida or (about the same distance but > 2.5 hours) the Tampa area. Few members took the drive except for a major purchase like a new PowerBook; we are catalog buyers and lean heavily on the catalog companies for information.
CompUSA opened a new store in Fort Myers this fall. This is still over 50 miles away for most of our members. That represents a 90 minute drive for members beyond the half way point. (In my other location, I am less that 15 minutes drive from the Wilmington, DE CompUSA store.)
CompUSA FL has held 3 (to my knowledge) special events to reach out to User Groups in its’ market. The first was a special Store Opening for just User Group members (PC and Apple). The opening was before the regular business opening hour. They provided coffee, doughnuts and LOTS of door prizes. The number of users to available CompUSA personnel was probably 1 user to 3 CompUSA sales personnel. A great attempt but terrible response by the User Group Community of both PC and Apple
The second and recent 3rd event was part of the regular business day for Apple customers. Again the number of User Group members attending was quite low. I don’t understand the business model for CompUSA to do these events unless Apple is subsidizing.
>From CompUSA’s perspective I think the ONLY benefit is to let an Apple user learn about CompUSA as a supplier for Apple Products and then sell other items like Printers, Routers, etc. Apple’s Fair Trade practices prohibit gaining any price concessions on Apple items. Catalog sources bundle “freebie add-ons” to make the Apple product attractive. I have NOT seen CompUSA deliver similar bundles on Apple products.
I appreciate CompUSA (and Apple) reaching out to MUG members. Unfortunately, unless you are in the market for a Scanner, Printer, Fax, UPS, etc in addition to your Apple item there is small economic benefit in traveling so far to a “local” CompUSA store.
I have spent more on digital cameras, DVD’s, UPS’s, Routers, Scanners, ink, etc at CompUSA than I have on Apple products.
Good luck to them. Wish them well with some model because our choices for purchase of Apple products is limited to catalog or Apple Stores.
Jerry
President Naples MUG
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