Macs making a comeback at Circuit City?

Yes, I'm sure she's very happy now with her narcoleptic macbook. Good job showing mac fans to be obnoxious shmucks

I think one of the primary reasons the big chain stores often neglect Apple is because of the services they can sell with it. I don't know if circuit city can sell their own protection plan and such apple hardware, but with most of their other products you can just about go in and ask for an item at cost as long as you buy the protection plan and extended warranty and all of the other stuff they beg you to get.

I know at best buy a lot of the sales reps make most of their money off of the extras and will allow the actual price of the item to be knocked down considerably. With apple being very firm on its pricing I don't know if the stores will be as inclined to push the product.

Hmm...I know this sounds wierd...but in Chicago, my nearest Apple store is about 14 miles away...I wouldn't mind Circuit City doing this.

I think there's a point some here are missing (by an inch or so). Yes, the Apple brick-and-mortar stores are really cool and hip. Well lit, clean layouts, plenty of 'toys' to play with, plenty of salespeople willing to help or answer questions. But it is the 'cool and hip' that the PC masses have heard about, and I believe, are scared of.

By getting Macs into the places where potential new computer buyers tend to go: big, 'safe' Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, etc., they can get those shy folks to take a second look. These people would normally feel 'safe' buying the same ol' PC, but when they see that GORGEOUS 30 inch display hooked up to that new Mac Pro, oh my! What is THAT computer? Then (and this is where good salespeople will be paramount to success), the salesperson will clue them into BOOT CAMP! Now they don't have to totally cut the umbilical from Windows all at once! They can 'wean' themselves bit by bit. Pure genius!

I tell you, Boot Camp matched with Intel hardware is by far the smartest thing to date Apple has done for their computers. It's got me, a Windows systems integrator (OMG!), on the verge of buying a Mac Book Pro or a Mac Pro. Thanks Apple! Keep up the smart market strategy!

I was in a Circuit City once the last time they had Macs there. A teacher came in, ad in hand, looking for a Mac that was in the ad. The sales goon said to her "Why do you want a Mac? They don't have any software, they're slow... here, let me show a nice Windows computer..." and started to steer her and her husband away from the Macs.

I'd been working retail for several years at that point, and a Mac user for even longer. I snapped. I very clearly and LOUDLY said "Excuse me, but what are you doing? Your CUSTOMER came to YOUR STORE looking to buy a Mac. Obviously, she knows what she wants to buy - she even has it circled in her ad! Why are you trying to sell her something he doesn't want?"

Deer. Headlights. A thing of beauty.

I then proceeded to give a two minute lesson on the values of Macs vs Windows to the stunned goon (and all his fellow goons, and I believe to a floor manager who was in earshot), apologized to the teacher for making a scene, and made my exit, dropping whatever I was going to buy.

With any luck, the sales stuff will have a better incentive THIS time around to sell the customers what the customers want, and not what will score the staff the best commission.

I completley agree with you, CompUSA needs more people staffed FOR apple, not just "hardware sales"

and another thing. Our store isnt great in my opinion it needs to be gutted and redone on the inside. Im just saying there are people that care about the Macs just like I do im sure! its a pride thing I guess (no hard feelings guys!)

As for commision we make something called "spiff" you only make 1$ on applecare...and you only get spiffed for "services" and the spiffs are low and the services are the hardest thing to sell someone who doesnt care what you have to say. Even though sometimes honestly they are worth the money. I always get the applecare on apples, but the laptop kits and most of the desktop plans people dont care aboutl. And honestly I dont either, I hang out in the apple section I dont even venture out of it unless a customer drags me out. sad, but true.

CompUSA should add some motivation to their tactics. like 5 bucks for a 5 item sale, and 10 for 10, they did that for a week i pulled in an extra 20 a day...

that makes working for them a little more worth it, other than that I just sell apple because I know the products and they are just better. I cant "demo" anything on a PC like I can on a Mac PC's are all the same, boring, and so old looking. All the pcs do the same thing (nothing).

anyhoo, just want to make sure you dont think I was mad at anyone, or dissing any of your comments! im a good guy just giving my 2 cents!

thanks guys!


sorry if my spelling is bad!

Dave (#2)--
Where are you located? Sounds just like my area!

I'm not sure why, but the Oklahoma City CompUSA has a large, nicely maintained Apple section in its Northeast corner.

It's clean, well-lit, and the computers seem to be chugging along fine. They have a nice selection of Apple software as well. Nothing wrong with CompUSA's merchandizing here.

Hey Apple Guy --

Before you call everyone here wrong about the way that they feel about their local CompUSA, might might want to consider that their CompUSA probably isn't anywhere near as great as your posts makes you and your store sound.

It's cool that you know enough about Macs to be able to back up your stores official Mac guy, but at the two stores by me, you literally have to have someone overhead page a minimum of two times before someone will begrudgingly come over to the Apple area when you have a question. It's like they leave you standing there at least 10 minutes hoping that you'll go away.

#8: On the contrary, Circuit City and Best Buy aren't on commission. CompUSA still is, or at least was when a friend of mine used to be the lead of a Denver, CO-based CompUSA Apple dept. So at CC and BB, the salesmen don't have any extra motivation to learn or care about selling Macs.

CompUSA, from the explanation of my friend, is in an even worse situation because not only are their salesmen on commission, but the store actually makes less selling Macs (Apple keeps their reseller prices rigid; ever wonder why most stores rarely take more than $5 off the price of a new Mac?) than PC hardware - and this probably holds true for Best Buy and Circuit City. This means the salesmen at Comp also make less when selling a Mac - it's a horrible situation, and I sincerely hope someone figures this out and offers a solution before these new experiments go down the toilet.